Symposium on the Council of Nicaea (19-XI-2025)

Cologne University of Catholic Theology. Link to the conference (Chair of Church History, Prof. Dr. Dominik Heringer)

 

1700 years ago, the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) was the first ecumenical council in church history – an event that continues to have an impact on theology, the church and culture to this day. Under the title FAITH MAKES HISTORY, the Cologne University of Catholic Theology (Kölner Hochschule für Katholische Theologie – KHKT) is hosting an interdisciplinary conference on 19 November 2025 to mark this anniversary. An exchange between biblical studies, church history, systematic theology and ecumenical research will provide a diverse perspective on Christology, highlighting the great relevance of the council for the Christian faith.
Speakers: Prof. Dr Dieter Böhler SJ (PTH Sankt Georgen), Prof. Dr Claus Arnold (Mainz), Prof. Dr. Jan-Heiner Tück (Vienna), Prof. Dr. Stefanos Athanasiou (Munich)
Conference chairs: Prof. Dr. Dominik Heringer, Prof. Dr. Manuel Schlögl (KHKT). The conference will take place in the university auditorium.


Concilia provincialia et dioecesana – Synodal Life in the Local Churches

Concilia provincialia et dioecesana - Synodal life in the local churches
Together with the Gesellschaft für Konziliengeschichtsforschung, the Department of Church History at the Faculty of Catholic Theology in Vienna is organizing a conference in Vienna from 23 to 25 February 2026. "Concilia provincialia et dioecesana - Synodal life in the local churches", as the titel is, will focus on particular councils across the centuries. The conference will focus equally on individual synods during the history of the church, their subject matters and organization, as well their political-ecclesiological significance and the transformations of their formats. Paper proposals and abstracts may be submitted by Oct. 31, 2025.

 

Call for papers (engl.)

Call for papers (dt.)

 


New Publications on the History of Councils

Heinz Ohme, Das 6. Ökumenische Konzil von Konstantinopel (680/681). Eine engelgleiche Versammlung? De Gruyter: Berlin 2025. 679 pp.

 

The Council of Constantinople of 680/681, the sixth ‘ecumenical’ council, has normative significance for the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches with its doctrinal decision on the dual nature and will of Jesus Christ. Until now, however, there has been no modern account or analysis of its origins, its records and minutes, its decisions and its consequences. This gap is now filled. The council was intended to end a decades-long theological dispute over Christology. In the end, however, it resulted in the largest number of bishops ever condemned at an ecumenical council, including a pope. The imperial leadership and supervision were also unique, and the political situation was oppressive, as the empire was fighting for its existence in the face of the Islamic Arab onslaught. This monograph is the first comprehensive analysis of the critically edited records and minutes of the 18 sessions of this council from a historical, philological and theological perspective. It questions the authenticity of the minutes, the plausibility of the theological arguments, the reasons for the failure to reach an agreement, and the intertwining of the proceedings and decisions with dramatic political and social events outside the council hall (from the publisher's presentation).


Academic events celebrating the Council of Nicaea 325

The Working Group of Church Historians in German-speaking Countries (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Kirchenhistoriker und Kirchenhistorikerinnen im deutschen Sprachraum) is dedicating part of this year's annual meeting, which will take place from 19 to 21 June 2025 in Salzburg (see programme here), to the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. From 11 to 12 July 2025, the School of Catholic Theology at the University of Augsburg will host a conference entitled "1700 Years of Nicaea: Historical Perspectives and Ecumenical Impulses for the Present" (programme here).


Prof. Dr. Dieter Girgensohn † (1935-2025)

The internationally renowned church historian Dieter Girgensohn died in Göttingen on 18 March at the age of 90. He worked as a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for History from 1967-1999, specialising in the politics of the popes during the Great Western Schism, in particular the negotiations between Benedict XIII and Gregory XII (1407-1408) and the history of the Republic of Venice in the late Middle Ages. He was associated with the research project on conciliar history ('Konziliengeschichte') through publications in ‘Annuarium Historiae Conciliorum’ and his frequent participation in the conferences of the Society for Conciliar History, most recently in Vienna in 2014 at the conference ‘Konzil und Fürst', where he spoke on ‘Das Generalkonzil mit obrigkeitlicher Autorisierung im späteren Mittelalter (Perpignan, Pisa, Cividale)’. R.I.P.


New Publications on the History of Councils

Nizäa – Das erste Konzil. Historische, theologische und ökumenische Perspektiven, hg. von Jan Heiner Tück und Uta Heil, Herder: Freiburg i.Br. 2025. 480 S. ISBN: 978-3-451-38391-5

 

The Council of Nicaea is considered an epoch-making event. It dogmatically clarified the controversial question of whether Jesus Christ is the Son of God and rejected the position of Arius. But how did Arius come to deny that the Son and the Father are equally God? And the Council - did its decision not stylise the Galilean itinerant preacher into a divine being and leave the ground of the biblical belief in God? Nicaea still raises questions today - historical, theological and ecumenical. What is the historical context of the Arian controversy? What interests was Emperor Constantine pursuing when he invited the bishops to his residence? Is this the beginning of the problematic symbiosis of throne and altar? How is the theological course set at Nicaea to be understood? Did it falsify the gospel in a Hellenistic way? And did the dogma that Jesus is the Son of God represent a renunciation of Judaism? The Nicene Creed is shared by Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants. This has significance for ecumenism. The liturgy has taken up the creed, so the impact of the Council of Nicea can hardly be overestimated. But how can it be reinterpreted under modern conditions? (from the publisher's announcement)


Study day about the Council of Nicea (325)

To mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea, the Lateran University in Rome is organizing a study day on 28 April 2025 with the topic: Il Concilio di Nicea e l'autocoscienza ecclesiale. Here is the program.