To the Church in Alexandria

From Alexander to my good and faithful brothers in Christ,

The Council of Nicaea has come to a close, and much progress has been made for the sake of the unity of our Church. I am pleased to write to you that we have established a Creed that clearly states the truth that we all know and believe, which as a result has forced Arius and his heresies out of the Church. The creation of the Creed did not come without its challenges, however. After much debate and contention between the leading bishops at the Council, we voted on a preliminary Creed. This Creed was highly Arian, to my discomfort, but the majority voted in favor of it. Towards the very end of the Council, however, we Alexandrians, led by our most fervent Athanasius, were able to bring forth changes to the Creed which we needed to be included in order for us to sign it. Thankfully, the time away from the Creed allowed other bishops to reevaluate their hearts and minds on the nature of the Godhead and every bishop and presbyter present was able to sign off on our edited Creed–that is, all except Arius. Unity within the Church has been achieved and heretics have been dispelled, allowing us to move forward in spreading the good news of Christ.

In addition to the Creed that was passed, we as a Council were able to decide on other important issues within the Church. Metropolitan bishops have authority over local bishops, and authority over doctrine may disagreements or conflicts arise. I believe this to be important and I was a great advocate for this canon. It ensures the Church from heresy and error by limiting the deciding powers to only a few. Metropolitan bishops will certainly continue to listen to and work with local bishops, but their greater status allows for there to be more efficient leadership. As an extension of this canon, there will also be no future ecumenical Councils to determine doctrine, which is critical in maintaining control and order in the Church.

Furthermore, we have ruled that women are to not hold positions of clergy within the Church. I was not particularly pulled in either direction on this matter, but those in favor of keeping women out of leadership positions made compelling arguments that would aid in the spread and influence of the Church, so I agreed and voted on the side that passed.

We also ruled that those who lapsed during the time of persecution must be rebaptized for readmission into the Church. I pushed for no penance of any kind, but I do believe that rebaptism is the best option if anything must be done. There will be no punishment, of which I am in full agreement with.

The final important canon that was passed is the day of the celebration of our Lord Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. It will occur on the Sunday after the 14th day after the first new moon after the Spring Equinox, the position that I pushed for. This ensures a loose connection with the Jewish Passover, where our roots are, but eliminates our need to consult Jewish officials on those dates. Fortunately for us in Alexandria, we are home to the best astronomers and therefore will most likely be in charge of determining when this date comes each year.

I come back home with a pleased heart, happy with the Council and the state of our unified Church. Though we were not able to get to many issues that I know you all and I myself find important, the most pressing issues were decided. I hope you all will remain faithful to the Church, and I look forward to being with you all once again.