Council Day 6 Reflection
To my dearest and most noble congregation and priest,
I did everything that I could to ensure that our best interests would be represented. However, the metropolitan bishops held all of the power and it was clear that they had no interest in listening to our concerns.
The first day of the council was widely successful. We discussed the nature of God in the Creedal statement and I was able to persuade the council to avoid using the term “Father” when referring to God. I voted alongside the Alexandrian faction because I knew that not only their views were more photo-orthodox, but also that they had more voting power. And if I wanted a chance to have my points passed, I would have needed their support. At the end of the day, our version of the Creed passed.
The second day of the council was also successful, however, our Alexandrian faction compromised more than fairly in adding language to which Arians could not object. We discussed the nature of Jesus Christ, and it caused a lot of controversy. It was not enough time to finish and Constantine declared that we would finish on the following day.
So the third day of council, we continued discussing the nature of Christ and I continued to side with the Alexandrians, also because I knew that if I were to receive an imperial boon, I needed the support of three bishops to be concecrated and at the moment, Alexandrians had three. In terms of Christ, we did everything we could to ensure that homoousius was the relationship between God and Jesus. In the end, we were able to get the wording that insinuated that God and Jesus would live together for all of eternity. We also discussed the holy spirit and that was a very succinct discussion as there was not much controversy. The Creed was passed gender-neutral and I was extremely proud of having supported the Alexandrian faction.
The first day of canon discussion was about metropolitan bishops and the role of future councils. I did everything that I could to support those with votes that were against metropolitan bishops, but I did not succeed and for that I apologize from the bottom of my heart. In terms of future councils, we came upon a decision that would introduce a pope to the church and I must say, it was a very convincing argument that, in my opinion, is designed well for the church. He will have all power and the last say. I voted yay for the second canon of the day and felt good about future councils not having the ability to overturn our decisions.
The fourth day of the council revolved around the date of Easter, for the most part. I was bribed by the Emperor Constantine to assist in the discussion as I had a neutral stance. I complied and I think that it really only hurt my progress as I was in the minority and was fighting for Constantine. I felt betrayed when he went against me in the following day. I voted positive for celibacy of the clergy and negative for the date of Easter being based on passover.
The final day of the council was the most disappointing. When discussing women’s roles in the church, I did everything that I could to convince the council that women were able to serve in the church. Also, I feel as though I was on my way to getting my way, until Constantine stepped in. He betrayed my friendship and trust and I don’t think that I can support his decisions. I was out-voted and unhappy at the end of the last day, save for signing the official Creed.
I am excited for my return!