Early Unitarians in Christianity 101these words were not to be found in the Scriptures. Thus, this at
tempt to prove that Jesus was God, instead of uniting the Chris
tians, further divided them. In desperation, the Trinitarians argued
that the Scriptures say that, 'Jesus is the etemal image of the Father
and True God.' 22 The Arians replied that the Scriptures also say,
'WemenaretheimageandgloryofGod.' 23 Therefore,if thisargu
ment was used, they argued, then not only Jesus but all men could
daim to be Divine.
The discussion continued, not only in the meeting hall but also
within the Imperial Palace: Helena, the queen mother, supported
the Pauline Church. She was a political animal, and administrative
expediency ran in her blood. On the other hand, Constantina, the
sister of the Emperor, was a believer in the Divine Unity and sup
portedArius. Inheropinion, Arius was foUowing the original teach
ings of Jesus. She hated politics and loved and feared God. The
debate spread throughout the court. What had started as a Coun
cil, had also developed into a palace intrigue, in which the impe
rial eunuch and the palace cook also played a significant role. The
Emperor, a master of strategy, remained aloof from the two fac
tions, and kept everyone guessing. Being a pagan, he did not be
long to any of the sects, This, he believed, was the strongest point
in his favour.
As the debate continued, it became evident to both parties that
no dear-cut decision would be reached on the floor of the Council.
However, they still both desired the support of the Emperor since,
for the Pauline Church, it would mean an increase in power, and
for the North African Church an end to persecution, In order to
keep the favour of Constantine, all the bishops present agreed to
make sorne changes in their religion. Princess Constantina had ad
vised Eusebius of Nicomedia that the Emperor strongly desired a
united Church, since a divided one endangered his Empire. How
ever, if no agreement was reached within the Church, hemight
lose patience and withdraw his support for Christianity altogether.
Should he take this course of action, the situation of the Christians
would be even worse than before, and the teaching itself would be
endangered even further. CounseUed in tum by Eusebius, Arius
and his foUowers adopted a passive role, but disassociated them
selves from the foUowing changes to which the Council agreed:
Sinceworship of theRomansun-godwas verypopularthrough
out the Empire at this time, and since the Emperor was considered
to he the embodiment of the sun-god on earth, the Pauline Church
therefore: