This assembly was recognized as the first universal council at the Council of Ephesus in 431. Its decisions had a tremendous impact on the development of European religion, culture, and science, as well as influencing political events.
It was attended by some 250 bishops representing various theological and philosophical positions. The participants deliberated in the presence of the emperor, who participated in the discussions and supported compromise proposals.
During the course of the Council's deliberations, a creed was formulated that developed and clarified the doctrine of God the Father and God the Son, that Jesus Christ, in his divine nature, is equal to the Father. This meant going beyond the Bible and formulating the foundations of Christian doctrine using the vocabulary and theorems of Greek science, which became one of the enduring foundations of European civilization.
In 381, at the Council of Constantinople, a compromise was adopted to revise the Nicene Creed - the formulation of God in one hypostasis (person) was rejected and replaced by the formulation of God in three hypostases.
