Did Jesus Submit to the Council of Nicaea?

Posted on 30 July 2025 by Mohammad Ali Hasan Amiruddin — 3 min

(This is an article created by ChatGPT that I further developed.)

✦ Introduction: Jesus and the Politics of Church

In many theological debates, Christians firmly believe that Jesus is God.
But a simple and very logical question arises:

Did Jesus himself ever explicitly claim to be God?

And if he did not, then…

Who gave the Council of Nicaea the right to make such a claim on his behalf?

✦ The Council of Nicaea: History and Motive

The Council of Nicaea was held in 325 CE.
It was convened by Constantine the Great, the Roman Emperor—not a theologian, not a disciple of Jesus.
He summoned bishops to settle disputes about Jesus’ divine status, which had become a political issue destabilizing the empire.

This is a key point:

The Council of Nicaea was not a gathering of apostles, but of clergy under imperial authority.

So, whatever conclusions were reached there must be understood as imperial theology, not necessarily divine truth.

✦ Arius vs. Athanasius: A Battle of Power, Not Just Ideas

At the heart of the debate were two figures:

Arius, who argued that Jesus was created and subordinate to God.
Athanasius, who insisted Jesus was co-eternal and of the same substance as God.

Instead of letting these ideas be tested in open dialogue, the council—backed by imperial force—declared Athanasius correct and Arius heretical.

This was not a debate that ended through reason, but through exile, censorship, and power.

✦ What Did Jesus Actually Say?

Let’s step back and ask:

If Jesus is God, shouldn’t we expect him to have said so clearly?

Here are some of his actual words, recorded in the Bible:

“Why do you call me good? No one is good—except God alone.” (Mark 10:18)
“The Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28)
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

These statements do not reflect someone trying to convince others that he himself is God.
Instead, they show Jesus submitting to God.

✦ Intellectual Colonization: When Faith Is Enforced

By forbidding Christians to question the Trinity after Nicaea, the church enacted a kind of intellectual colonization.
The doctrines of a carpenter were replaced by the decrees of an emperor.

And yet, Jesus never silenced questions.
He welcomed them—even from his critics.

So we must ask:

If the Council of Nicaea forbade questions, whose follower are we really?
Jesus’—or Constantine’s?

✦ Conclusion: Truth Should Not Need a Throne

If Jesus truly was divine, his words should be enough.
We shouldn’t need imperial councils to affirm or rewrite his message.

The fact that such a council was necessary shows that truth was not the goal—control was.

Jesus never sat on a throne.
But Constantine did.
And it seems his followers still do.

A human is still a human, even if he has the power to bring all the dead back to life. Just like a panda is still a panda, even if it manages to build a nuclear reactor.