First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325)

Seventeen centuries after the first ecumenical council of Nicaea (325), we should not only think about the contribution of the most prominent personalities of that event, but also that of the participants who were less involved in the doctrinal debates, but whose presence gave weight and authority to the final document approved there, such as St. Nicholas of Myra, St. Spyridon of Trimythous and St. Paphnutius of Thebes. The portraits of these three bishops are drawn from their personal experiences, including their fears, weaknesses, intellectual challenges, ambitions and disappointments. The study also critically evaluates the inconsistent evidence presented by their opponents and reveals their vested interest in erasing these bishops from history. This work will be of interest to researchers and scholars of church history, theology, classics, philosophy and religious sociology, and to all readers wishing to find out more about these iconic figures of early Christianity.

Nicu Dumitraşcu is currently professor of Patristics at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology “Episcop Dr. Vasile Coman,” University of Oradea, Romania. He has given lectures in Croatia, Finland, Belgium and Lebanon, and taken part in more than 120 international conferences in many countries. He is widely published in several journals worldwide. His most recent books include Christian Family and Contemporary Society (ed), (2014): The Ecumenical Legacy of the Cappadocians (ed), (2015); Basil the Great: Faith, Mission and Diplomacy in the Shaping of Christian Doctrine (2018); The Fathers on the Bible (ed), (2023).