Intellectual Catholicism Ask Anything About the Trinity and Nicaea I - Fr. Brian Dunkle, SJ
Nov 26, 2025
Fr. Brian Dunkle, SJ, a noted Jesuit priest and Patristics scholar from Boston College, delves into the complexities of the First Council of Nicaea. He discusses the distinction between historical and theological perspectives on councils. Fr. Dunkle reviews key surviving documents and illustrates how Nicaea shaped sacred tradition. He also explores the ongoing mysteries of the Trinity and the evolving understanding of Trinitarian thought. His insights invite listeners to contemplate the theological richness that arose from the council.
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Different Ways To 'Learn From' Councils
- Historians focus on facts and context while theologians ask what councils teach and how to learn from them.
- Identifying received texts like creeds and canons is essential to discern a council's teaching and impact.
Creed And Canons Together Shape Authority
- Nicaea taught through both its creed and its canons, which set behavioral norms and doctrinal boundaries for the church.
- Understanding the Arian controversy is necessary to grasp why specific creed language mattered historically.
The Weight Of Homoousios
- Nicaea inserted homoousios to affirm the Son's full divinity and to reject Arian claims that the Son was a creature.
- That single term carried theological weight but also provoked later disputes over nuance and implication.
