Constantine and the Council of Nicaea

In previous conversations on a different Blog by Parameswara2. The central theme
of his Christian objection was the notion that the Council of Nicaea (325AD) formalized
the concept of the Trinity. This is not True. What was debated was the deity of Yeshua.
What did Christians believe prior to the Council of Nicaea ? I want to address the myths
and insinuations that seem to be the favourite pass-time of  Objectors of the Christian
faith. There is only one question that needs to be answered. Did Christians prior to the
Council of Nicaea believe Yeshua was God? The Tanakh essentially confirms 'Yahweh' 
and his spirit the 'Ruach Hakodesh'

In a previous post i had mentioned the historicity of Agustus Caesar on his favourite
pass-time, murdering Christians

'The Roman Empire dominated the Western world for the next four hundred 

 years and the Christians were persecuted for three hundred of these years. 

Their torture included being thrown into the arena, during gladiator fights, 

to be eaten by lions. But their faith never wavered and finally won over the

Roman Emperor Constantine.'

 ~ http://www.famouslives.com/juliuscaesar.html

I wish to briefly give an account of 3 martyrs of many who gave their lives to Yeshua prior

to the Council of Nicaea, inorder to address rumour mongers and investigate the evidence at
 hand.

Pope Clement I (Saint Clement of Rome ~96)   The Bishop of Rome. He was the first
Apostolic Father of the Church. He was tied to an anchor and thrown from a boat into the

Black Sea.  I quote his prayer in his epistle to the Corinthians

 

"Finally may the all-seeing God and Master of Spirits and Lord of all flesh, who 
chose the Lord Jesus Christ and us through Him for a peculiar people, grant unto 
every soul that is called after His excellent and holy Name faith, fear, peace, patience, long-suffering, temperance,chastity, and soberness, that they may be well-pleasing 
unto His Name through our High Priest and Guardian. Jesus Christ, through whom 
unto Him be glory and majesty, might and honour, both now and for ever and ever, 
Amen. Now send ye back speedily unto us our messengers Claudius Ephebus and 
Valerius Bito, together with Fortunatus also, in peace and with joy, to the end that 
they may the more quickly report the peace and concord which is prayed for and

 earnestly desired by us, that we also may the more speedily rejoice over your good 
order. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you and with all men in all places 
who have been called by God and through Him, through whom is glory and honour, 
power and greatness and eternal dominion, unto Him, from the ages past and for 
ever and ever. Amen" (64-5.)

~ http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04012c.htm

Clearly, he refers to the Lord Jesus Christ, through him, unto him, by God, forever
and ever. 

Ignatius of Antioch  (ca. 35 or 50-between 98 and 117) was the third Bishop of Antioch,

and was a student of John the Apostle,he was fed to the Lions, in his epistle to the Smyrnaeans
 

" I Glorify God, even Jesus Christ, who has given you such wisdom. For I have 

observed that you are perfected in an immoveable faith, as if you were nailed to the

cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,both in the flesh and in the spirit, and are established

 in  love through the blood of Christ, being fully persuaded with respect to our Lord, 

that He was truly of the seed of David according to the flesh, Romans 1:3 and the 

Son of God according to the will and power of God; that He was truly born of 

a virgin, was baptized by John, in order that all righteousness might be fulfilled 

Matthew 3:15 by Him; and was truly, under Pontius Pilot and Herod the tetrarch, 

nailed [to the cross] for us in His flesh. Of this fruit we are by His divinely-blessed

passion, that He might set up a standard Isaiah 5:26, Isaiah 49:22  for all ages, 

through His ressurection, to all His holy and faithful [followers], whether among 

Jews or Gentiles, in the one body of His Church."

~ http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0109.htm 

I think his statements are quite explicit as to the Deity of Yeshua. 

Polycarp (69 – 155) was a 2nd Century Bishop of Smyrna who was burnt to the stake

for refusing to denounce his faith. I quote briefly from his epistle to a heretic

 
"For every one who does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is 

antichrist; and whosoever does not confess the testimony of the cross, is a devil, 

and whosoever perverteth the oracles of the Lord (to serve) his own lusts, and 

saith there is neither resurrection nor judgement, this man is a first born of Satan."

~http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12219b.htm

Polycarp explicitly points to Yeshua's diety 'come in the flesh'' and points to the

 'testimony of the cross'