8 Chapter VIII.—Of the Synod which was held at Nicæa in Bithynia, and the Creed there153 put forth. Such admirable and wise counsel did the emperor’s letter contain. But the evil had be- come too strong both for the exhortations of the emperor, and the authority of him who was the bearer of his letter: for neither was Alexander nor Arius softened by this appeal; and moreover there was incessant strife and tumult among the people. Moreover another local source of disquietude had pre-existed there, which served to trouble the churches,—the dispute namely in regard to the Passover, which was carried on in the regions of the East only.154 This arose from some desiring to keep the Feast more in accordance with the custom of the Jews; while others preferred its mode of celebration by Christians in general throughout the world. This difference, however, did not interfere with their communion, although their mutual joy was necessarily hindered. When, therefore, the emperor beheld the Church agitated on account of both of these causes, he convoked a General Council,155 summoning all the bishops by letter to meet him at Nicæa in Bithynia. Accordingly the bishops assembled out of the various provinces and cities; respecting whom Eusebius Pamphilus thus writes, word for word, in his third book of the life of Constantine:156 ‘Wherefore the most eminent of the ministers of God in all the churches which have filled Europe, Africa, and Asia, were convened. And one sacred edifice, dilated as it were by God, contained within it on the same occasion both Syrians and Cilicians, Phœnicians, Arabs and Palestinians, and in addition to these, Egyptians, Thebans, Libyans, and those who came from Mesopotamia. At this synod a Persian bishop was also present, neither was the Scythian absent from this assemblage. Pontus also and Galatia, Pamphylia, Cappadocia, Asia and Phrygia, supplied those who were most distinguished among them. Besides, there met there Thracians and Macedonians, Achaians and Epirots, and even those who dwelt still further away than these, and the most celebrated of the Spaniards himself157 took his seat among the rest. The prelate158 of the imperial city was absent on account of age; but 153 Cf. the parallel account in Sozom. I. 17. 154 In a single sentence this controversy was as to whether the Easter should be observed on a fixed day in every year or on the 14th of the lunar month Nisan of the Jews, on whatever day of the week that might happen to fall. For a fuller discussion of the controversy, see Smith’s Dict. of the Bible, and the literature there referred to. 155 οἰκουμενικήν : hence this is called the first Ecumenical Council. 156 Euseb. Life of Const. III. 7–9. 157 Hosius mentioned before in chap. 7. 158 According to Valesius, who follows Musculus, the prelate here meant was the bishop of Rome. The reason alleged is that at the time of the meeting of the council, Constantinople had not yet been made the ‘imperial city.’ But considering the general indifference of Socrates to the affairs of the Western Church, and the fact that Of the Synod which was held at Nicæa in Bithynia, and the Creed there put forth. 39 Of the Synod which was held at Nicæa in Bithynia, and the Creed there put…