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During this time period Constantine ruled the
West and Licinius ruled the East.
The persecutions of Christians continued as the
religion grew rapidly.
Christians were seen as a threat to the Empire,
because they would not abide by the rules of the
Emperor.
After the battle at Milvian
Bridge, Constantine had
a vision of the cross and
eventually converted to
Christianity (312 AD).
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Constantine and Licinius then proclaimed
the Edict of Milan to end Christian
persecution.
It was an official document that gave the
right to religious freedom for all, in order to
control Christianity and to build an empire.
The importance of this Edict was significant
because it would not only stop the
persecutions of Christians but it would also
give freedom to other religions in that era.
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Constantine and the Edict of Milan (3:50)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZLho5k
aLqA&index=3&list=PLGngQBDgELqNx9dSZo
rT0U2zxTboPaChn
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By issuing the edict the Empire hoped that there
would be no more conflicts or battles.
After the Edict was released, not all persecutions
stopped entirely.
As a result Licinius, the Eastern Emperor, soon
marched against Constantine to gain control of the
whole Empire for himself.
In doing so, he voided the Edict in an attempt to
gain the support of pagans, particularly those who
composed much of the military.
Constantine, however, eventually defeated and
executed him.
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The Council of Nicaea took place in 325 A.D. by the
order of the Roman Emperor Constantine. Nicaea was
located in Asia Minor, east of Constantinople.
Emperor Constantine presided over a group of
Church bishops and leaders with the purpose of
defining the true God for all of Christianity and
eliminating all the confusion, controversy, and
contention within Christ’s church.
The main theological issue and focus had always
been about Christ. Since the end of the Apostolic Age
and beginning of the Church Age, saints began
questioning, debating, fighting,
and separating over the
question, “Who is the Christ?”
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Is He more divine than human or more
human than divine?
Was Jesus created/made or begotten?
Being the Son of God, is He co-equal and
co-eternal with Father God, or less and lower in
status than the Father?
Is the Father the One and only True God, or are the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit the One true God?
“True God of True God,” “One Being, Three Persons”,
a tri-unity called “Trinity”?
Jesus said, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew
16:15).
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Once the Nicaea Council
meeting was underway
Constantine demanded that
the 300 bishops make a
decision by majority vote
defining who Jesus Christ is.
Constantine commanded
them to create a “creed”
doctrine that all of
Christianity would follow and
obey, a doctrine that would
be called the “Nicene Creed,”
upheld by the Church and
enforced by the Emperor.
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The bishops voted to make the
full deity of Christ the accepted
position for the church.
The Council of Nicaea
voted/affirmed the Trinity as
the official doctrine of the
church.
The official definition: the deity
of The Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit under one Godhead, in
three co-equal and co-eternal
Persons.
However, the Council of Nicaea
did not invent these doctrines.
Rather, it only recognized what
the Bible taught, and
systematized the doctrines.
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Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea
(11:23)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8O4Ac
TyjHc