By 320 AD and 321 AD, Licinius had returned to the old policy of suppressing the Christian church in his eastern part of the empire, even expelling Christians from any government positions. Constantine invaded the east. He eventually defeated Licinius and Licinius was hanged. Constantine gained control of the Roman Empire. On the surface, this would appear to have been a great boon to the church. The Empire allowed Christians to practice their faith openly, but the politics of the Roman Empire slowly assimilated themselves into the church and thus was formulated a totalitarian religion known as Roman Catholicism (Shelly, 1990, 25). In addition to the induction of Roman Catholicism, the views of a man named Arius were causing strife within the church. .
Arius was a presbyter of the church at Alexandria and presided over an independent parish within the city. Alexander had become bishop of Alexandria in 312, and during the course of a sermon, Alexander proceeded to explain the so-called "mystery" of the Trinity (Dudley, 1925, pp34-5).
.
The Council: 5.
The Trinity is a doctrine formulated in the 4th century to describe the view of some leading churchmen concerning the nature and relationship of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Some Christians consider Trinity simply to imply belief in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit "a broad platform all Christians can endorse. Differently, but still quite simply, the first use of this word in early Christian writings referred merely to the existence of "God, his Word, and his Wisdom" (Theophilus of Antioch, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 2, page 201). .
It is customary in Trinitarian language to speak of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These are assumed proper titles, and are used extensively. Yet in the Scriptures only one of these appears, "God the Father," and not as a title, but an expression denoting that God is the Father.
