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The NCCA gathers together Churches and Christian communities which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the Scriptures. We commit to deepen our relationship with each other and to work together towards the fulfilment of common witness, proclamation and service, to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Nicaea, Then and Now. History, Theology and Ecumenical Significance

The University of Notre Dame Australia (UNDA), along with the Catholic Institute of Sydney (CIS), invites you to this celebration with an academic day conference on Thursday, 15 May, which will reflect upon on the history, theology, and legacy of Nicaea.

The 1700th anniversary of the first ecumenical council of Nicaea is an opportunity to celebrate what unites us as found in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, the “symbol of faith,” which is a doctrinal staple of Catholicism and which is still professed by many believers everywhere.

There will be eight speakers from different scholarly backgrounds who will deal with various aspects of the council, including:

  • Dr Mario Baghos, UNDA, will speak on Constantine, Athanasius, and the Politics of Nicaea.
  • Prof Carole Cusack, University of Sydney, will give a paper titled: On the Wrong Side of History: Homoian Christians in the Fourth and Fifth Centuries.
  • Dr Peter John McGregor, CIS, will speak on Arius and Apollinarius: False Cataphatic Responses to the Humanity and Divinity of Christ.
  • Rev Fr Antonios Kaldas, of St Cyril’s Coptic Orthodox Theological College, will address the topic of ‘A Flesh-Bearing Man’: The importance of embodiment in the Nicene Christology of Athanasius and Antony.
  • Dr Vassilis Adrahtas, of Western Sydney University will speak on: What Bearing Could the Nicene Creed Possibly Have on Interfaith Dialogue?
  • Dr Robert Andrews, of CIS, will speak on: ‘In a Higher World it is Otherwise’: First Nicaea and the Development of Doctrine.
  • Assoc Prof Bernard Doherty, of Charles Sturt University’s paper is titled Haunted by the Spectre of Arius: Archetypal Heresy, Subordinationist Christology, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The 1700th anniversary of the first ecumenical council of Nicaea is an opportunity to celebrate what unites us as found in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, the “symbol of faith,” which is a doctrinal staple of Catholicism and which is still professed by many believers everywhere.

The conference, which will take place at the School of Philosophy and Theology at UNDA’s Broadway campus, is free, but participants should register here. See the conference flyer for details

When: Thursday 15 May 2025, 9.00 am start (AEST)

Where: School of Philosophy and Theology, The University of Notre Dame Australia, Moorgate Boardroom,

Address: 10 Grafton St, Chippendale Sydney, NSW

For inquiries, please contact: mario.baghos@nd.edu.au 

REGISTER HERE: philosophytheology@nd.edu.au  Registration is essential. Attendance is free.

For more information download the Conference flyer here or click the image

This conference is hosted by Notre Dame Australia’s School of Philosophy and Theology in collaboration with the Catholic Institute of Sydney.

Read

Commemorating 1700 years since the first ecumenical council | The Catholic Weekly | By Dr Mario Baghos | April 30, 2025