Template:Nicene

Nicene Council

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” (Matthew 7:15-16)

Constantine was no shepherd of Christ much less a "bishop of bishops" of Christ's church. The more we study the detailed thorns of Constantine’s life and those ministers he and his successors appointed over men, the less convincing it is that the fruits of the Holy Spirit were in their questionable conversions. There were thousands upon thousands that suffered and toiled under their “exercising authority”, with tens of thousands who died at their murderous, bloody hands. The testimony of their lives bears witness to the purity or impurity of their souls and their claim to faith in Christ.

“Constantine intervened in ecclesiastical affairs to achieve unity; he presided over the first ecumenical council of the church at Nicaea in 325.”

He claimed the office of Pontifex Maximus or High Priest, till he died. As the ruling High Priest, he had demanded that the bishops of the Church come to his council. There were over 1200 to 1800 known bishops at that time of this council depending on the source you rely on but at best barely 300 people who could be titled bishop even came. They were not all bishops who did arrive, many could only be called presbyters and deacons with many leaving in protest.

According to the "Reconstructing the Council of Nicaea" by David Gwyn the final decisions of that particular council contained only 200 to maybe 220 people calling themselves bishop with the vast majority coming from the east.

It appears the few western attendees included Hosius of Corduba (also a.k.a. Osius or Ossius) who was an advocate of Homoousion Christianity and had also attended "The Synod of Elvira" some 20 years earlier.

While the vast majority of bishops did not come we know that many who did were paid sums and provided for out of the treasury of Constantine. That would be like Peter going to Rome at the expense of Caligula or Claudius or even Nero.

Some came to settle disputes that were stirring emotions about Arianism whose supporters included Eusebius of Nicomedia, Eusebius of Caesarea, Menophantus of Ephesus, Patrophilus of Scythopolis, Narcissus of Neronias, Theonas of Marmarike, Secundus of Ptolemais, and Theognis of Nicaea who would find themselves opposed by Alexander of Alexandria, Eustathius of Antioch, Marcellus of Ancyra and Macarius of Jerusalem.

A seat of gold

Constantine sat on a golden throne, claiming to be the “Bishop of Bishops”, not as a servant of servants, but as a dictator.

Flavius Salerus Constantinus created the first major False religion posing as Christianity. The first ecumenical council of the church at Nicaea (Nicene Council) was attended by many from the eastern churches, where heresy thrived. A small fraction of known bishops came from the rest of the Empire.
Constantine I organized the Council along the lines of the Roman Senate and presided over it.
Pre-Constantine is an interesting nomenclature. The Church established by Jesus through His "calling out" of His "little flock" and the. appointment of "a kingdom" is clear in the text of scripture.
The Church of Constantine floundered with unrighteous support for a thousand years until it began crowning kings all over Europe and began oppression in earnest. With an inquisition of the faithful and rewriting the truth of history few people today understand what the early Church was doing and how it functioned in the "world" but not of it.
Where does Christ give the authority to the ministers of His Church to dictate a unity of beliefs for the whole of Christendom?
The First Council of Nicaea instituted by Constantine promoted a false ideology that religion is "what you think about God". This lie fueled by debate began redefining the word "religion" and has brought persecution, inquisitions, and wars ever since. But the greatest enemy of the Church as it was meant to be is "lack of knowledge" and false pride which keeps the people in darkness.

From Nicene Creed with the birthing pains of new doctrines which would not only unmoor the Gospel of the kingdom from its meaning but cover the truth in a cloud of doctrinal beliefs, rituals and ceremonies.

The historical record shows that those who answered the call of Constantine were financially rewarded with the spoils of Constantine's imperial rule for he clearly eas a ruler who continued to "exercise authority one over the other".

Extravagant gifts of gold, silver, buildings, property, and privilege were bestowed on these collaborating bishops who accepted his rule from the top down. Those bishops who sanctioned his benevolence and title of “bishop of bishops” are difficult to justify since they were desires of his "dainties" in direct opposition to the Doctrine of Jesus.

Did they abandon the teachings of Christ for the rewards of unrighteousness?

His gifts had been taken from fields of corpses and from an overtaxed populations. These false bishopdid not corrupt the Church established by Christ but established false religion in the name of Christ. They would say Lord,Lord with a form of godliness but denied the power to live by faith, hope, and charity alone through pure Religion.

If ever there was a sin of the Nicolaitan branded on the head of men, it was here at this council of hypocrisy. How could men justify this fundamental departure from the teachings of Christ by becoming the state Church of Constantine?

Fortunately, these men were a small minority.

True Christian faith continued to thrive in those who remained in the liberty of Christ.

Council of Constantinople

Those who did not answer his call or questioned his assumed authority were sent packing or, in the years to follow, were labeled heretics and cast out of the graces of these despotic '‘bishops'’, or simply murdered as heretics.

In 381 A.D., the Council of Constantinople was convened by Theodosius I. Only 150 bishops attended condemning various religious groups that did not heed the call of the emperor.

These were the bishops who took the gifts, gratuities, and benefits of men who exercise authority in direct contradiction of Christ.

Theodosius was as much a tyrant, and more, a murder of thousands than Constantine.

Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist and Jesus and the early Church advocated a Daily ministration for the needy. Jesus called out His ekklesia. The Church as we say today was institutionalized by Christ, Institutionalized means "established in practice or custom." Jesus spent years training His disciples which means "students" to be the ministers of His kingdom at hand, His government of God, which He took from those who were not bearing fruit and appointed to His "little flock". The problem today is most Churches are descended from the institutional Church of Constantine which was "established in practice or custom" in a different way. Constantine funded his new Church with tax money which provided for the poor. The modern institutional Church does the same. While there are many people who "say they are Christians" and many who are charitable people most of the care of the needy among the Churched and unchurched alike is provided by the state who merely takes from your neighbor to provide those benefits. These "covetous practices and customs" are contrary to the teachings of the prophets and certainly Jesus, James, Paul the Apostle and Peter and the "new covenant".

Several emperors had earlier guaranteed the protection of the Church. The idea that the Church was “legalized” may not be far from the truth, but what exactly does that mean?

There was now an official Church of Rome established by men who found favor with the rulers of Rome, but were they true Christians?

Or were they taking the name of the Lord in vain?

The legalizing of the Christian church was more a legalizing of certain collaborative sects of churches who claimed to be Christians and were willing to turn a blind eye, or at least give a grateful wink, to the autocratic oppression by these manipulating chiefs of state in exchange for exemption, if not wealth and protection.

Christ would not appeal to Rome to save his life, but these men petitioned Constantine and his senate, not to save their own life, but to take the lives of others. Abraham would not take a buckle, but these men took lavish gifts of gold and silver. They seemed to be “the lovers of soft things” like the Essenes spoken of in the courts of Herod.

These sects and governments have been able to control the writing of history throughout the ages. But, probably even more importantly, they promoted the compilation of the books we know today as the Bible. There is no clear record of how some writings were excluded and how others were chosen to be placed into what some referred as the canon.

“The 27 books of the New Testament are only a fraction of the literary production of the Christian communities in the first three centuries.”