hat
the fathers of Nicaea took their stand, and the works of Athanasius, from
first to last, are one continuous appeal to Scripture. In this case he
argues that if the disputed word is not itself Scripture, its meaning
is. This was quite enough; but if the Arians chose to drag in
antiquarian questions, they might easily be met on that ground also, for
the word had been used or recognised by Origen and others at Alexandria.
With regard to its rejection by the Syrian churches, he refuses all
mechanical comparisons of date or numbers between the councils of
Antioch and Nicaea, and endeavours to show that while Paul of Samosata
had used the word in one sense, Arius denied it in another.

[Sidenote: Hesitation of the council.]

The council paused. The confessors in particular were an immense
conservative force. If Hosius and Eustathius had been forward in
attacking Arianism, few of them can have greatly wished to re-state the
faith which had sustained them in their trial. Now the creed involved
something like a revolution. The idea of a universal test was in itself
a great change, best softened as much as might be. The insertion of a
direct condemnation of Arianism was a still more serious step, and
though the bishops had consented to it, they had not consented without
misgiving. But when it was proposed to use a word of doubtful tendency,
neither found in Scripture nor sanctioned by church authority, it would
have been strange if they had not looked round for some escape.

[Sidenote: Arian evasions.]

Yet what escape was possible? Scripture can be used as a test if its
authority is called in question, but not when its meaning is disputed.
If the Arians were to be excluded, it was useless to put into the creed
the very words whose plain meaning they were charged with evading.
Athanasius gives an interesting account of this stage of the debate. It
appears that when the bishops collected phrases from Scripture and set
down that the Son is 'of God,' those wicked Arians said to each other,
'We can sign that, for we ourselves also are of God. Is it not written,
All things are of God?'[8] So when the bishops saw their impious
ingenuity, they put it more clearly, that the Son is not only of God
like the creatures, but of the essence of God. And this was the reason
why the word 'essence' was put into the creed. Again, the Arians were
asked if they would confess that the Son is not a creature, but the
power and eternal image of t