104 Jesus, Prophet of IslamOf those who signed the Nicene Creed, sorne believed in it, sorne
pretended to believe in it, even though they did not really know
what they were putting their names to, and sorne, the majority of
the delegates at the Council, did not agree with the doctrine of
Trinity at all, but nevertheless signed the Creed with silent mental
reservation, in order to please the Emperor. One of them is recorded
as having said: The soul is nothing worse for a little ink.' 'Z7 Refer
ring to this statement, Professor Gwatkin moans that this was not
a pleasant scene for a historian. Perhaps this is because Professor
Gwatkin was not writing as a historian, but as an advocate who
accepts a brief to plead a weak case!
These were the people who decided, under a pagan Emperor,
what should be the test for an orthodox Christian. The result was
as much a surprise to the Paulinian Christians as it was to the Uni
tarian Arian party. It is probable that no one except Constantine
had expected the turn which events had taken. The idea of a hav
ing universal test of what it is to be a Christian was a revolutionary
change. It was not liked by anyone.
The insertion of a direct condemnation of Arianism was a still
more serious step. Even those who had consented to attesting the
Creed, did so with misgiving - and when it came to endorsing an
anathema which contained a form of terminology which was not
to be found in any of the Scriptures, and which had apparently
never been utiIised by either Jesus or his close companions, they
told themselves that they had signed it under duress.
The Council which had begun with such a fanfare had in reality
completely failed to achieve anything.
The one person who knew exactly what he was doing was the
Emperor Constantine. He realised that, a Creed which was based
not on conviction but on votes could not be taken seriously. One
could beIieve in God, but could not elect Him by the democratie
method. Constantine knew how and why the bishops had signed
the Creed, but he was determined not to let the impression remain
that he had somehow managed to force the bishops to sign against
their convictions. So it was decided to resort to a miracle of God in
order to affirm and confirm the decision of the Council:
AlI the various Gospels - the written record both of[esus's teach
ing and, in sorne cases, of what had become of that teaching after it
had been changed - stilllay in a pile in the middle of the hall where
they had been placed at the beginning of the Council. Which of
these Scriptures were the most accurate and reIiable?
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