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NICAEA - THE RISE OF THE IMPERIAL CHURCH |
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Early in the 4th
century, a new doctrine threatened to split the Christian churches
apart. The Roman Emperor Constantine grew tired of the debate. He
needed a unified church to control his empire in ways that his
legions couldn’t. In 325 AD, he called a meeting of Christian
Bishops at Nicaea to end the debate once and for all. The
Council of Nicaea created the blueprint for the Christian Churches
going forward, but was it the blueprint for an institution dedicated
to the salvation of mankind, or for a tool of statecraft to benefit
the Emperor? This novel follows the men who became the focus of the council meeting held in Nicaea: Arias (the priest who led the opposition to the new doctrine), Alexander (the bishop who championed the new doctrine), Hosius (the boyhood friend of the Emperor and the force behind the creation of the Imperial Church), Athanasius (Alexander’s successor and Hosius’ ally), and Emperor Constantine (who wanted a church that he could use to control the people of his Empire).
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