Shincheonji, like many other cults, make the claim that the doctrine of the Trinity was established during the Council of Nicaea.
This statement is categorically false, and shows an ignorance of church history. Even Bart Ehrman, a famous critique of Christianity, disagrees with the statement that the Trinity was established during this council.
Here is a list of quotes of early Christians before the Council of Nicaea.
| Polycarp (AD 69-155) | Now may the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the eternal high priest himself, the Son of God Jesus Christ, build you up in faith and truth…and to us with you, and to all those under heaven who will yet believe in our Lord and God Jesus Christ and in his Father who raised him from the dead. (Polycarp 12:2) |
| Ignatius of Antioch (AD 50-117) | “Study, therefore, to be established in the doctrines of the Lord and the apostles, that so all things, whatsoever you do, may prosper both in the flesh and spirit; in faith and love; in the Son, and in the Father, and in the Spirit; in the beginning and in the end” | |
| There is only one physician, who is both flesh and spirit, born and unborn, God in man, true life in death, both from Mary and from God, first subject to suffering and then beyond it, Jesus Christ our Lord. | ||
| For our God, Jesus the Christ, was conceived by Mary according to God’s plan, both from the seed of David and of the Holy Spirit. (Ignatius, Letter to the Ephesians, 18.2. Translation from Michael Holmes, Apostolic Fathers, 197) | ||
| From that time forward every sorcery and every spell was dissolved, the ignorance of wickedness vanished away, the ancient kingdom was pulled down, when God appeared in the likeness of man unto _newness of_ everlasting _life;_ and that which had been perfected in the counsels of God began to take effect. Thence all things were perturbed, because the abolishing of death was taken in hand. | ||
| Nothing visible is good. For our God Jesus Christ, being in the Father, is the more plainly visible. The Work is not of persuasiveness, but Christianity is a thing of might, whensoever it is hated by the world. | ||
| I give glory to Jesus Christ the God who bestowed such wisdom upon you; | ||
| ye are stones of a temple, which were prepared beforehand for a building of God the Father, being hoisted up to the heights through the engine of Jesus Christ, which is the Cross, and using for a rope the Holy Spirit |
| Epistle of Barnabas (written c. 70–130) | There is yet this also, my brethren; if the Lord endured to suffer for our souls, though He was Lord of the whole world, unto whom God said from the foundation of the world, Let us make man after our image and likeness, how then did He endure to suffer at the hand of men? |
| Justin Martyr (AD 100-165) | Permit me first to recount the prophecies, which I wish to do in order to prove that Christ is called both God and Lord of hosts. (Chapter 36) | |
| “And that Christ being Lord, and God the Son of God, and appearing formerly in power as Man, and Angel, and in the glory of fire as at the bush, so also was manifested at the judgment executed on Sodom, (Chapter 128) | ||
| Therefore these words testify explicitly that He [Jesus] is witnessed to by Him [the Father] who established these things, as deserving to be worshiped, as God and as Christ. Chapter 63 | ||
| “I shall give you another testimony, my friends,” said I, “from the Scriptures, that God begat before all creatures a Beginning,[who was] a certain rational power[proceeding] from Himself, who is called by the Holy Spirit, now the Glory of the Lord, now the Son, again Wisdom, (Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 61). |
| Tatian the Assyrian (110–172) | We do not act as fools, O Greeks, nor utter idle tales when we announce that God was born in the form of man. |
| Irenaeus of Lyons (AD 130-202) | He received testimony from all that He was very man, and that He was very God, from the Father, from the Spirit, from angels, from the creation itself, from men, from apostate spirits and demons. | Against the Heresies, Irenaeus Book 4 |
| “For I have shown from the Scriptures, that no one of the sons of Adam is as to everything, and absolutely, called God, or named Lord. But that He is Himself in His own right, beyond all men who ever lived, God, and Lord, and King Eternal, and the Incarnate Word, proclaimed by all the prophets, the apostles, and by the Spirit Himself, may be seen by all who have attained to even a small portion of the truth. Now, the Scriptures would not have testified to these things of Him, if, like others, He had been a mere man. . . . He is the holy Lord, the Wonderful, the Counselor, the Beautiful in appearance, and the Mighty God, coming on the clouds as the Judge of all men; — all these things did the Scriptures prophesy of Him.” |
| Melito of Sardis (d. c. 180) | “He that hung up the earth in space was Himself hanged up; He that fixed the heavens was fixed with nails; He that bore up the earth was born up on a tree; the Lord of all was subjected to ignominy in a naked body – God put to death! . . . [I]n order that He might not be seen, the luminaries turned away, and the day became darkened—because they slew God, who hung naked on the tree. . . . This is He who made the heaven and the earth, and in the beginning, together with the Father, fashioned man; who was announced by means of the law and the prophets; who put on a bodily form in the Virgin; who was hanged upon the tree; who was buried in the earth; who rose from the place of the dead, and ascended to the height of heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father.” |
| Clement of Alexandria (AD 150-215) | This Word, then, the Christ, the cause of both our being at first (for He was in God) and of our well-being, this very Word has now appeared as man, He alone being both, both God and man… | |
| I understand nothing else than the Holy Trinity to be meant; for the third is the Holy Spirit, and the Son is the second, by whom all things were made according to the will of the Father. |
| Saint Dionysius |
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Dionysius and the Aeropagite |
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Dionysius and the Aeropagite | |
| This aspect of distinctness is manifested in the fact that the Emanation of Absolute Life, etc., is distinct from the Persons of the Trinity, the aspect of identity is manifested in the fact that They possess Absolute Life antecedently to the act of Emanation. | Dionysius and the Aeropagite |
| Athenagoras | …they (the Christians) know God and His Logos, what is the oneness of the Son with the Father, what the communion of the Father with the Son, what is the Spirit, what is the unity of these three, the Spirit, the Son, the Father, and their distinction in unity. | Athenagoras Chapter 4 |
| Irenaeus | And for this reason the baptism of our regeneration proceeds through these three points: God the Father bestowing on us regeneration through His Son by the Holy Spirit. | Irenaeus The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching, Chapter 5 |
| Tertullian | Still, in these few quotations the distinction of Persons in the Trinity is clearly set forth. For there is the Spirit Himself who speaks, and the Father to whom He speaks, and the Son of whom He speaks. |
The Purpose and Outcome of the Council of Nicaea
Purpose of the Council of Nicaea
The Council of Nicaea (325 AD) was not convened to establish the deity of Jesus or the doctrine of the Trinity. These beliefs were already widely held by Christians before the council. Instead, its primary purpose was to address the Arian controversy, which questioned the nature of Jesus’ divinity in relation to God the Father.
Arius, a presbyter from Alexandria, taught that Jesus was a created being—greater than humans but not fully divine or co-equal with the Father. This view sparked intense debate, as the majority of Christians upheld Jesus’ full divinity.
The Council of Nicaea sought to clarify and reaffirm the orthodox belief that Jesus is fully divine and co-eternal with the Father, rejecting Arianism as a theological deviation.
Constantine’s Role in the Council
Contrary to some claims, Emperor Constantine did not convene the Council to impose the doctrine of the Trinity for political gain. His primary concern was unity within his empire and the Christian community.
Constantine, a recent convert to Christianity, viewed theological debates as secondary to maintaining harmony. He did not suppress Arianism through political force but allowed Arius to live in exile. Later in his life, Constantine was baptized by an Arian bishop, and the next two Roman emperors also supported Arianism, demonstrating that Arianism was not eradicated by the Council.
Theological Parties at the Council
The Council of Nicaea consisted of three main groups with differing perspectives on Christ’s nature:
- Arians (Followers of Arius) – Argued that Jesus was a created being and not co-eternal with the Father.
- Orthodox Christians – Held that Jesus is fully divine and of the same essence (homoousios) as the Father.
- Eusebians (Moderates) – Believed in Jesus’ divinity but were hesitant about the term homoousios due to its past association with modalism (the belief that God exists as one person in different modes rather than distinct persons).
While the Eusebians had concerns about terminology, they still affirmed Jesus’ full divinity, ultimately siding with the Orthodox position.
4. Outcome of the Council of Nicaea
The Council reaffirmed the long-held Christian belief in Jesus’ full divinity and condemned Arianism as heretical. After thorough discussions, the Council overwhelmingly rejected Arianism, with only two bishops supporting Arius. The Nicene Creed was formulated to affirm that Jesus is “of the same essence (homoousios) as the Father,” countering the Arian claim that Jesus was a created being. The Council did not invent the concept of the Trinity but reinforced the already existing understanding of Jesus’ divine nature through scriptural analysis.
The Aftermath and the Fight Against Arianism
Despite the Council’s decision, Arianism did not disappear. It gained political influence in the years following, as several emperors favored the Arian viewpoint. Athanasius of Alexandria became a key defender of Nicene orthodoxy, continuously refuting Arianism with Scripture. The Arian controversy persisted for decades, leading to further theological debates. The Council of Constantinople (381 AD) reaffirmed and clarified the Nicene Creed, further solidifying the doctrine of the Trinity.
Conclusion
- The Council of Nicaea did not establish Jesus’ deity—this was already a foundational Christian belief.
- The Trinity was not created at Nicaea—it was further clarified in response to Arianism.
- Constantine did not manipulate the Council to impose Trinitarianism—he sought unity and even showed tolerance toward Arianism after the Council.
The Council of Nicaea played a crucial role in defending and preserving the orthodox Christian understanding of Jesus as fully divine, a belief rooted in early Christian tradition and Scripture.