Council of Nicaea 325 – Starting point of today’s ecumenism

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The first ecumenical council in Nicaea is the focus of the year 2025. This milestone, the laying of the foundation stone of Roman Catholicism, but not of Christianity according to the Gospel. Everyone is celebrating, including the former Protestant churches. The signs point to stormy rapprochement within the ecumenical movement.

Council of Nicaea – Solemnity in 2025

In May 525 AD, the ecumenical council convened by Emperor Constantine took place in Nicaea, present-day Iznik in Turkey. The “holy year” of 2025 thus marks the 1700th anniversary. A time in which there (apparently) was no division between the regions surrounding the Bishop of Rome and the eastern regions around Constantinople, let alone a Protestant movement. The apostasy from the gospel, especially in Rome, found its first manifestation with the Council of Nicaea.

At this time, the Pontifex Maximus, the “adorable primate” of religion, was still Emperor Constantine. While the Bishop of Rome was by no means the leading figure of all Christendom, his position as superior “overseer” of a congregation meant he had already deviated from the structure of the first congregation according to the Gospel. In the congregation formed by Jesus Christ, people met each other as equals.

Therefore, Pope Leo XIV, in his line of succession, is purely fictitious, the 267th successor of Peter. The latter was never pope, and the subsequent bishops of Rome are also purely claims of the Church, which may have existed just as much as the “Donation of Constantine.” The first historically confirmed bishop of Rome was Anterus, and his active period was from 235 to 236.

Can be read in letters to 7 communities

Gemäß prophetischer Auslegung der 7 Epistles to the Churches in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, the period of the church in Pergamos began around 313. This is primarily due to the historically documented 10-year persecution of Christians between 303 and 313.

Although Emperor Diocletian issued a decree in 311 ordering the persecutions to cease, this decree was apparently not heeded, let alone followed, throughout the Roman Empire. Only with the so-called Constantinian turnaround in 313 (the Milanese Agreement) did the persecution of Christians cease. The prophecy for the church in Smyrna has been fully and historically confirmed:

“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)

Prophetic Pergamum – Everything Foreseen

Prophetically, the conditions and developments in the church of Pergamum (313 to 538) followed. The tone regarding the prophecy given by Jesus Christ is now harsher. “I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is…” (Revelation 2:13), and “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.” (Revelation 2:14-15).

Unmistakably, the apostasy from the Gospel, towards idolatry (worship and veneration of images, figures, symbols, etc.), was already well underway. It falls precisely in the time of Constantine, as emperor a Roman through and through, elitist, and devoted to the Mithras cult. He was already in the process of moving the capital of his empire to Constantinople, thus diminishing the influence of the (self-appointed) Bishop of Rome. Furthermore, one can assume that the Church at that time felt a certain degree of obligation to the emperor due to Constantine’s quasi-guardianship of Christianity. The idea that the emperor converted to Catholicism is only true at the time when he was already on his deathbed.

Mixing with Mithras cult

The mixing of Christianity at that time with the Mithras cult cannot be overlooked (Info). What is considered a Christian symbol today (e.g., “Pax Christi”) refers to the Mithras cult, but by no means to the Savior Jesus Christ. All pagan symbols were simply given Christian names.

The Council of Nicaea, held in Constantine’s summer residence, aimed to establish a common confession of faith. It was authoritative and groundbreaking, and remains so to this day. A total of 20 canons were established. Among them was the stipulation that clergy were not allowed to live with women (Canon 3), except with their mother, aunt, and sister. It is clear that the Eucharist (an idol practice) had already been introduced (Canon 13, Eucharist for the Dying). Canon 20 also maintained a “confession” for the liturgy. During Pentecost and on Sundays, prayer was not permitted kneeling, but only standing.

In addition, the Council of Nicaea established that all churches must observe the date of Easter consistently, and exclusively on a Sunday. The Bishop of Alexandria was responsible for calculating the annual date of Easter.

The creed developed at the first Council of Nicaea was confirmed at the Council of Constantinople (381) and expanded to include details concerning the Holy Spirit. In 431, the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed was ratified at the Council of Ephesus. This creed remains in use to this day.

Constantine simply wanted “peace in the stable.”

For Emperor Constantine, “everything was fine,” as long as there was peace in his empire. “My aim was to bring the differing opinions among all nations that worship the Deity to a state of agreed unity, and secondly, to restore a healthy tone in the world system.” (Source).

“The Deity,” as Constantine expressed it, sounds as universal as the “universal church” formed from it, namely the Roman Catholic Church.

Leo the Great

Pope Leo I, also known as Leo the Great, also dates back to the “Pergamum Period.” His pontificate lasted from 440 to 461. He is considered the most important bishop of Rome in the 5th century, at least from the perspective of the Church of Rome. He was the first to formulate the claim of primacy over the entire Church. It was Leo I who actively claimed the former Roman imperial title of “Worthy of Worship,” or “Pontifex Maximus,” for himself. This title had already been transferred to the Bishop of Rome at an earlier time, but has not been claimed until now.

A Roman Catholic legend tells of Leo I opposing the conqueror Attila, King of the Huns, in 452. His “heroic” intervention, according to the legend, prevented Attila from marching against Rome. However, historians largely agree that Attila was already in retreat at that point and had no intention of marching toward Rome. Today, it is said that the Church “somewhat exaggerated” this legend.

Remembrance with heartfelt devotion to Mary

Pope John Paul II recalled the decisive Council in Constantinople with his Apostolic Letter “A Concilio Constantinopolitano I” (1981 – Source). In doing so, he also clearly emphasized his priorities. While he mentions Jesus only four times in his letter, he demonstrates his deep devotion to Mary (the “Mother of God”) 23 times.

Council of Nicaea also celebrated by EKD

The First Council of Nicaea, under Pontifex Maximus Constantine, is undeniably the foundation stone for the Roman Catholic Church in its present form. Immovable, unchangeable, since it attests to its “incapacity to err.” Probably due to scheduling conflicts, Pope Leo XIV plans to visit Iznik, the former Nicaea, only at the end of the year. The invitation came from Patriarch Bartholomew, the supreme shepherd of the Orthodox Church. He had already invited Pope Francis, who has since passed away. The invitation was renewed during the Patriarch’s “inaugural visit” to the Vatican on May 21. The Church of Rome itself describes the Council of Nicaea as a historic milestone for Christianity. This, however, should be corrected to “Catholicism.”

Even the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) refers to the Council of Nicaea as “the Millennium Council.” However, this organization formulates the correct context by describing this assembly in 325 as a “key moment in the history of the Christian faith,” and that it is also groundbreaking for ecumenism today. (Source). Wie wahr und vor allem treffend (Info). The Association of Christian Churches (ACK) calls for the ecumenical version of the Nicene Creed to be prayed more regularly.

The EKD (Evangelical Church in Germany) is enthusiastic about this: “By agreeing on the common creed, it was possible to hold together essential parts of the Christian world in one church.“

A stiff breeze in sight

One can see it directly: the steps toward uniting the churches, the re-inscription of the gravestones of the formerly Protestant churches, the unification of religions to a common denominator, the Pope as the recognized primate (“honorary head”) of all religions, are progressing with greater and more energetic strides. The current Pope chose his name Leo not out of a fondness for himself, but rather in continuation of the pioneering spirit of Leo I, Leo X (Pope during Luther’s Reformation), and Leo XIII (social encyclical Rerum Novarum, 1891). The wind is practically gathering strength. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the four winds released from the Euphrates River (Revelation 9:13-16), but the signs are clearly pointing toward a storm.

Bible verses from King James Version (1611)