Emperor Theodosius began a campaign to bring the Eastern Church back to the Nicene Christianity.

The Nicene community is the Christian doctrinal traditions that adhere to the Nicene Creed that was formulated at the first Council of Nicaea. He wanted to further unify the entire empire behind the orthodox position and decided to convene a church council to resolve matters of faith and discipline. The Council of Constantinople was called in May 381 by Theodosius I. The Council promulgated what became known to the church as the Nicene Creed, it also declared finally the Trinitarian doctrine of the equality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son. The Council of Constantinople confirmed the Nicene Faith, to reconcile the SemiArians with the Church, and put an end to the Macedonian heresy. The council affirmed the original Nicene Creed of faith as far as it went but expanded the discussion on the Holy Spirit to combat heresies. It expanded the 3rd article of the creed dealing with the Holy Spirit that he is the Lord, the giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father, with the Father and the son he is worshipped and glorified. The Council of Constantinople was called in Constantinople. It is the second ecumenical council of the Christian Church. The council is the second of the first seven ecumenical councils. It was attended by 186 bishops. The council settled two basic issues the first being the deity of the Holy Spirit and the second being the true humanity of Christ. Only eastern bishops were summoned to this council, the Greeks still called it ecumenical. Pope Damasus I in Rome accepted the creed but did not accept the canons. The Greeks recognize seven canons, and these are the first four. The first is a dogmatic condemnation of all shades of Arianism. The second renews the Nicene legislation imposing on the bishops of observance of diocene limits. The third declares that because Constantinople is New Rome the bishop of that city should have pre-eminence of honor after the Bishop of Old Rome. The fourth canon declares invalid consecration of Maximus as Bishop of Constantinople. The council enacted four disciplinary canons. One of them is against the Arian heresy and its sects. The second one is limiting the power of bishops within fixed boundaries. The third is on ranking the See of

Constantinople second to Rome in honor and dignity. The fourth is on the condemnation of Maximus and his followers. The Byzantines ignore the acts and canons of the council of Constantinople. The Council condemned Arianism which began to die out further condemnations at a council of Aquileia. With the discussion of Trinitarian doctrine now developed and well under agreement to Orthodox and biblical understanding, the focus of the discussion changed to Christology, which would be the topic of the council of Ephesus of 431. The First Council of Constantinople was the first appearance of the term New Rome in connection to Constantinople. The term was employed as the grounds for giving the relatively young church of Constantinople precedence over Alexandria and Antioch.

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