Page 12 - Heros of the Faith - Textbook w videos short

In spite of the fact that Maxentius had overwhelming odds in troops and position, He was defeated, and the
entire empire came under Constantine’s power. The Church which had been tried by fire was now to be tried by
favor.

In 313 AD, Constantine wrote the Edict of Milan, officially recognizing Christianity as an acceptable faith.

The Conversion of Constantine: What Really Happened?

The Church in Favor

It was not long before quarrels broke out among Christians themselves about several issues: 1) the relationship
of Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit; 2) how and when to observe Easter; 3) discipline of the lapsi, 4)
discussion over the canon of Scripture. The main controversy was a dispute heated in Alexandria, Egypt, where
an aged priest named Arius claimed that Jesus Christ was indeed more than man, but less than God (homoiousia
– “of like substance”) He claimed that Jesus was the first being that God made.

Constantine was shocked that Christians should quarrel at all and so to abate the
problem, decided to call the first Christian council at the city of Nicaea, near
Constantinople, in the year 325 AD. From all over the Roman world more than 300
bishops came at government expense.

The Nicene Council settled that Easter should fall, as it does now, on the first Sunday after
the first full moon after the vernal equinox, which is the first day of spring. The dispute over the relationship of
Christ and God followed the views of Athanasius (homoousia – “of the same substance) – stating that Jesus was
the Son of God and was and is fully God. They adopted the Nicene Creed. Here is some of what they declared:

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God,
Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.

Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of
the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary and was made man. For our sake he was crucified

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