In a 9 January lecture at the University of Halle-Wittenberg in Germany, Illert spoke of the need to “be aware of the wide spectrum of different understandings of Nicaea in the various confessional and regional and cultural traditions.” The Council of Nicaea of 325 CE was a defining moment in Christian history as the first attempt to reach consensus in the church through an assembly representing the whole of Christendom. It led to the adoption of the Nicene Creed as a statement of Christian faith still used in churches today. However, the western Protestant tradition often looks at Nicaea solely from the standpoint of doctrinal history, and as being closely linked to Greek philosophical categories, related to the clergy and the church hierarchy rather than to the spirituality of the people, Illert said in his lecture. A wider view of the historical impact of Nicaea can help to contribute to a broader ecumenical dialogue, said Illert, a Lutheran theologian from Germany who is also an adjunct professor at the Halle-Wittenberg university. The lecture was the first in a series being organized at the university on “Global Histories: Perspectives on Christianity and Religion.” In his lecture, Illert highlighted three aspects of such a wider understanding: the way in which the Nicene faith was picked up in popular spirituality; the interpretation of Nicaea in Persia and India through poetic symbols; and a mystical rather than legal interpretation of the Nicene Creed. This includes understanding the significance of Nicaea for the laity in the early Christian centuries, where the Nicene faith was part of popular spirituality, including exorcism and bodily healing, something described by Illert as the “charismatic” reception of Nicaea. Seeing such charismatic perspectives as a component of ecclesial identities and traditions can thereby contribute to “broadening the table” of ecumenical dialogue to include contemporary Charismatic churches and movements. Illert went on to describe how the influence of Nicaea extended beyond the Roman Empire to Persia and India, where the Nicene faith was interpreted through the language of poetic symbols, opening up a space free from the “theological colonialism of Greek philosophy.” This “made it possible to spread the Nicene Creed in a different mode, that of poetry instead of ancient philosophy, that of symbols instead of conceptual definition,” thus contributing to the global impact of the creed beyond cultural differences. Finally, said Illert in his lecture, the Council of Nicaea and the Nicene Creed that resulted were linked to the exclusion of those who were considered to be heretics. In recent times, movements previously marginalized as heretical have found their own defenders, who have then then constructed an equally excluding narrative. “Such processes seem almost inevitable as long as the goal of ‘unity’ goes hand in hand with exclusion,” said Illert. However, the writings of the 4th-century St Macarius of Egypt offer a mystical rather than a legal understanding of Nicaea based on a theology of humility. At a time when the emperors Theodosius, Gratian, and Valentinian obliged all citizens to follow Nicaea and labelled all dissidents as being “fools and mad,” Macarius did not call for the destruction of temples and synagogues, but rather reverence before pagans and Jews, said Illert. “All these three aspects,” said Illert, “the inclusion of charismatic perspectives, using poetical perspectives to interpret philosophical terminology, and the replacement of legal by mystical reception, can help to stimulate the reception of the Nicene Creed, and thus also ecumenical dialogue.” More information about WCC activities to mark the anniversary of Nicaea: www.oikoumene.org/nicaea-2025 World Conference on Faith and Order in 2025 will mark anniversary of the Council of Nicaea (WCC news release, 23 November 2023) | 
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