2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the
Council of Nicaea.
The Council of Nicaea is considered by some to
be one of the greatest achievements of Christendom.
And truly, celebrating the 1700th year of anything
is a historic event.
The meetings began in May of 325 AD at the small town
of Nicaea, in Asia Minor, in present-day Turkey.
Over 300 bishops joined in the meetings.
That year, 325 AD, is considered a benchmark
by many, in the history of the mainstream Christian church.
At the Council, the nature of Christ and His relationship
to the Father was discussed and debated.
But there was another issue, a very important issue,
that was discussed as well.
What was this lesser-known issue that was discussed
at the Council of Nicaea?
And what does it have to do with you and me today?
Let's examine that today on Tomorrow's World.
And get ready, because later in the program
I'm going to give you an opportunity
to request your free copy of God's Church Through the Ages.
So, let's go back in time to that momentous event.
Back to 325 AD.
Now let's ask the question,
"Should We Follow Constantine or Christ?"
I'll be right back.
♪
Welcome to Tomorrow's World, where we help you make
sense of your world through the pages of the Bible.
2025 is the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
How astounding that a conference held nearly two millennia ago
is still relevant today.
To commemorate such a momentous occasion, Pope Francis, before
he died, planned to travel to the present-day city of Iznik
in northwest Turkey, about 70 miles from Istanbul.
This is the sight of the ancient city of Nicaea.
On November 28, 2024, Pope Francis was quoted as saying
that the Council of Nicaea:
"... Constitutes a milestone in the journey of the Church
and also of humanity because faith in Jesus, the Son of God
made flesh for us and for our salvation, was formulated
and professed as a light that illuminates the
meaning of reality and the destiny of all history."
Pope Francis was referring to the fact that the Council
of Nicaea was convened to address questions related
to the divinity of Christ, and the relationship between
Jesus Christ and the Father.
It's not our purpose to delve into that issue on this program,
nor is it our purpose to discuss the "Nicene Creed," which came
out of that gathering.
But as we think about the significance of the Council
of Nicaea, let's consider an issue that's often forgotten,
but was causing deep divisions during that time--and maybe
even has more importance for us today.
What is that issue?
Well, it's the importance of Passover.
You might say: "Wait, that's wrong.
The Jews keep Passover.
The church in the 300s kept Easter."
Well, there's more to the story.
To begin our dive into this subject, let's go
into the writings of Eusebius of Caesarea.
He was the bishop of Caesarea in Palestine from about 313 AD
until his death in 339.
He is sometimes referred to as the "father of church history."
He played a prominent role at the Council of Nicaea
and from his writings we have an in-depth and fascinating
glimpse of what took place.
Let's pick up the story in his book The Life of Constantine,
Book III, Chapter 5.
Eusebius wrote:
"But before this time [the time of the Council of Nicaea]
another most virulent disorder had existed, and long afflicted
the Church; I mean the difference respecting the
salutary feast of Easter...."
Now, let's stop right there.
When Eusebius says "Easter" we have to understand the
word he actually used was the Greek word "Pascha."
That word is derived from the Hebrew "Pesach,"
which is the word from which we get "Passover."
The word "Easter" was used later, as a result of the
influence of the Germans and the Anglo-Saxons.
The online Catholic Encyclopedia confirms
this in the article under the heading "Easter":
"The Greek term for Easter, pascha...
is the Aramaic form of the Hebrew pesach...."
Most people are only aware of the word "Passover" by its
association with the Jews.
But in reality, the church leaders that Constantine
convened in 325 AD were all keeping something
called "Pascha."
That might be a surprise to you.
Of course, if your native language is French,
Spanish or Italian, it's not a surprise.
In these languages, the word for "Easter"
is still related to "Passover."
In French it's "Paques."
In Spanish it's "Pascua."
In Italian, it's "Pasqua."
It all originally comes from the Hebrew "Pesach."
Let's re-read Eusebius' account, this time substituting the word
"Pascha," for "Easter."
"But before this time another most virulent disorder
had existed, and long afflicted the Church;
I mean the difference respecting the salutary
feast of ["Pascha"]....
For while one party asserted that the Jewish custom should
be adhered to, the other affirmed that the exact
recurrence of the period should be observed, without following
the authority of those who were in error [meaning, the Jews]."
You see, at the time of Eusebius and Constantine there were
different opinions about the timing of the Christian Pascha.
One was that it should be connected to the 14th day
of the Hebrew month of Nisan.
Others felt it should be kept on a Sunday,
with some variation on how they determined which Sunday to keep.
All these differences caused a major dispute
among the churches.
Going on, Eusebius explains:
"Accordingly, the people being thus in every place divided
in respect of this, and the sacred observances of religion
confounded for a long period...
no one appeared who was capable of devising a remedy for the
evil, because the controversy continued equally balanced
between both parties.
To God alone, the Almighty, was the healing of these differences
an easy task; and Constantine appeared to be the only one on
earth capable of being his minister for this good end...."
What a statement.
A major doctrinal dispute dividing the church,
and the only person on earth that could resolve it was
a politically shrewd, pagan Roman emperor?
Now, some will say: "Well, Constantine was baptized.
He became a Christian."
We'll talk about that in a few moments.
That's a fascinating story in itself.
But before we explore that, I want to take a moment to
mention the free study guide we're offering today.
Written by the late evangelist, John Ogwyn, it's entitled,
God's Church Through the Ages.
Jesus Christ founded His church on Pentecost, 31 AD.
That's almost 2,000 years ago.
That's even longer than the seventeen centuries back
to the Council of Nicaea.
But what has happened to that church in all this time,
from the first century to the present?
It's a fascinating and a sobering story.
And one that in actual fact, many people are only
vaguely aware of.
If you're a follower of Christ, you need to know what the
early Church really believed and what happened to that Church.
We'll send you this free publication to help you
in your study--it's called God's Church Through the Ages.
So call, click or write today.
Order now.
♪
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help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
If you're calling for the first time,
you will also receive a free annual subscription to
Tomorrow's World magazine.
Six inspiring issues discussing news, science,
and modern culture will help you make sense of
your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world
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♪
Welcome back.
In the first segment of this program, we were introduced
to one of the crises that was the catalyst for the
Council of Nicaea.
It was a disagreement on the timing of the "Pascha."
Some wanted to keep their Christian Pascha with a
connection to the original Passover that Christ kept.
Others wanted to keep it on a different day, tied
to their church's calendar.
And the bishop Eusebius said the only person on earth
who could resolve it was the Roman Emperor Constantine.
And that's quite a statement.
As my fellow presenter and colleague, evangelist
Wallace Smith writes, in the Tomorrow's World article,
"1,700 Years After Nicaea":
"The council in AD 325 was not convened under the authority
of a religious leader, as one might expect, but the
Roman emperor Constantine.
In fact, Constantine's fingerprints can be
found all over it."
Let's talk about Constantine for a few moments.
Was he a real, true follower of Jesus Christ?
Or was he an astute worldly king who saw that backing
the mainstream Christian church would be a golden
political opportunity?
Historian Will Durant asks and answers that question in
"The Story of Civilization: Part III, Caesar and Christ":
"Was his conversation sincere-- was it an act of religious
belief, or a consummate stroke of political wisdom?
Probably the latter...
A real believer would have been a Christian first and
a statesman afterward; with Constantine it was the reverse.
Christianity was to him a means, not an end."
Constantine started out his rule fully immersed
in the pagan practices of a typical Roman emperor.
Toward the end of his rule, he was favoring the mainstream
Christian church, and weakening the pagan practices he had
previously taken part in.
So, what caused this change?
In the book "A Short History of Christianity," the authors
give some background on how this happened.
On page 33 we read:
"Constantine believed that the Christian God had assisted him
in winning his battles for control of the Empire,
and he therefore desired a continuance of whatever divine
help the Christian religion might afford in maintaining the
peace and welfare of his rule.
The political wisdom of his policy was amply vindicated
in the extravagant devotion and loyalty which he received
from his Christian subjects.
Constantine's own personal religion is a subject
of speculation.
He was not baptized until his deathbed.
This much can be said with assurance:
(1) his intervention in religious affairs was in large
measure dictated by what he considered to be politically
expedient and (2) from the beginning of his reign
he increasingly identified himself with the church..."
So, this pagan emperor, who was gradually seeing the
value of professing allegiance to the Christian God, found this
new religion of his to be in a doctrinal crisis in 325 AD.
That's when he called the bishops to the
Council of Nicaea.
He personally presided over the meetings and guided
the discussion.
In fact, he had so much influence over what took
place there that author H.G. Wells made this
shocking statement:
"A very important thing for us to note is the role
played by the emperor in the fixation of Christianity...
It is very manifest that in much of the history of
Christianity at this time [that is, in the 300s AD]
the spirit of Constantine the Great is as evident as,
or more evident than, the spirit of Jesus."
What an astonishing thing to say.
For a church, calling itself Christian, to have a council to
discuss doctrinal disagreements, you'd think having it guided
by the spirit of Christ would be a priority.
But it wasn't.
So, what happened at the Council?
In particular, what happened in the matter of the Pascha?
Would it remain tied to the Passover that Jesus observed,
or would it be disconnected from Christ's teaching and practice?
To answer the question, let's go back to Eusebius.
He sums up the debate this way in Chapter 14 of
"The Life of Constantine":
"The result was that they were not only united as concerning
the faith, but that the time for the celebration of the
salutary feast of ["Pascha"] was agreed on by all..."
In truth, it was a forced unity, a standardization by coercion.
That's what was accomplished.
After the Council, Constantine himself wrote a letter to
all the churches, and this is what he said:
"At this meeting the question concerning the most holy day of
["Pascha"] was discussed, and it was resolved by the united
judgment of all present, that this feast ought to be kept
by all and in every place on one and the same day....
Let us then have nothing in common with the detestable
Jewish crowd; for we have received from our Saviour
a different way...."
And that was it.
With contempt and derision, it was declared that the
Christians should have nothing in common with the Jews.
But what if what was declared to be in common with the Jews
was actually something God commanded in Scripture?
What if it was part of Christ’s teaching in the New Testament
that was banned?
That's a good question, and we'll explore it in
the next portion.
But before that, let me again offer you our free study guide,
God's Church Through the Ages.
It asks and answers the question:
"What Happened to the Church?"
It describes in detail, "A Dramatic Transition."
How the visible, mainstream church turned to traditions and
teachings never held by Jesus Christ or the early disciples.
It goes into detail of the very event we're describing today.
And much more we don't have the time to address.
If you want to really know what happened in the real history
of the Christian Church, you need this booklet.
So don't delay.
Call, write or order online.
Order now.
♪
This clear and straight- forward resource will
help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
Call now!
Or go to...
♪
Welcome back.
So far in today's program we've seen that the Council of Nicaea
was convened to discuss some very important disputes in
the church at that time.
One of those issues was the timing of the festival
of "Pascha".
Against this backdrop, we read in Constantine's
letter to the churches that Christians were to have
"nothing in common with the Jews."
Now why is this important?
Well, a little background: even by the 4th century AD
there were some Christians especially in the east,
who still had a connection with the observance of
Passover on the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan.
And those who were keeping the Passover on the 14th,
were following the teachings that had been handed down
to them, all the way back to the apostle John.
The testimony of Polycarp, a direct disciple of the
apostle John, attests to this.
Polycrates, Polycarp's disciple, also kept Passover in this way.
You see, these faithful disciples, Polycarp and
Polycrates, were simply following the biblical
Christian Passover.
This was plain instruction from Jesus Christ, in the
New Testament.
Jesus kept the Passover, on the 14th day of Nisan,
with His disciples the night before He died.
During this observance He gave wine to the disciples
to drink, as a symbol of His blood shed for them.
And He gave bread to the disciples to eat, as a
symbol of His body which would be broken for them.
And then He washed their feet, as a symbol of His humility.
Notice what He said at the conclusion of His last Passover
observance in John 13:12-15...
"So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments,
and sat down again, He said to them,
"Do you know what I have done to you?
You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.
If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet,
you also ought to wash one another's feet.
For I have given you an example, that you should do
as I have done to you."
A few years ago, there was a popular slogan, "WWJD?"
Or, "What Would Jesus Do?"
Well, when it comes to doctrine and practice,
we know what Jesus did.
The Bible is a detailed record of what He did.
And Jesus kept the Passover on the 14th of Nisan--
the biblical record is very clear.
And He told His followers to do so as well.
The Apostle Paul also kept the Christian Passover
on the 14th of Nisan, to memorialize the suffering
and death of Jesus Christ.
And he taught the brethren in the church of Corinth
to keep it as well.
Notice what Paul said, in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25...
"For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered
to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which
He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks,
He broke it and said,
"Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you;
do this in remembrance of Me."
In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant in My blood.
This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
Summing up what Paul taught and what he practiced, we read in
1 Corinthians 5:7-8...
"For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed
for us.
Therefore let us keep the feast..."
So, why were some avoiding any connection to the
14th of Nisan Christian Passover by the 300s AD?
In order to not look like the Jews.
And they standardized the non- Jewish Paschal festival, fixing
it on the Sunday following the first vernal full moon,
supposedly commemorating the resurrection of Christ.
That Sunday observance grew into what is known today as Easter.
By the way, Jesus was not resurrected on a Sunday.
He was resurrected near the end of the Sabbath--
Saturday--exactly three days and three nights after He had
died on the stake.
But that's another story for another time.
Let's be clear--the resurrection is extremely important.
We base our hope of eternal life on it.
As we find in Romans 8:11...
"But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead
dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will
also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit
who dwells in you."
The resurrection is our hope and our future.
But you can search the New Testament from beginning to end,
and you'll not find a single instruction or command to
observe it as a feast day.
You see, Constantine really had very little interest
in the truth--he just wanted everyone to be on the same page.
As the award-winning "History of Rome" podcast
by Mike Duncan states...
"... [T]he Emperor was not so much interested in which
side was right, or which interpretation was best,
so long as in the end, everyone agreed."
So, who will you follow?
Constantine and traditions he established to differentiate
nominal Christians from the Jews?
Or Jesus Christ, who plainly outlined His clear teachings
in our New Testament, for everyone to see?
We should have unity and cohesion in the body of Christ.
The Apostle Paul explained that in 1 Corinthians 1:10...
"Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there
be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly
joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."
But at the same time, Jesus Christ knows that in this age,
because we're living in Satan's world, there will be division.
And the truth will sometimes be a source of that division,
because not everyone will accept the truth.
Notice what Jesus said in Matthew 10:34, 36-37...
"Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.
I did not come to bring peace but a sword...
and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.'
He who loves father or mother more than Me
is not worthy of Me."
In other words, when it comes to the truth of God,
and the teachings of Christ, we cannot compromise,
even for unity's sake.
And even if it involves members of our own family.
If we want to be loyal to Christ, we need to read this
Book, we understand this Book and we need to follow this Book.
There's much more about this topic than we can cover
in a short program.
And so, we want to send you the free study guide
we're offering today, God's Church Through the Ages.
It explains how Church history is laid out through the account
of the seven churches of ancient Asia Minor in Revelation 2-3.
The messages to the churches were actually prophetic
for future ages of the New Testament Church.
This study guide will open your eyes to Church history like you
may never have seen before.
And it will give you understanding and a sober
warning for God's Church as we approach the end of the age.
You need this study guide.
So call, click or write today.
Order now.
♪
For today's free offer call...
Or go to...
This clear and straight- forward resource will
help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
If you're calling for the first time,
you will also receive a free annual subscription to
Tomorrow's World magazine.
Six inspiring issues discussing news, science,
and modern culture will help you make sense of
your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow's World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
Call now!
Or go to...
♪
In this program, we've seen that the Council of Nicaea
was not only convened to discuss the nature of Christ,
it also was convened to settle the matter of the timing of
the Christian Pascha.
The majority in the now state- religion went along with the
edicts of Constantine.
They kept a Sunday Pascha-- which became Easter.
It was now the religion of the Empire, so it was the
convenient thing to do.
But not everyone went along.
Some held on to the biblical Christian Passover taught
by Christ, as well as the other biblical Holy days.
We have proof of that in the preserved text of a sermon
by a priest in Antioch named John Chrysostom.
It was given in 386-387 AD.
It was entitled, "Against the Jews."
Note how much he despised the Jews.
But also note that his text shows there were still
faithful Christians keeping the biblical Christian Passover
well after Nicaea.
He said this:
"The festivals of the pitiful and miserable Jews are soon
to march upon us one after the other and in quick succession:
the feast of Trumpets, the feast of Tabernacles, the fasts.
There are many in our ranks who say they think as we do.
Yet some of these are going to watch the festivals and
others will join the Jews in keeping their feasts
and observing their fasts.
I wish to drive this perverse custom from
the Church right now...."
The Feast of Trumpets, the Feast of Tabernacles, the fast
(called the Day of Atonement), and the New Testament Passover.
These biblical feast days-- forever established by the
Creator God--were still being kept by faithful Christians
sixty years after the Council of Nicaea.
And they're still being kept today, 1700 years after Nicaea.
The Living Church of God, the sponsor and producer of
Tomorrow's World, keeps these ancient and holy festivals in
honor of our great God and our living, loving Savior each year.
If you'd like to learn more, get in touch with us.
We'd love to hear from you.
Dr. Jerry Pillay is the general secretary of the
World Council of Churches.
He had this to say, speaking of the importance
of the celebrations in 2025 to commemorate the
Council of Nicaea:
"It gives us the opportunity to ask afresh with others what
Nicaea means for us today....
Then, as now, the call to unity was heard within
the context of a troubled, unequal, and divided world."
This is a troubled, unequal and divided world.
But let's not forsake truth for the sake of unity.
Let's not follow Constantine-- let's follow Christ.
If you'd like to learn more about these feasts,
get in touch with us.
Just order your free study guide,
God's Church Through the Ages.
And be sure to join us next time, as Gerald Weston,
Wallace Smith, and I explain the good news of Tomorrow's World,
and the truth, comfort and hope it can bring you
and your family.
See you next time.
♪
For today's free offer call...
Or go to...
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow's World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
The preceding program is produced by the
Living Church of God.
♪