The Emperor’s Reflection on Day 1

Members of the Council,

In my opening address to you, I reminded you of the great stakes involved in our discussions and urged you to value unity above all else during these conversations. I also stated that it was up to you to resolve theological questions, as I am not an expert in such matters. Since the technical questions are of secondary importance to me, I would like to primarily take issue with the character of the conversation I witnessed.

First, I was disappointed to see a lack of unity among the different parties involved here. While the last thing I would like to see is a purely factional debate, this process will be long and tedious if individual members fail to coalesce around certain defined positions. The council simply cannot proceed in the manner of last session and nor need it! I would like to believe that more binds us than divides us, but that is not the impression I formed after watching the proceedings of our last meeting. In the future, I suggest that you work more closely together in order to find more agreeable solutions.

Second, I was frustrated to see individual members fail to push the conversation forward. This was sometimes the result of participants disrespecting each other’s speaking privileges, but more often than not, unfortunately, this was a result of individuals jockeying for themselves and themselves alone! At one point, as the council was on the cusp of reaching an agreement on the nature of God, several interjected to push for revisions reflective of their interests exclusively. Such behavior encourages tragic disunity and threatens us all.

Finally, please allow me to briefly comment on the theological issue at hand. I am pleased that we were able to reach a concrete definition on the nature of God, and the Empire will defend the agreed upon position should the final version of the creed be agreed to. That being said, I was disappointed to see a fairly close vote determine this outcome. This council will unquestionably fail if you refuse to compromise and negotiate your sometimes-rigid positions. While I greatly appreciate your commitment to your theological stances, do not forget that defending those positions must never come in the way of unity. For hopefully the last time, I would like to remind you that while not a preferable option, I am able and willing to take more serious action in order to bring this council into line.

May God bless and direct this council so that we may save the future of our Church and Empire!

Respectfully,

Emperor Constantine