The First Council of Nicaea: The Establishment of Authority in Western Religious Thought and the Qur’anic Conception of the Nature of Christ

Abstract

This study examines the First Council of Nicaea (325 CE) as a foundational moment in early Christian history, where the complex relationship between doctrine and authority took shape within an imperial context. It analyzes the Arian controversy that triggered the council, showing how a theological dispute over the nature of Christ evolved into a political project to define the official faith of the Roman Empire. The research employs a historical–philosophical comparative method to explore the intellectual transformation accompanying the Nicene Creed and its role in establishing systematic theology as well as the institutional structure of the Church and Empire.Furthermore, the paper compares Arius’s theology with the Qur’ānic view of Christ, highlighting points of convergence in divine unity and transcendence, and divergence regarding the ontological status of Jesus. It concludes with an analysis of the Prophet Muhammad’s letter to Heraclius, in which the term “the Arians” appears, interpreting it as a prophetic recognition of the monotheistic continuity beyond Nicene divisions