, ▁the ▁b ish ops ▁of ▁all ▁provinces ▁were ▁sum mon ed ▁to ▁N ica ea , ▁a ▁place ▁reason ably ▁accessible ▁to ▁many ▁deleg ates , ▁particularly ▁those ▁of ▁Asia ▁Minor , ▁Georgia , ▁Armen ia , ▁Sy ria , ▁Egypt , ▁Greece , ▁and ▁Th race . ▁ ▁This ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁general ▁council ▁in ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁the ▁Church ▁and ▁was ▁sum mon ed ▁by ▁Const antine . ▁According ▁to ▁Warren ▁H . ▁Car roll , ▁in ▁the ▁Council ▁of ▁N ica ea , ▁" The ▁Church ▁had ▁taken ▁her ▁first ▁great ▁step ▁to ▁define ▁revealed ▁doctrine ▁more ▁precisely ▁in ▁response ▁to ▁a ▁challenge ▁from ▁a ▁her et ical ▁the ology ." ▁ ▁Att ende es ▁ ▁Const antine ▁had ▁invited ▁all ▁ 1 , 8 0 0 ▁b ish ops ▁of ▁the ▁Christian ▁church ▁within ▁the ▁Roman ▁Empire ▁( about ▁ 1 , 0 0 0 ▁in ▁the ▁east ▁and ▁ 8 0 0 ▁in ▁the ▁west ), ▁but ▁a ▁smaller ▁and ▁unknown ▁number ▁attended . ▁E use b ius ▁of ▁Ca es area ▁counted ▁more ▁than ▁ 2 5 0 , ▁Ath anas ius ▁of ▁Alexand ria ▁counted ▁ 3 1 8 , ▁and ▁E ust ath ius ▁of ▁Ant io ch ▁estimated ▁" about ▁ 2 7 0 " ▁( all ▁three ▁were ▁present ▁at ▁the ▁council ). ▁Later , ▁S ocr ates ▁Sch ol astic us ▁recorded ▁more ▁than ▁ 3 0 0 , ▁and ▁Ev ag ri us , ▁Hil ary ▁of ▁Po it iers