Jesus, Prophet of Islam - The Islamic Bulletin

106 Jesus, Prophet of Islam

we have become the cause of each other's ruin. The

translation (of the Creed) from Greek into Latin was im­

perfect, for the Greek terms of Platonic philosophy,

which had been consecrated by the Church, failed to

express the mysteries of the Christian faith. Verbal de­

fects in Scriptures might introduce into Latin theology

a long train of errors or perplexity. 28

Sabinas, one of the earlybishopsof Thrace, describesall those who
assembled in Nicea as being ignorant simpletons. He brands the
faith they declared there as having been set forth by ignorant per­
sons who had no intelligence in the matter. Socritus, the historian,
compares the two combatants to armies engaged in battle at night,
neither knowing the meaning of the words used by the other. Dr.
Stanley writes that if Athanasius, when young, had adopted the
moderation which he showed in his old age, then the Catholic
Church would not have been divided, and much bloodshed would
have been avoided.

e e e o o

Thus the Council of Nicea, instead of bridging the gulf between
the Christian sects, succeeded in widening it, and the bittemess
between them was not diminished, but increased. Such was the
temper of the Church, that, withstanding reason and persuasion, it
learned the efficaey of force, and the first major bloodbath of the
Arians began. At a later stage, the Goths and the Lombards were
,converted' by the same means. The fearfulloss of life which was
the inevitable result of the Crusades followed. During the Thirty
Years War in Europe, itwas established that even belief in the Trin­
ity was not enough: the ruling elite of the Pauline Church had to
be obeyed. By the time of the Reformation, the situation was such
that even Luther's actions were not really directed towards any
serious attempt to retum to the true teaching of Jesus, but rather
demonstrated a mere struggle for power.

e e e e e

Returning to the events which took place immediately after 325

AD, we find thatBishopAlexanderdiedin 328 AD. Astormyelec­

tion for the bishopric of Alexandria followed. The Arians and

Meletians put up a strong fight, but Athanasius was declared,

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