Last week I introduced a priest from Alexandria, Egypt named Arius.  Arius taught that God was wholly singular and beyond human comprehension.  He was suggesting that Jesus, Son of God, was less than the God the Father and not equal to Him.  In other words, he was questioning the divinity of Christ.  This means that there was a time when Christ didn’t exist and only God the Father existed.  He taught that Jesus was special, but a creature and not part of the Godhead.  Alexander, Arius’ bishop heard about his erroneous preaching and arranged for council meeting in 318 A.D.  In the meeting Arius’ teaching was condemned as heresy.  This was too late, however.  Some bishops and priests of Greek speaking cities took the side of Arius.  We can even see these teachings creeped into Muhammed’s teachings in Quran.  Eventually this matter reached emperor Constantine’s ears.  He decided to step in and adjudicate the matter.  He summoned a council of bishops to meet in Nicaea.  Invitations were sent to bishops all over the world.  Tradition says that about 318 bishops attended.  This was the first ecumenical council.  Typically, bishops met locally to make important decisions, but this council was worldwide.  So, this was called ecumenical council.  Emperor Constantine attended this council personally.  The key point of discussion was the relation of Christ, the Son, to the Father.  This is the council in which the bishops decided on the articles of the Christian beliefs.  While Arius taught that God the Father created Jesus from nothing, bishops at the council pointed to the Gospel of John (John 1:1).  In the beginning was the Word and the Word was from God.  Epistle to the Hebrews also states that Christ is the exact substance of God.  This is the council in which the Nicene’s Creed that we pray during the mass right after the homily and the universal prayer was partially decided.  You may recall, “true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.”  As you can see this statement in the profession of our faith, affirms that Jesus is “true God from true God”,  He was “begotten” not made.  Jesus is “consubstantial” with the Father.  This means, Jesus and His Father are of the same substance.  In addition to our Muslim brothers and sisters, Witness of Jehovah’s also deny the divinity of Christ.