Xilan had convened the Great Council at the outset to seek consensus.
Within the debates of "Predestination" and "Election," he had no intent to judge which side was heretical and which was orthodox.
Xilan saw that behind the disputes lay the issue of free will.
He could not answer such questions as, in his view, no one in this world could.
Under such circumstances, not knowing was the best answer.
Besides this, Xilan had no other options.
Under Xilan's leadership, the two factions in the New Rule Garden set aside their conflicts, and Xilan organized the consensus of the entire meeting, letting the believers of the New Rule Garden sign their names on it—those who were illiterate had others sign for them, and those without names used a thumbprint on papyrus.
The texts on that papyrus, being the consensus of the entire New Rule Garden, were called the Creed by the believers, signifying a scripture that was commonly approved or trusted.
