LUTHER 1527 The Council of Nicaea, 325

LUTHER 1527
Again, when Oecolampadius in his first book plays nasty tricks and defames the sayings of the fathers, he has to admit that he has not derived his notion from the fathers’ writings, for they speak so mightily that they very frequently extort the admission from him, “This appears to be against us.” (A half dozen citations are given in WA 23, 299, from Genuine Exposition, where Oecolampadius acknowledged difficulties in quotations from Hilary, Cyprian, and Irenaeus.) My friend, what else is this than to say, “The fathers strongly imply something else; I cannot derive my argument from their writings, but must work hard to twist their nose around to my sense”? But anyone who must work so hard to twist and force these sayings around to his position admits forthwith that they yield not his position but rather the very opposite, and he is importing and reading his own thoughts into them. What advantage his nose twisting of the fathers brings him, however, we shall see later. . -Martin Luther

The Council of Nicaea, 325.

The Arians or Eusebians numbered perhaps twenty bishops, under the lead of the influential bishop Eusebius of Nicemedia (afterwards of Constantinople), who was allied with the imperial family, and of the presbyter Arius, who attended at the command of the emperor, and was often called upon to set forth his views. To these also belonged Theognis of Nicaea, Maris of Chalcedon, and Menophantus of Ephesus; embracing in this remarkable way the bishops of the several seats of the orthodox ecumenical councils.
The majority, whose organ was the renowned historian Eusebius of Caesarea, took middle ground between the right and the left, but bore nearer the right, and finally went over to that side. Many of them had an orthodox instinct, but little discernment; others were disciples of Origen, or preferred simple biblical expression to a scholastic terminology; others had no firm convictions, but only uncertain opinions, and were therefore easily swayed by the arguments of the stronger party or by mere external considerations.
HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH Schaff Volume 3 NICENE AND POST-NICENE CHRISTIANTY A.D. 311-600
(Pages 627-628)