The First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325) St. Nicholas of Myra, St. Spyridon of Trimythous, and St. Paphnutius of Thebes

Preface

Acknowledgements 

CHAPTER 1. SAINT NICHOLAS, BISHOP OF MYRA IN LYCIA. THE LIVING HISTORY OF A LEGEND

A.    The Life of Saint Nicholas. Back Through History.

B.    Saint Nicholas At/And the Council of Nicaea.

C.    Historical Facts and the ‘Power’ Of Legends

D.    The Universal Popularity of A 'Minor' Bishop

E.    The Ecumenical Legacy of Saint Nicholas

CHAPTER 2. ST SPYRIDON OF TRIMYTHOUS: THE SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY OF A SHEPHERD                                                      

A.     A Possible Biographical Portrait Of Bishop Spyridon Of Trimythous

B.     St Spyridon And the Council of Nicaea

C.     Meeting Constantius: Unusual Exercise in Confession of Faith

D.     The Wonderworks and The Veneration of St Spyridon                                                         

CHAPTER 3. ST. PAPHNUTIUS AND THE POWER OF THE CONFESSION OF A QUASI - ANONYMOUS BISHOP FROM EGYPT

A.    A Brief Insight into The Beginning of Egyptian Monasticism

B.    A Possbile Biographical Portrait

C.    Paphnutius, Bishop of Thebes at Nicaea

D.    Paphnutius And The ‘Silence’ Of Eusebius of Caesarea and of Athanasius of Alexandria

E.    Paphnutius And Historians  

Bibliography

Index

Biography

Nicu Dumitraşcu is currently professor of Patristics at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology “Episcop Dr. Vasile Coman,” University of Oradea, Romania. He has given lectures in Croatia, Finland, Belgium and Lebanon, and taken part in more than 120 international conferences in many countries. He is widely published in several journals worldwide. His most recent books include Christian Family and Contemporary Society (ed), (2014): The Ecumenical Legacy of the Cappadocians (ed), (2015); Basil the Great: Faith, Mission and Diplomacy in the Shaping of Christian Doctrine (2018); The Fathers on the Bible (ed), (2023).

“Professor Nicu Dumitrașcu’s new book, instead of dealing with the major figures present at the council, focuses on three less well-known participants, St. Nicholas of Myra, St. Spyridon of Trimythous, and St. Paphnutius. A study of the contribution of these ‘minor actors’ will not only help us to understand better the events at Nicaea, but also the reception of the Council and its Creed during the centuries that followed”

- Anni Maria Laato, Åbo Akademi University

 

“This book will add a completely original complement to the many studies which have been published on the occasion of the 1700 years’ anniversary of the first ecumenical council of Nicaea (325). Precisely because of the inclusion of St. Nicholas, but also of the other figures – among whom the rather ‘exotic’ Egyptian monk St. Paphnutius – there is a great chance that the book will attract the attention of readers interested in theology and spirituality”

- Peter De Mey, Catholic University of Leuven

 

“Professor Dumitrașcu’s work proposes a reevaluation of three previously overlooked figures of the first ecumenical council … Since all three saints examined here are often dismissed as thinkers of the second rank, this study forms a valuable corrective to the historical record by demonstrating and underscoring their contributions to the theological formulations of Nicaea”

- Carl O’Brien, Irish Dominican House of Studies

 

“The author discusses the role of St Nicholas, St Spyridon and St Paphnutius at Nicaea, figures who have not received the same level of attention as Arius, the perpetrator of the theological controversy, or Athanasius, the deacon credited with establishing the correct Christian doctrine … I recommend this book”

 - Przemyslaw Kantyka, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin