The picture below depicts the Council of Nicaea, which met in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican in 325 AD. The exact location of this council is not clear, but it may have been the basilica discovered in Lake Nicaea.
In the 1st century AD, when pagan, polytheistic beliefs were dominant, Jesus emerged from Judaism and gained mass as a leader. In fact, his aim was not Christianity; the term was later used in a pejorative sense to refer to his followers. The doctrine of salvation, that is, the idea of a good life in the afterlife, attracted the masses who were suffering from injustice, and Christianity spread. It grows year by year and Constantine, who makes Constantinople his capital, realizing that it would be a problem for the state, convenes a council in Nicaea in 325 to take the religion under his control, to discuss the views of different voices and to systematize it.
The council in Nicaea is said to have been held in the Senate Palace, but it is also possible that it was held in a basilica. Around 200-250 bishops attended this council. The most important issue of the council is the essence of Jesus. Is he God or God’s creation? Arius argued that Jesus was not God but a creature created by God, while Athanasius argued that Jesus had the same essence as God. After much debate, Athanasius’ view was adopted and Arius was excommunicated. Afterwards, many councils convened and many divisions emerged. The Christian preference for the four books was not made at the Council of Nicaea I. It was a process.
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