While this was going on, Constantine clashed with his brother-in-law. Licinus, on the battle-field, and Licinus was killed. Licinus had been a supporter of Arius , and his death further weakened the position of Arius in the Emperor's court. However, Constantine realised that it is possible to win a war and yet lose the peace. Since the failure of Hosius's mission , the situation in the East  had become very unsettled. The songs and arguments of Arius had resulted in blood being shed  n Alexandria, and unrest  had spread throughout the eastern parts of the empire. There was already  turmoil in North Africa , Constantine realised that his friends in the Pauline Church were not powerful enough to dispel any of this trouble. His experience in dealing with the North Africans, which had partly resulted in his coming east after almost burning his boats in Rome, seemed to have taught him  a lesson : he should not take sides openly. So he decided  to call a meeting  of Christian bishops in order to settle  the matter once and for all. His position as a pagan, he said , was a great advantage since by virtue of his not belonging to any sect, he would make an impartial judge. This  would resolve the problem which had faced the bishops up until then, for they had not been able to agree on my one Christian to preside over such a meeting as their arbitrator. This gathering of the bishops under Constantine is known today as the Council of Nicea.

The invitations were dispatched , and all expenses were paid for by Constantine from the state treasury .Apart from the leaders of the two contending parties, the majority of those who were invited were not on the whole very knowledgeable. No one from the Church of Donatus was asked to attend, although Cacaelian, Donatus's chief opponent, was invited. Among the more important bishops who participated in the council were: 

< 1 > Eusebius of Caesaria,  who is the father of ecclesiastical history. His book is the chief repository of traditions which connect the fourth century with the first of the Christian era. Apart from his knowledge, the degree of his influence rested on the fact that he alone of the Eastern prelates could tell what was going on in the mind of the Emperors. For he was interpreter and nominal chaplain and confessor  of the Emperor. He was at heart of Arian, and enjoyed  the support of most of the bishops in Palestine.

< 2 > Eusebius of Nicomedia, who came from an aristocratic family, and who had been a follower of Lucian at the same time as Arius. His spiritual  eminence was universally recognised. Thus, there  were two important men of God in this age who bore the same name, a fact which has caused much confusion in some of the minds of the historians of this period. Eusebius of Nicomedia was the most resolute supporter of Arius. He was called "the great" by the followers of Arius. Miracles were attributed to him. Orignally , the Bishop of Beyruth , he was later transferred  to Nicomedia , the capitol f the Eastern Empire. He had been a good friend of the Emperor's brother- in- law and rival, Licinus, and thus exercised an influence on Constantina , the sister of Constantine. Licinus had recently fought the Emperor and lost his life . After the death of her husband, Constantina went to stay in the Imperial Palace. Thus, through her and through his own distant relationship with the Imperial family. he kept a hold on the court which he never lost. It was to be through his influence  that the Emperor accepted Christianity in the church of Arius , and finally died a believer in the Divine Unity.

< 3 > Athanasius , who was young and fiery supporter of the Trinitarian school of theology. Alexander ,who was growing  old, and who had been routed  so many times before by Arius, decided to send Athanasius to Nicea as his representative, instead of going there himself.

< 4 > Hosius , who was the Chief Councillor of the Emperor .His importance lay in the fact that he represented the Pauline Church in the West where the Emperor's influence was weakest. Hosius was recognised as a profound scholar of theology in his own right. In history he is known as the venerable old man who was called  "holy" by Athanasius. His high character was known  to everyone. His importance had increased due to his intimacy with  the Emperor .

Apart from these few, the council was composed of persons with a reputation of piety, but not of learning ,men whose hearts were pure, but whose tongues were not always very articulate

Spiridem , who  was one of the rough and simple, almost illiterate bishops that formed the majority of the bishops in the Church at that time. A closer study of him will help illustrate the kind of men they were. He was a shepherd who had suffered persecution and yet remained firm in his faith. His knowledge of the politics of religion was superficial. He had been appointed bishop because many miracles had been attributed to him. After becoming a bishop , he did not change his rough and ready rural attire. He always walked on foot. The other "princes" of the Pauline Church did not like him, and were anxious that he should   not reach Nicea in time for the Council. When Spiridem received his invitation from the Emperor, h realised that he would have to travel by mule if he was to arrive in time. He set out with one attendant , unlike other bishops who went with a whole retinue. They travelled on two mules, one white and other piebald. One night they were staying in an inn when there also arrived those bishops who were not sure whether Spiridem  was the right kind of person to take part in the deliberations of the Council . Early the next  morning , while Spiridem was still asleep, they chopped off  the heads of his two mules and departed. When he awoke, he asked his attendant to feed and saddle the mules. The attendant discovered the dead animals and reported the loss to Spiridem . Spiridem told the attendant to put the head of each mule near the dead body  it had been a part of. In the darkness, the attendant put each head next to the wrong animal. As soon as he had done this ,the mules got up alive , and they continued on their journey . After a  while , they overtook the bishops ,who thought  they had left Spiridem well behind and were sure that he would not reach Nicea in time. Their surprise was even greater when they found that the white mule had a piebald head, and the piebald ,a white head.  (Constantine the Great, J. B. Firth)

Patammon , who was a hermit.

Oesius , who was known only for his puritanical zeal.

Myser of Nicholas, who name is preserved , especially by Church historians, by virtue of the fact that when Arius was speaking , he boxed his hears

Thus, the Council was composed largely of bishops who held their faith earnestly and sincerely, but without much intellectual knowledge of the grounds on which they maintained it. These men were suddenly brought face to face with the most agile and most learned exponents of Greek philosophy of the age, Their way of expression was such that these bishops could not  grasp the significance of what was being said. Incapable of giving rational explanations of their knowledge or entering into arguments with their opponents, they were to either stick to their beliefs in silence or to agree to whatever the Emperor decided.

All the delegates reached Nicea a few days before the Council was scheduled to start. They collected together in small groups where the questions in issue were publicly debated with earnestness and with feeling . In these gatherings, which took place either in the gymnasium or in some open space, the Greek philosophers placed their darts of argument and ridicule with great effectiveness. This caused no small confusion among the delegates.

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