A UNIQUE SYMPOSIUM ON NICAEA
2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, which not only defined the fundamental doctrine of the Christian Creed but also established the normative structure of the Christian Councils. Numerous conferences and events, as well as programs and pilgrimages, were organized throughout this milestone anniversary year. Clergy and laity, theologians and other scholars, assembled in diverse parts of the world—from the United Kingdom and the United States to Europe and Asia—to address the significance and symbolism of this seminal council of the early church.
One of these gatherings brought together the world’s most prominent academics and prestigious writers on the history and thought of the First Ecumenical Council. Organized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate as part of its manifold celebrations—which included ecclesiastical and ecumenical, along with synodal and scholarly occasions—this academic symposium was sponsored by the Huffington Ecumenical Institute at Holy Cross School of Theology and convened at the Marasleios Urban School next door to the central offices of Church of Constantinople, concluding in the Municipal Offices of the city of Iznik close to the original venue of the First Council of Nicaea. Participants were also afforded the opportunity to visit the Church of Hagia Sophia and the Monastery of the Savior in Istanbul, while also having the chance to visit the Church of Hagia Sophia (where the Seventh Ecumenical Council was held) and the Church of St. Tryphon (beside the ruins of the original Church that hosted the First Ecumenical Council).
The symposium took place from April 24th to April 26th, 2025, and was officially opened by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who reminded participants that “the fundamental doctrines and principles of Nicaea constitute permanent signs of our commitment to communion with God and with one another. Indeed, they are on the one hand profound reminders of the unity and on the other hand painful reminders of the division that have marked Christendom for almost an entire millennium. In this sense, the doctrinal definitions of the First Council of Nicaea are much more than a series of tenets to accept intellectually. Above all, they are a constant encouragement to Christian leaders for the imperative of pursuing reconciliation as ecumenical partners in a world torn by religious conflict.”
Distinguished speakers included Archbishop Rowan Williams (University of Cambridge), Prof. Uta Heil (University of Vienna), Prof. Samuel Fernandez (University of Chile), Prof. Frances Young (University of Birmingham), Prof. Alberto Melloni (University of Bologna), Prof. Lewis Ayres (Angelicum University), Prof. Christoph Markschies (Humboldt University), Prof. John Behr (University of Aberdeen), Prof. Paul Blowers (Emmanuel Seminary), Prof. David Hunter (Boston College), and Prof. Demetrios Bathrellos (Holy Cross School of Theology).
The papers will be submitted for publication later this year by Holy Cross Orthodox Press. However, beyond the lectures delivered, what was unprecedented about this symposium was the level and depth of conversations among scholars with a unique grasp of the material pertaining to the scriptural, theological, patristic, christological, and ecumenical perspectives of this formative fourth-century council of the church.
