Amazingly, knowledge of this council had been lost until Edward Schwartz published the Syriac of this letter in 1905. Soon two other Syriac editions of this letter were published from other manuscripts. Most scholars now accept the authenticity of this document and the council it describes.
Hanson hypothesizes that this council was scheduled to meet and choose the new bishop of Antioch (Philgonius died most probably in December 324, Eustathius would then have been elected in early 325), and that Ossius, as he was returning to Constantine from Alexandria, stopped in and made sure they dealt with the current “Arian” (to use an anachronism) controversy.
It is interesting that this council was not attended by Alexander of Alexandria, but the language used is very similar to his. Possibly the bishops were influenced by his encyclical letters. It is also interesting that this is the first known council to produce anathemas against false-doctrines. That the word homoousios is not found in this anti-Arian creed written less than a year before Nicaea, is also historically significant.
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Author: AJW
Keywords: Synod of Antioch, Christian creeds, Creeds, Apostles Creed, Nicean Creed, Nicene, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed, Trinity, Jesus is God, God the Son, Arius, Arian controversy, Arian, 325 AD, Council of Nicaea, Council of Nicea, First Council of Nicaea, First council of Nicea, Deity of Jesus, Divinity of Jesus, Arian heresy, Arianism, Homoousios, homoiousios, Homoiousian, Athanasian, Athanasian Creed
Bible reference(s): Deuteronomy 6:4, Mark 12:32, 1 Corinthians 8:6, 1 Timothy 2:5, 1 John 5:7-8
Source: “Letter of the Synod of Antioch (325),” fourthcentury.com
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