Council · Today in 381
First Council of Constantinople
Constantinople I finished what Nicaea had started. The council reaffirmed the Son's full divinity and answered those who denied the Holy Spirit's divinity, giving the church the expanded Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. That is the creed most Christians mean when they say 'the Nicene Creed' today. The result was a clearer Trinitarian grammar: one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
One God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Highlights
- Reaffirmed Nicaea.
- Confessed the Spirit's divinity.
- Expanded the creed.
- Closed the main Trinitarian controversy.
How it happened
What happened
Theodosius called Eastern bishops to Constantinople after decades of conflict over the Nicene faith.
The argument
The council had to reaffirm Nicaea and answer groups that denied the Holy Spirit's full divinity.
What changed
The creed was expanded into the form most Christians now know as the Nicene Creed.
Why it matters
Constantinople gave the church stable language for confessing Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as one God.
People in the story
Gregory of NazianzusCappadocian Father, briefly Archbishop of Constantinople (380-381) and presider over the First Council of Constantinople. Known as 'the Theologian' for his Five Theological Orations.
Gregory of NyssaYounger brother of Basil and the third Cappadocian Father. Author of the Life of Moses, Catechetical Oration, and Life of Macrina.
Book of the day
Five Theological Orations
Gregory of NazianzusA reading pick tied to today's figure, quote, era, or event. Dense but decisive sermons on the Trinity from the theologian of Constantinople.
Daily Patristic Wisdom in your inbox
Get one early Church quote each morning, with historical context in plain English. Free. Unsubscribe whenever.