Dan Brown proposes (through the fictional character, Teabing) that Constantine authored the “gathering known as the Council of Nicaea.” At this meeting Teabing asserts that, “many aspects of Christianity were debated and voted upon.” One of these items up for a “vote” was the “divinity of Jesus.” Why? Teabing affirms that “until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet… a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal.” (pg.233).

Is this true? As we discussed in the teaching on 05.07.06,
it is true that the first universal council was convened by the emperor Constantine at Nicaea in Bithynia (now Isnik, Turkey) in 325 A.D. Hence it was the first to be binding on all churches. Outside of this fact, the rest of Dan Brown’s writing is completely wrong.

Background to the Council of Nicaea (325):
The main purpose of the Council was to heal a fracture in the church that had been provoked by Arius (not trying to “convert pagans” as recorded in Dan Brown’s “code”). Nicaea arose out of an unresolved tension within the theological legacy of Origen concerning the relation of the Son to the Father. Origin loosely described Jesus’ relationship with the Father and Arius connected the dotes creating a faulty position. Alexander, Bishop of Alexandria, Egypt, taught in the tradition of the Apostles, that the Son is eternally God. Arius, on the other hand sought to explain how that relationship worked. Arius reasoned that Jesus was “begotten” and, therefore, had to have been created so Jesus is part of God’s creative order. God? Yes. God in the same way as the Father? No.

The dispute erupted in Alexandria, Egypt about 318. Arius being quite a capable logician, attacked Alexander’s teaching and was creating confusion among the believers. After a local synod heard his own views and dismissed them and him as heretical (320), Arius continued to demonstrate his popularizing literary and political talents, gathering support beyond Alexandria. Songs were being sung that contained within the melody the base teaching of Arius and the conflict became so pronounced between Christians in Egypt that it became a subject of popular ridicule, even in the theatres of the day.

Constantine tried to persuade Alexander and Arius to reconcile by sending his personal envoy, Hosius of Cordova, but this attempt failed and Constantine decided to convene an ecumenical council to settle the matter of what the church believed regarding Christ’s relationship to God the Father prior to the creation of this world.

We will next examine in detail the teaching of Arius so that you can distinguish the true history of the church from the make-believe history of The Da Vinci Code. Also, to be ready to extend the Gospel of Jesus while discussing this book with friends and neighbors.