This paper will focus on the reception of the Council of Nicaea in Rome during the pontificates of Julius (337-352) and Liberius (352-366), as evinced through the correspondences of both popes. Aspects concerning the reception of the Nicene canons, the Nicene creed, and the council as an ecclesiastical event will be explored. Of particular interest in Julius’s correspondence will be the letters addressed to the Pope by Marcellus of Ancyra, by Hosius of Cordova and Protogenes of Sardica, and by Valens of Mursa and Ursacius of Singidunum. In the correspondence of Liberius, the focus will lie on his letter to the Bishops of Macedonia, his epistle to the Bishops of Italy, and his missive to Emperor Constantine, along with Eustathius, Silvanus, and Theophilus’s letter to Liberius. Some consideration will be given also to the appeals to Nicaea’s canonical authority o in the Pseudo-Julian letters Decuerat vos fratres and Decuerat vos adversus, considered in the context of the other Pseudo-Julian texts. From these samplings, a subtler picture will be produced of the status of the Council of Nicaea in the conscience of the Roman and Italian episcopate until the mid-360s.
This paper focuses on the reception of the Council of Nicaea in Rome during the pontificates of Julius (337–352) and Liberius (352–366), as reflected in their correspondences. It examines how the Nicene canons, creed, and the council itself were perceived and referenced within the Roman and Italian episcopate. Key letters in Julius’s correspondence include those from Marcellus of Ancyra, Hosius of Cordova, Protogenes of Sardica, Valens of Mursa, and Ursacius of Singidunum. For Liberius, attention is given to his letters to the Bishops of Macedonia, Italy, and Emperor Constantine, as well as the epistle from Eustathius, Silvanus, and Theophilus. Additionally, the study considers appeals to Nicaea’s authority in the Pseudo-Julian letters Decuerat vos fratres and Decuerat vos adversus. Through this analysis, a nuanced perspective emerges on the role of Nicaea in shaping Roman ecclesiastical identity until the mid-360s.