Nicaea at 1700

The Council of Nicaea in 325 had a significant bearing upon the unity of the universal church, such that its creed continues to be prayed by Catholics, Orthodox, and Evangelical Christians alike. Nicaea at 1700: The First Council and the ‘Way Together’ seeks to explore the relationship between the Council of Nicaea and the local church. Reexamining the theology, documents, and canons of Nicaea presents a moment of ressourcement for the church today. How did Nicaea and its implementation help inform the church’s understanding of the dialectic between the universal and the particular church, especially for priests, deacons, and lay ecclesial ministers in the New Evangelization?

Nicaea at 1700 will feature keynote lectures from Fr. Khaled Anatolios, John A. O’Brien Professor of Theology, University of Notre Dame, author of Retrieving Nicaea: The Development and Meaning of Trinitarian Doctrine (Baker Academic, 2011 & 2018), Fr. Andrew Hofer, OP,

Ordinary Professor of Patristics and Ancient Languages, Dominican House of Studies, author of The Power of Patristic Preaching: The Word in Our Flesh (Catholic University of America Press, 2023), and Prof. Lewis Ayres, McDonald Agape Distinguished Chair in Early Christian Theology, Pontifical University of St. Thomas (Angelicum), author of Nicaea and Its Legacy: An Approach to Fourth Century Theology (Oxford University Press, 2004).

The conference will feature several sets of break-out sessions. Scholars are encouraged to submit an abstract of no more than 300 words exploring the theme of the conference through the lens of their own research. Following the conference, break-out session presenters will be invited to submit their work for a conference proceedings publication. Relevant topics include but are not limited to...

Scripture and Nicaea
Nicaea and its Texts—Definition, Anathematization, Canons
Nicaea and Reception History
Nicaea’s Proponents
Nicaea’s Opponents
Early Western Reception of Nicaea (e.g., Augustine, Boethius, etc.
Philosophical Foundations of Nicene Orthodoxy
Nicaea and Church-State Relations
The Nicene Creed in Liturgical Traditions
The 318 Fathers of Nicaea
Nicaea and Ecumenism
Nicaea and the New Evangelization
Ressourcement and the New Evangelization
Nicaea as a Model/Caution for Synodality

The First Council and the “Way Together”