ante-Nicene

[ an-tee-nahy-seen, -nahy-seen ]

/ ˌæn ti naɪˈsin, -ˈnaɪ sin /

adjective

of or relating to the Christian church or period before the Nicene Council of a.d. 325.

Also an·te-Ni·cae·an

[an-tee-nahy-see-uh n] /ˌæn ti naɪˈsi ən/.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ante-nicene

In ante-Nicene times these took place in various provinces of the Church, but did not extend to the whole Church.
Church and State as Seen in the Formation of Christendom|T. W. Allies
Again, there is one and one only great doctrinal Council in Ante-nicene times.
An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine|John Henry Cardinal Newman
On the positive proofs of his own position, Horsley cites numerous passages from the ante-Nicene fathers.
The English Church in the Eighteenth Century|Charles J. Abbey and John H. Overton
Perhaps it will be said we ought to take the Ante-nicene Fathers as a whole, and interpret one of them by another.
An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine|John Henry Cardinal Newman

Protestants can as little bear its Ante-nicene as its Post-tridentine period.
An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine|John Henry Cardinal Newman