ng three hundred and
eighteen in number, the most illustrious prelates of the church, among
whom were many glorious confessors of the faith. The principal were our
saint, St. Eustathius, patriarch of Antioch, St. Macarius of Jerusalem,
Cecilian, archbishop of Carthage, St. Paphnutius, St. Potamon, St. Paul
of Neocesarea, St. James of Nisibis, &c. St. Sylvester could not come in
person, by reason of his great age; but he sent his legates, who
presided in his name.[4] The emperor Constantine entered the council
without guards, nor would he sit till he was desired by the bishops,
says Eusebius.[5] Theodoret says,[6] that he asked the bishops' leave
before he would enter.

The blasphemies of Arius, who was himself present, were canvassed for
several days. Marcellus of Ancyra, and St. Athanasius, whom St.
Alexander had brought with him, and whom he treated with the greatest
esteem, discovered all the impiety they contained, and confuted the
Arians with invincible strength. The heretics, fearing the indignation
of the council, used a great deal of dissimulation in admitting the
Catholic terms. The fathers, to exclude all their subtleties, declared
the Son consubstantial to the {473} Father, which they inserted in the
profession of their faith, called the Nicene creed, which was drawn up
by Osius, and to which all subscribed, except a small number of Arians.
At first they were seventeen, but Eusebius of Caesarea received the creed
the day following, as did all the others except five, namely, Eusebius
of Nicomedia, Theognis of Nice, Marie of Chalcedon, Theonas and Secundus
of Lybia, the two bishops who had first joined Arius. Of these also
Eusebius, Marie, and Theognis conformed through fear of banishment. The
Arian historian Philostorgius[7] pretends to excuse his heroes, Eusebius
of Nicomedia and Theognis, by saying they inserted an iota, and
signed[8] like in substance, instead of of the same substance;[9] a
fraud in religion which would no way have excused their hypocrisy.
Arius, Theonas, and Secundus, with some Egyptian priests, were banished
by the order of Constantine, and Illyricum was the place of their exile.
The council received Meletius and his schismatical adherents upon their
repentance; but they afterwards relapsed into their schism, and part of
them joined the Arians. The council added twenty canons of discipline,
and was closed about the 25th of August.[10] Constantine gave all the
prelates a magnificent entert