Saint Eustathios of Antioch as a Model for our Lives

St. Eustathios of Antioch (Feast Day - February 21)

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saint Eustathios, Archbishop of Antioch, was born in Sidon of Pamphylia in 260 AD. In 320 he was elected Bishop of Beroea (Aleppo) in Syria, and after three years the Archbishop of Antioch. He took part in the proceedings of the First Ecumenical Synod, which convened in 325 at Nicaea in Bithynia and condemned the heresy of Arius.

He was in the front lines for the battle for Orthodoxy and a fellow-struggler of Athanasios the Great, who called him "a man who is a confessor". That is why he was envied by the leading followers of Arius, namely the Bishops Eusebius of Nicomedia, Theognis of Nicaea and Eusebius of Caesarea, and was slandered as an underminer of secular authority, and as unethical, therefore he was exiled. In other words, they claimed that he was attacking the mother of the Emperor Constantine, namely Saint Helen, but also that he had an illegitimate child with a woman of loose morals, whom they bribed to accuse him. Thus they managed to exile him, but God protected him and finally glorified him. A result of his flawless life and his painful struggles for the Orthodox faith, was that his flock was not seduced by heresy.

Homilies on the Ecumenical Synods - The First Ecumenical Synod (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

 Homilies on the Ecumenical Synods

The First Ecumenical Synod (325 A.D.)

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

In this years short sermons for the Sundays of Summer, beloved brethren, I will refer to the Ecumenical Synods of our Church, and especially to the dogmatic issues which our Holy Fathers who comprised of them dealt with these. Orthodox Christians must know our Orthodox faith.

Of course, these issues are big and serious and they cannot be adequately analyzed in short eucharistic sermons, but we will highlight some of the key points of some of the decisions of the Ecumenical Synods that Orthodox Christians must know. This is, in other words, a small study, and those who are interested will be able to interest themselves in gaining more information.

The First Ecumenical Synod was convened in Nicaea of Bithynia, in the year 325 AD, by Constantine the Great. The presidents of the Synod were Eustathios of Antioch and Alexander of Alexandria, and perhaps Saint Kordouis.

Homily on the Sunday of the 318 Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod (St. Luke of Simferopol)

By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

(Delivered May 25, 1947)

On the Sunday before the great day of Pentecost, the Holy Church celebrates the memory of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod.

We need to know what an Ecumenical Synod is and what the significance of the First Ecumenical Synod was.

The holy apostles told the bishops to hold an Ecclesiastical Synod, that is, a conference of bishops, who together had to decide on the affairs of the Church. It was decided that such Synods should be convened frequently, twice a year. This is how it was done, and such local Synods were convened to resolve not very important issues.

On the Sunday of the 318 Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod (St. Neophytos the Recluse)

 Catechesis 15

On the Holy Fathers of the Synod of Nicaea and
On the Orthodox Faith Which They Dogmatized and
That Right Faith is Needed as Well as Right Life

By St. Neophytos the Recluse

Today is a feast between two bright and saving feasts [the Ascension and Pentecost]. Today, between two great festivals that reach to heaven, the multi-luminous stars make their appearance. Today, between the two chariots whose path leads to heaven, three hundred and eighteen charioteers have appeared, not of course to direct these two steered chariots, but to direct those who do not believe and have mounted the chariots, to lead them towards faith, since the one chariot lifted from earth towards the heavenly arches with the flesh-bearing God the Word from the earth to the bosom of the Father, while the other chariot is the "the other Comforter" (Jn. 14:16) instead of Christ who ascended, which He sent down from heaven "like the blowing of a violent wind" (Acts 2:2), that the words of Christ may be fulfilled when He said "It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (Jn. 16:7-8).

The First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (Fr. George Florovsky)

 

By Fr. George Florovsky 

The city of Nicaea was selected as the city to host the First Ecumenical Council. Constantinople was to be officially inaugurated only in 330 and hence at the time of the convening of the Council of Nicaea the imperial residence was in Nicomedia, very close to Nicaea. Nicaea — its name comes from the Greek for "victory" — was easily accessible by sea and land from all parts of the empire. The imperial letter convening the council is no longer extant. Eusebius informs us that the emperor sent letters of invitation to the bishops of all countries and instructed them to come quickly — σπευδειν άπανταχόθεν τους επισκόπους γπάμμασι τιμητικοίς πpoκaλoυμevoς. All expenses were to be paid from the imperial treasury. The number of bishops present has come down to us as 318 — so states Athanasius, Socrates, and Theodoret. An element of mystical symbolism became attached to this number of 318, some seeing in the Greek abbreviation a reference to the cross and a reference to the "holy name of Jesus." St. Ambrose in his De fide (i, 18) connected the number of 318 with the number of servants of Abraham in Genesis 14:14. The number differs in other accounts. For example, Eusebius gives the number as two-hundred and fifty — πεντηκοντα και διακοσίων αριθμόν. But Eusebius does not include the number of priests and deacons. Arabic accounts from a later period give the number of more than two-thousand bishops. The extant Latin lists of signatures contain no more than two-hundred and twenty-four bishops. There appears to be no reason why the number of 318 is not in fact accurate. If one includes the number of priests, deacons, and others, then the number may have reached two thousand.

 

Reflection for the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 

By St. Theophan the Recluse

Arius began to deny the divinity of the Son of God and His oneness in essence with God the Father. The entire Church rose up against him; all believers, from all ends of the earth, unanimously confessed that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Only-Begotten Son of God, true God of true God; begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father. One would think that this unanimity was purely coincidental, but this faith was then tried by fire when the authorities and powerful of this world began to side with the Arians. Neither fire, nor sword, nor persecution could extinguish this faith, and it was immediately found everywhere among everyone, as soon as the pressure from external powers ceased. This means that it makes up the heart of the Church and the essence of her confession. Glory be to the Lord, Who preserves this faith within us! For, as long as it exists, we are still Christians, though we may not live as such. If it ceases to exist, Christianity will end.

 

 

The Message of the Gospel for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha (St. Nikolai Velimirovich)

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

"Holy Father, keep them in Thy Name which Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, even as We are" (Jn. 17:11).

Christ's prayer is not only for the apostles - although it is firstly for them - but is also for all those who have and will come to faith in Christ through their word. This prayer, then, was also for the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod, that we commemorate today. "Keep them!" - the Lord prayed to His Father. And the Father kept them from the errors of Arius, and inspired, illumined and strengthened them by the Holy Spirit to defend and confirm the Orthodox faith. This prayer is for all of us who are baptized in the apostolic Church and who have from the apostles and their successors, come to know the saving name of Christ the Savior.

Saint Alexander, Patriarch of Alexandria (+ 326)

St. Alexander of Alexandria (Feast Day - May 29)

Verses

I reverence the august end of Alexander,
I know as august Alexander the Pope.

Little is known of Alexander’s early life. He is thought to have been born about the year 250, probably in Alexandria. As a priest he experienced the persecutions of Christians under the emperors Galerius and Maximinus. Upon the repose of Archbishop Achillas of Alexandria in 313, he came to lead the Church of Alexandria as the thirteenth Pope in succession since the Apostle Mark.

Alexander was faced with three significant issues upon his elevation. These were the dating of Pascha, the efforts of Meletius of Lycopolis to undermine him, and Arianism.

A schismatic sect, led by Erescentius, disputed the timing of the date for Pascha. While the controversy was not fully settled until the decision of the First Ecumenical Synod in 325, Alexander prepared a special treatise that defused the issue until the Synodal decision in which he cited the earlier statements of Dionysius on the matter.

The Rise of the Recent Veneration in Cyprus of Saint Marios the Bishop of Sebaste

Church of Saint Marios in Lythrodontas

Saint Marios is a relatively unknown Saint of the Church, who is referenced in the Small Euchologion published by Apostoliki Diakonia in 1956. It is believed he was the Bishop of Sebaste that attended the First Ecumenical Synod at Nicaea in 325.

Despite being relatively unknown and not included in the synaxaria, there are two recent churches on the island of Cyprus dedicated to him. The first is a church in Lythrodontas of Nicosia consecrated in 2015 and the second is a church along the river Rodanos in Mitsero of Nicosia consecrated in 2017.

Saint Kyntion, Bishop of Seleucia

St. Kyntion of Seleucia (Feast Day - November 15)

Verses

Kyntion the sacrificer increased his gifts,
Well done he heard nonetheless. What is more than this?

Our Venerable Father Kyntion (Quinctian), Bishop of Seleucia, was one of the 318 Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod that gathered in Nicaea, of Bithynia. Having become an ascetic and also a wonderworker, he reposed peacefully.

Saints Alexander, John and Paul the New, Patriarchs of Constantinople

Sts. Alexander, John and Paul of Constantinople (Feast Day - August 30)

Verses

To Alexander.

You fled the allotment of the flesh Alexander,
You occupy your allotted portion from the Lord.

To John.

The faces of those in the Church are of sad countenance,
Being deprived of John.

To Paul.

Paul forsook the path of life,
He found rest from the labor of life.

On the thirtieth the three now stand before the Trinity.

Saint Alexander, Archbishop of Constantinople

By Metropolitan Dionysios of Servia and Kozani

Today the Church celebrates and honors the sacred memory of Saint Alexander, the Archbishop of Constantinople. Saint Alexander lived at the time of the first Christian emperor, Constantine the Great. He was one of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod which, in 325, in Nicaea, condemned the Arian heresy. The Archbishop of Constantinople at that time was Saint Metrophanes, but, since he was very old and sick, he was represented at the synod by Alexander, who was still a priest. It was often the case that, for a variety of reasons, bishops were represented at synods by priests.

Saint Hosios, Bishop of Corduba (+ 359)

St. Hosios of Corduba (Feast Day - August 27)

Our Holy Father Hosios was probably born in Corduba in Hispania (now Córdoba, Spain), a province of the Roman Empire, although a passage in Zosimus has sometimes been conjectured as the writer's belief that Hosios was an Egyptian.

Elected to the see of Cordova about 295, he narrowly escaped martyrdom in the persecution of Maximian. In 300 or 301 he attended the provincial Synod of Elvira (his name appearing second in the list of those present), and upheld its severe canons concerning such points of discipline as questions concerning clerical marriage, and the treatment of those who had abjured their faith during the recent persecutions. The Synod appears to have had Novationist tendencies and held a strict view that refused readmission to those baptized Christians who had denied their faith or performed the formalities of a ritual sacrifice to the pagan gods under pressures of persecution.

History of the Church of the Holy Fathers in Nicaea

The venue of the First Ecumenical Synod in 325 was not in a church, but in the biggest hall of the imperial palace in Nicaea. Emperor Constantine called for this Synod and was present in full regalia during deliberations among the 318 Holy Fathers gathered to restore unity among the Christians of the Roman Empire, divided as it was between the Arians and the Orthodox. During the reign of Justinian part of this palace collapsed and he ordered for its full restoration. By the eighth century, the grand hall of the palace was turned into a church dedicated to the 318 Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod, otherwise known as the Church of the Holy Fathers.

Holy Hieromartyr Potamon, Bishop of Heraclea (+ 341)

St. Potamon of Heraclea (Feast Day - May 18)

Saint Potamon was Bishop of Heraclea, or Hieracleopolis, in Egypt. During the reign of Maximinus Daia, when the Christians were being persecuted in 310, he was imprisoned for his Christian faith, and had his eye plucked out and probably, according to Rufinus, the sinews of his ham severed, then condemned to the mines. Released from prison when Christianity became tolerated, he returned to his flock where he was revered as a Confessor.

Saint John, Bishop of Irenopolis

St. John of Irenopolis (Feast Day - February 4)

Verses

And John, on behalf of orthodoxy,
Rebuked the impious, with boldness.

Our Venerable Father John was Bishop of Irenopolis, and was one of the Three Hundred and Eighteen God-bearing Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod gathered in Nicaea in the year 325. Though it has been believed in he was the Bishop of Irenopolis in Cilicia, in the Synodal lists of the Nicene Fathers the Bishop of Irenopolis in Cilicia was Narcissus. In consequence of this, it is believed that John was the Bishop of Irenopolis in Isauria. He reposed in peace.

Saint Sisinios the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus

St. Sisinios the Confessor (Feast Day - November 23)

Verses

Having first submitted to much violence in life,
Sisinios entered life without violence.

Sisinios was from the city of Cyzicus and contested during the reign of Emperor Diocletian in the year 300, when Alexander was Governor of Cyzicus. He was accused of being a Christian to Alexander, and after confessing that he was indeed a Christian, he was bound to wild horses and forced to run with them. He was then beaten without mercy, and they forced bitter vinegar up his nose. After enduring other tortures, and performing various miracles, he was cast into prison.

Sunday of the 318 Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod in 325

Verses

O ye light-bearing stars of the spiritual firmament,

Enlighten my mind with your rays.

Verses Against Arius

Calling the Son a stranger to the Father’s essence,

Arius proved to be a stranger to God’s glory.

On the seventh Sunday of Pascha, we commemorate the holy God-bearing Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod.

The Commemoration of the First Ecumenical Synod has been celebrated by the Church of Christ from ancient times. The Lord Jesus Christ left the Church a great promise, “I will build My Church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it” (Mt. 16:18). Although the Church of Christ on earth will pass through difficult struggles by the enemy of salvation, it will emerge victorious. The holy martyrs bore witness to the truth of the Savior’s words, enduring suffering and death for confessing Christ, buecause the persecutor’s sword is shattered by the Cross of Christ.

Though the Church has always been persecuted by outside forces, heresies have also risen from within the Church itself to destroy it through poisonous doctrines. One of the most pernicious of these heresies was Arianism. Arius, a priest of Alexandria, was a man of immense pride and ambition. In denying the divine nature of Jesus Christ and His equality with God the Father, Arius falsely taught that the Savior is not consubstantial (of one essence) with the Father, but is only a created being.

A local Synod, convened with Patriarch Alexander of Alexandria presiding, condemned the false teachings of Arius. However, Arius would not submit to the authority of the Church. He wrote to many bishops, denouncing the decrees of the local Synod. He spread his false teaching throughout the East, receiving support from certain Eastern bishops.

Investigating these dissensions, the holy emperor Constantine (May 21) consulted Bishop Hosios of Cordova (Aug. 27), who assured him that the heresy of Arius was directed against the most fundamental dogma of Christ’s Church, and so he decided to convene an Ecumenical Synod. In 325, 318 bishops representing local Christian Churches from various lands gathered together at Nicaea. Among the assembled bishops were many confessors who had suffered during the persecutions, and who bore the marks of torture upon their bodies.

With Patriarch Alexander of Alexandria came his deacon, Athanasius (who later became Patriarch of Alexandria). He is called “the Great,” for he was a zealous champion for the purity of Orthodoxy. In the Sixth Ode of the Canon for today’s Feast, he is referred to as “the thirteenth Apostle.”

The emperor Constantine presided over the sessions of the Synod. In his speech, responding to the welcome by Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea, he said, “God has helped me cast down the impious might of the persecutors, but more distressful for me than any blood spilled in battle of a soldier, is the internal strife in the Church of God, for it is more ruinous.”

Arius, with seventeen bishops among his supporters, remained arrogant, but his teaching was repudiated and he was excommunicated from the Church. In his speech, the holy deacon Athanasius conclusively refuted the blasphemous opinions of Arius. The heresiarch Arius is depicted in iconography sitting on Satan’s knees, or in the mouth of the Beast of the Hell (Rev. 13).

The Fathers of the Synod declined to accept a Symbol of Faith (Creed) proposed by the Arians. Instead, they affirmed the Orthodox Symbol of Faith. Saint Constantine asked the Synod to insert into the text of the Symbol of Faith the word “consubstantial,” which he had heard in the speeches of the bishops. The Fathers of the Synod unanimously accepted this suggestion.

In the Nicene Creed, the Holy Fathers set forth and confirmed the Apostolic teachings about Christ’s divine nature. The heresy of Arius was exposed and repudiated as an error of haughty reason. After resolving this chief dogmatic question, the Synod also issued Twelve Canons on questions of ecclesiastical administration and discipline. Also decided was the date for the celebration of Holy Pascha. By decision of the Synod, Holy Pascha should be celebrated by Christians on the first Sunday after the first full moon of the vernal equinox (which occurred on March 22 in 325).

Apolytikion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone

Most glorified art Thou, O Christ our God, Who hast established our Fathers as luminous stars upon the earth, and through them didst guide us all to the true Faith. O Most Merciful One, glory be to Thee.

Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone

The Preaching of the Apostles and the doctrines of the Fathers confirmed the one Faith in the Church. And wearing the garment of truth woven from the theology on high, she rightly divideth and glorifieth the great mystery of piety.

Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod Resource Page

On this day, the seventh Sunday of Pascha, we celebrate the First Ecumenical Synod, of the three hundred and eighteen God-bearing Fathers, which took place in Nicaea.

Verses

O ye light-bearing stars of the spiritual firmament,

Enlighten my mind with your rays.

Verses Against Arius

Calling the Son a stranger to the Father’s essence,

Arius proved to be a stranger to God’s glory.

Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod

 

Synaxarion for the Sunday of the Holy Fathers 

 

Sunday of the 318 Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod: Epistle and Gospel Reading 

 

Sunday of the 318 Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod in 325 

 

Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod (S.V. Bulgakov) 

 

Homily One for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha (St. John Chrysostom)

 

Homily Two for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha (St. John Chrysostom)

Gospel Commentary for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha - John 17:1 (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

 

Gospel Commentary for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha - John 17:2 (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

 

Gospel Commentary for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha - John 17:3 (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

"That They May Be One, Even As We Are" (St. Cyril of Alexandria)  

 

Gospel Commentary for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha (St. Theophylact of Ochrid)

 

On the Sunday of the 318 Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod (St. Neophytos the Recluse)

 

Reflection for the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod (St. Theophan the Recluse) 

 

Homily One for the Sunday of the Holy Fathers (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Homily Two for the Sunday of the Holy Fathers (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily on the Sunday of the Holy Fathers (Righteous Alexei Mechev)

 

Homily on the Sunday of the 318 Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Homily on the Gospel Reading for the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod (St. Luke of Simferopol)

The Message of the Gospel for the Seventh Sunday of Pascha (St. Nikolai Velimirovich)

 

Homily on the Seventh Sunday After Pascha: Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

 

Homily for the Sunday of the Holy Fathers - The Prayer of Christ for Unity (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

Patriarchal and Synodal Encyclical Issued on the Occasion of the 1700th Anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea

  

Saint Agatharchos, Bishop of Lefkada, 

and the Holy Five God-bearing Fathers 

 

Saint Agatharchos, Bishop of Lefkada, and the Holy Five God-bearing Fathers 

 

 

First Ecumenical Synod 

 

History of the Church of the Holy Fathers in Nicaea 

 

The First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (Fr. George Florovsky)

 

The First Ecumenical Synod and Its Significance (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

Homilies on the Ecumenical Synods - The First Ecumenical Synod (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

2025 Pastoral Encyclical for the New Year (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos) 

Icons of the Nicene Creed 

 

Myths of the First Ecumenical Synod (Council of Nicaea - 325 AD) 

 

The Poisonous Songs of Arius 

 

Concerning the Date of Pascha and the First Ecumenical Council 

 

How a Simple Priest Saved “Consubstantiality” 

 

The Vision of Saint Peter of Alexandria 

 

The Cave Chapel of the 318 Holy Fathers in Archimandrita, Cyprus   

 

Saint Constantine the Great Resource Page

Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod 

 

Saint Hosios, Bishop of Corduba (+ 359)

 

Saint Alexander, Patriarch of Alexandria (+ 326)  

 

Saint Athanasius the Great Resource Page 

 

Saint Metrophanes, First Archbishop of Constantinople 

 

Saints Alexander, John and Paul the New, Patriarchs of Constantinople

 

Synaxarion of our Holy Father Eustathios, Archbishop of Antioch 

 

Saint Spyridon Resource Page 

 

Saint Alexander, Bishop of Methymni 

 

Holy Hieromartyr Hypatios the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra 

 

Synaxarion of Saint Paul, Archbishop of Neocaesarea 

 

Saint Achillios of Larissa, the Ecumenical Father 

 

Holy Hieromartyr Potamon, Bishop of Heraclea (+ 341) 

 

Saint John, Bishop of Irenopolis 

 

Saint Sisinius the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus 

 

Saint Kyntion, Bishop of Seleucia

 

Saint Agatharchos, Bishop of Lefkada, and the Holy Five God-bearing Fathers

The Rise of the Recent Veneration in Cyprus of Saint Marios the Bishop of Sebaste

 

Was Saint Nicholas at the First Ecumenical Synod?

Synaxarion of our Holy Father Eustathios, Archbishop of Antioch

St. Eustathios of Antioch (Feast Day - February 21)

Verses

Eustathios was as far as life and breath,
Exceedingly steadfast against the breath of the enemies of God.

Eustathios the divine Confessor lived during the reign of the first Christian emperor Constantine the Great (306-337). He was from Side in Pamphylia, as Jerome says in his "On Ecclesiastical Writers". Niketas says he was from Philippi in Macedonia. This Saint was a teacher, and sent by the wisdom of his words the rays of Orthodoxy throughout the ecumene. He was also present at the First Ecumenical Synod of Nicaea, which gathered in 325, keeping the dogma of piety and Orthodoxy, while rebuking and overturning the Arians. These mindless ones had introduced a cutting and division into the one nature of the Holy Trinity, calling the Son of God a creature, and dividing Him from the essence and honor and worthiness with His consubstantial Father.