Section 528
The text on this page is estimated to be only 28.24% accurate
46 COUNCIL OF NICE. This is what I intended to say concerning the faith which was declared, and to which we all gave our consent ; not, however, without inquiry and examination, but according to the senses ad duced, which were discussed before our most religious emperor, and for the reasons already mentioned, unanimously approved. We ajso agreed without difficulty to the anathema put forth by the prelates, and subjoined to the form of faith, because it pro hibits the use of unscriptural expressions, from which nearly all the confusion and disturbances of the Church have arisen. Since, therefore, no divinely inspired writing has made use of the phrases, "of things not existing," and " there was a time when he was not," and others which are added to them, it did not seem proper that they should be spoken or taught. We therefore con sented also to this salutary decree, not having been accustomed, in times past, to the use of such terms. We have sent you this information, beloved, that we may clearly show you, with what care and deliberation we conducted our inquiries and examination, and gave our assent, and with how much reason we resisted at first, and continued our opposi tion to the last hour ; so long, indeed, as any thing being written otherwise than correctly, afforded occasion of offence. We finally embraced, without further contention, those expressions which were found to be unexceptionable, when, on a candid examina tion of the sense of the words, it appeared that they entirely agreed with those admitted by ourselves, in the exposition of faith which we at first proposed. not first invented by the Nicene Fathers, nor originally used by them, as many suppose, in discussing the subject of the divinity of the Son. Tertullian, in the beginning of his book against Praxeas, expressly says, that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are of one substance, and affirms that this doctrine is con tained in the rule of faith preserved by the Catholics. But wherein does the Latin phraseology, unius substantial, differ from the Greek expression, opoovaiovl