Council Day 2 Reflecction – Marcarius
Dear Emperor Constantine, Ossius, and fellow Council Members,
I was extremely pleased with the outcome of the council meeting on March 22nd since it was clear that both the Arians’ and the Alexandrians’ main priority was to achieve unity rather than making petty arguments that lead to further disunity. I greatly respected that both sides tried to find solutions to the disagreements rather than debating back and forth in an unending cycle. One of the main differences between Council Day 1 and Council Day 2 was the enforcement of the hand raising policy. I felt that this enforcement allowed the Council to run a lot more smoothly and peacefully since everyone was aware of being respectful and waited for their turn to speak. With this respect came the ability to more easily make compromises. I am pleased to say that I truly believe that unity can certainly be achieved in the Church if the council continues to move forward in the same manner as Council Day 2.
On the topic of the creedal statement of Jesus, I am overall very pleased with the outcome of the creed. However, one statement that brings discomfort to me is the line that states: “God made Jesus exist at God’s own will.” It does not make sense to believe that Jesus was created by God because this implies that Jesus is of a separate divine power than of God; this leads us to believe that there are two separate divine powers. Believing in two separate divine powers further leads us to believe in polytheism. As we agreed earlier, there is only one God, who contains the one and only divine power. It only makes sense to believe that Jesus always existed as a part of God and that Jesus was God manifested in flesh. The Arians may argue that Jesus’ limitations as a human being makes him lesser than God but I believe that this has no impact on Jesus’ divine nature and eternality but rather shows the extent of the humility of God. Therefore, I think that particular line in the creed should be replaced with “[Jesus] always existing with God eternally.” Although this may lead to disagreements with the Arians I believe that it is vital to make the creed as concise and clear as possible so that people cannot interpret the creed in various ways and possibly associate polytheism with Christianity.
I sincerely look forward to continue making progress in our council discussions to establish a Church of unblemished unity.
With Great Respect and Sincerity,
Marcarius