Abstract

In the West, we are aware that we have added the filioque to the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed without the authority of an ecumenical council. Some of us may be aware that the Council of Nicaea (325) also took important decisions regarding the computation of the Easter date. We are mostly unaware, however, of the fact that prayer was an important topic at the Council of Nicaea, and that Orthodox churches charge the West with contempt for the decisions of the Council of Nicaea on kneeling while praying on Sundays and in the Easter season. In Canon 20, Nicaea bans kneeling during prayer on Sundays and during the fifty days commencing on Easter because kneeling is considered a penitential attitude and incompatible with celebrating Christ’s resurrection. Here I discuss Canon 20, its background, meaning, and reception, and provide some theological considerations on the relevance of Canon 20 for today.