Evidence: 1 (Debunked)
| Claim | Reality |
|---|---|
| The Council of Nicaea (325 AD) decided which books go in the Bible | FALSE: Nicaea addressed the Arian controversy (was Jesus divine?). It did NOT vote on the biblical canon. The canon was formalized at later councils (Rome 382, Hippo 393, Carthage 397) |
| Constantine invented the divinity of Jesus at Nicaea | FALSE: Jesus’ divinity was affirmed by Christians from the 1st century (John 1:1, Philippians 2:6). Nicaea clarified the relationship between Father and Son — it didn’t invent it |
| The vote at Nicaea was close | FALSE: The vote was approximately 300 to 2. Arianism was overwhelmingly rejected |
| Source of this claim | Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code popularized this. Ehrman, Wright, and other scholars (both liberal and conservative) agree this is historically illiterate |