DOCSLIB.ORG

Oneness and Trinity A.D

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Oneness and Trinity A.D ONENESS AND TRINITY A.D. 100-300 ONENESS AND TRINITY A.D. 100-300 The Doctrine of God in Ancient Christian Writings BY DAVID K. BERNARD Oneness and Trinity, A.D. 100-300 by David K. Bernard ©1991 David K. Bernard Printing History: 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998 Cover Design by Tim Agnew All Scripture quotations in this book are from the King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise identified. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in an electronic system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Word Aflame Press. Brief quotations may be used in literary reviews. Printed in United States of America Printed by Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bernard, David K., 1956- Oneness and trinity, A.D. 100-300: the doctrine of God in ancient Christian writings/by David K. Bernard. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-932581-81-1: 1. God—History of doctrines—Early church, ca. 30-600. 2. Trinity—controversial literature. 3. Oneness doctrine (Pentecostalism) I. Title. BT98.B39 1991 90-29268 231’.044’09015—dc20 CIP Contents . Introduction – 7 1. Studying Oneness and Trinity in Ancient Writings . .9 The Post-Apostolic Age, A.D. 90-140 – 27 2. Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, and Hermas . .29 3. Anonymous and Pseudonymous Writings . .47 The Age of the Greek Apologists, A.D. 130-180 – 61 4. Justin . .63 5. Other Writings of the Age . .75 The Old Catholic Age, A.D. 170-325 – 91 6. Irenaeus . .93 7. Early Trinitarians: Tertullian, Origen, and Others . .105 8. Baptism in the Name of Jesus . .121 9. Oneness Concepts in Popular Belief . .129 10. Teachers of Modalism: Praxeas, Noetus, and Sabellius . .143 Conclusion - 163 11. The Path from Oneness to Trinity . .165 Notes – 181 Bibliography – 189 Glossary – 192 Index – 196 Introduction 7 1 Studying Oneness and Trinity in Ancient Writings The Oneness Pentecostal movement teaches that the biblical, apostolic, Christian doctrine of God, which it commonly calls Oneness, excludes the modem doctrine of the trinity. This statement gives rise to at least two his- torical questions. First, if the trinitarian dogma is not bib- lical, when and how did it become part of Christendom? Second, what beliefs about God do the earliest postbibli- cal Christian writings express—Oneness, trinitarianism, or something else? To answer these questions, this book will analyze the oldest existing writings produced in Christendom after the completion of the New Testament. The earliest of these date from approximately A.D. 100, and we will carry our investigation into the next two centuries, to approxi- mately A.D. 300. In order to conduct this study, we must first define the two doctrinal systems for which we will seek evi- dence, identify the writings we will consider, and point out some limitations of our investigation. Definition of Oneness The doctrine of Oneness can be stated in two affir- mations: (1) God is absolutely and indivisibly one with no 9 10 Oneness and Trinity distinction of persons (Deuteronomy 6:4; Galatians 3:20). (2) Jesus Christ is all the fullness of the Godhead incarnate (John 20:28; Colossians 2:9). All the names and titles of the Deity, such as God, Jehovah, Lord, Father, Word, and Holy Spirit, refer to one and the same being. These various names and titles simply denote manifestations, roles, relationships to humanity, modes of activity, or aspects of God’s self- revelation. All these designations of the Deity apply to Jesus, and all aspects of the divine personality are manifested in Him. Jesus is God, or Jehovah, incarnate (Isaiah 9:6; 40:9; John 8:58; 20:28; II Corinthians 5:19; Colossians 2:9; I Timothy 3:16; Titus 2:13). Jesus is the Father incarnate (Isaiah 9:6; 63:16; John 10:30; 14:9-11; Revelation 21:6-7). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit that was incarnated in Jesus and is Jesus in Spirit form (John 14:16-18; Romans 8:9-11; Philippians 1:19; Colossians 1:27). The Oneness doctrine recognizes that the Bible reveals God as the Father, in the Son, and as the Holy Spirit. The one God is the Father of all creation, Father of the only begotten Son, and Father of born-again believ- ers. (See Deuteronomy 32:6; Malachi 2:10; Galatians 4:6; Hebrews 1:5; 12:9.) The title of Son refers to God’s incarnation. The man Christ was literally conceived by the Spirit of God and was therefore the Son of God (Matthew 1:18-20; Luke 1:35). The title of Son sometimes focuses solely on the humanity of Christ, as in “the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10). Sometimes it encompasses both His deity and humanity, as in “Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man Studying Oneness and Trinity 11 sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64). It is never used apart from God’s incarnation, however; it never refers to deity alone. The terms “God the Son” and “eternal Son” are non- biblical; the Bible instead speaks of the “Son of God” and the “only begotten Son.” The Son is not eternally begot- ten by some incomprehensible, ongoing process; rather, the Son was begotten by the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary. The Son had a beginning, namely, at the Incarnation (Luke 1:35; Galatians 4:4; Hebrews 1:5-6). There is a real distinction between God and the Son—not a distinction of two divine persons, but a dis- tinction between the eternal Spirit of God and the authen- tic human being in whom God was fully incarnate. While Jesus was both God and man at the same time, sometimes He spoke or acted from the human viewpoint and some- times from the divine viewpoint. As Father, He sometimes spoke from His divine self-awareness; as Son, He some- times spoke from His human self-awareness. As a man, He prayed to, related to, and submitted to God as all humans should do. At the same time God dwelt in and revealed Himself in that man with His undiminished char- acter, nature, power, and authority. In John 1, the Word is God’s self-revelation, self- expression, or self-disclosure. Before the Incarnation, the Word was the thought, plan, reason, or mind of God. In the beginning, the Word was with God, not as a distinct person but as God Himself—pertaining to God much as a man and his word. “The Word was God Himself” (John 1:1, Amplified Bible). In the fullness of time God put flesh 12 Oneness and Trinity on the Word; He revealed Himself in flesh. In the person of Jesus Christ, “the Word was made flesh” (John 1:14). “God was manifest in the flesh” (I Timothy 3:16). The eternal Word was revealed in the begotten Son. The title of Holy Spirit refers to God in spiritual essence and activity. It describes the fundamental charac- ter of God’s nature, for holiness forms the basis of His moral attributes while spirituality forms the basis of His nonmoral attributes. The title is particularly used of works that God can do because He is a Spirit, such as anointing, regenerating, indwelling, and sanctifying humanity. (See Genesis 1:1-2; Acts 1:5-8.) The three roles of Father, Son, and Spirit are neces- sary to God’s plan of redemption for fallen humanity. In order to save us, God provided a sinless Man who could die in our place—the Son. In begetting the Son and in relating to humanity, God is the Father. And in working in our lives to empower and transform us, God is the Holy Spirit. In sum, the titles of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit describe God’s multiple roles and works, but they do not reflect an essential threeness in God’s nature. Father refers to God in family relationship to humanity; Son refers to God in flesh; and Spirit refers to God in activi- ty. For example, one man can have three significant rela- tionships or functions—such as administrator, teacher, and counsellor—and yet be one person in every sense. God is not defined by or limited to an essential threeness. A corollary of the Oneness doctrine is that the name of Jesus, which means Jehovah-Savior, is the supreme name by which God has revealed Himself to humanity and the redemptive name in the New Testament. (See Studying Oneness and Trinity 13 Matthew 1:21; Luke 24:47; Acts 4:12; 10:43; Philippians 2:9-11; Colossians 3:17.) Consequently, the apostles always baptized by invoking the name of Jesus, and the church should do the same today. (See Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:3-5; 22:16; Romans 6:3-4; I Corinthians 1:13; 6:11.) Since Jesus is all the fullness of God incarnate, the name (singular) of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as described by Matthew 28:19 is Jesus. (See Matthew 1:21; Luke 24:47; John 5:43; 14:26.) Definition of Trinitarianism Trinitarianism is the belief that there is “one God in three Persons”1 or “three persons in one substance.”2 The unique names of these three persons are God the Father, God the Son (or Word), and God the Holy Ghost (or Holy Spirit). The three persons are distinctions in God’s very being, not simply manifestations or distinctions of activi- ty.3 “There is in the Divine Being but one indivisible essence.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus by Philip Schaff About ANF01
    ANF01. The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus by Philip Schaff About ANF01. The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus by Philip Schaff Title: ANF01. The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus URL: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.html Author(s): Schaff, Philip (1819-1893) Publisher: Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library Description: The Ante-Nicene Christian library is meant to comprise translations into English of all the extant works of the Fathers down to the date of the first General Council held at Nice in A.D. 325. The sole provisional exception is that of the more bulky writings of Origen. It is intended at present only to embrace in the scheme the Contra Celsum and the De Principiis of that voluminous author; but the whole of his works will be included should the undertaking prove successful. Publication History: Text edited by Rev. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson and first published in Edinburgh, 1867. Additional introductionary material and notes provided for the American edition by A. Cleveland Coxe 1886. Print Basis: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, reprint 2001 Source: Logos Research Systems, Inc. Rights: Public Domain Date Created: 2002-10 Status: Proof reading, ThML markup and subject index for Version 3.0 by Timothy Lanfear General Comments: Hebrew and Greek were checked against page scans of the 1995 Hendrickson reprint by SLK; errors in the hard copy have not been corrected in this digitized text. Contributor(s): Timothy Lanfear (Markup) CCEL Subjects: All; Early Church; Classic; Proofed; LC Call no: BR60 LC Subjects: Christianity Early Christian Literature.
    [Show full text]
  • Christianity and the World in the Letter to Diognetus: Inferences for Contemporary Ecclesial Experience
    (Phronema 27:1 (2012) 29-50) CHRISTIANITY AND THE WORLD IN THE LETTER TO DIOGNETUS: INFERENCES FOR CONTEMPORARY ECCLESIAL EXPERIENCE Doru Costache Abstract: The author explores chapters five and six of the Letter to Diognetus for a traditional alternative to the problematic attitudes regarding secular society that occur in contemporary Christianity. Thus he reiterates the challenge launched by Marrou more than sixty years ago, which is to infer from the Letter – beyond its immediate import for early Christians – guidelines for the contemporary ecclesial experience. The article addresses the immediate context and character of the text, progressing to an analysis of the two chapters, and ends by highlighting the relevance of this information for contemporary Christianity. The article adds to current Diognetian studies by identifying as yet ignored traces of it in later Christian literature. he variances between Late Antiquity and secular society notwithstanding, the challenges entailed by the Christian experience within the world of today do not differ significantly from those faced by the earliest Christian generations. This is what makes the latters’ perceptions relevant to us and, indeed, their wisdom still inspires solutions for contemporary impasses. One such issue, discussed below, is the possibility of adopting a genuinely T Christian lifestyle within the secular city. Given the contradictory Christian attitudes toward the secular framework, oscillating between its overall rejection and its uncritical acceptance, this possibility seems remote. Such tendencies will not constitute, however, the object of the following analysis. Instead, given that it addressed similar concerns,1 herein I shall explore the Letter ……….30………. to Diognetus, an apologetic tract whose fifth and sixth chapters treat the challenging condition of Christians in society and their divine assignment as contributors to the general wellbeing.
    [Show full text]
  • Christian Theologians Views on the Doctrine of Trinity in the Islamic Philosophical Criticism
    International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences 2017, Vol. 7, Special Issue – Islam and Contemporary Issues) ISSN: 2222-6990 Christian Theologians Views on the Doctrine of Trinity in the Islamic Philosophical Criticism Mohammad Nashief S. Disomimbaa, Kalsom Alib, Abdussalam s. Disomimbac a Akidah and Religion Program, Faculty of Leadership and Management, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia. bDa῾wah and Islamic Management Program, Faculty of Leadership and Management, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia. cKing Faisal Center for Asian and Arabic Studies, Mindanao State University, Philippines DOI: 10.6007/IJARBSS/v7-i13/3195 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v7-i13/3195 ABSTRACT This article discusses the views of Christian theologians on the doctrine of trinity in the light of Islamic philosophical criticism. It focuses the oneness of God through Islamic philosophical criticism, understanding the proofs and evidences of Christian theologians based on their Holy Bible, Athanasius Creed and Nicene Creed. The tendency of giving priority of this study is to show the views of Christian theologians on the doctrine of trinity with Islamic philosophical criticism in order to justify and confirm the oneness of God. The objectives of the study is to identify and trace the historical background of the oneness of God as Creator, to confirm that Jesus Christ is not God and creator, to confirm that God is not three persons and the three persons is not same substance and nature of the Son and Holy Spirit, to analyze and summarize the views of the Christian theologians on the doctrine of Trinity with Islamic philosophical criticism.
    [Show full text]
  • Rachel Carson and Nature As Resource, Object and Spirit
    University of Louisville ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository Electronic Theses and Dissertations 8-2010 Rachel Carson and nature as resource, object and spirit : identification, consubstantiality, and multiple stakeholders in the environmental rhetoric of the conservation in action series. Cynthia E. Britt University of Louisville Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd Recommended Citation Britt, Cynthia E., "Rachel Carson and nature as resource, object and spirit : identification, consubstantiality, and multiple stakeholders in the environmental rhetoric of the conservation in action series." (2010). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 154. https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/154 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has retained all other copyrights. For more information, please contact [email protected]. RACHEL CARSON AND NATURE AS RESOURCE, OBJECT, AND SPIRIT: IDENTIFICATION, CONSUBSTANTIALITY, AND MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL RHETORIC OF THE CONSERVATION IN ACTION SERIES By Cynthia E. Britt B.A., Western Kentucky University, 2000 M.A., Western Kentucky University, 2003 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Louisville in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of English University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky August 2010 ----------------------~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RACHEL CARSON AND NATURE AS RESOURCE, OBJECT, AND SPIRIT: IDENTIFICATION, CONSUBSTANTIALITY, AND MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL RHETORIC OF THE CONSERVATION IN ACTION SERIES By Cynthia E.
    [Show full text]
  • Church History
    Village Missions Website: http://www.vmcdi.com Contenders Discipleship Initiative E-mail: [email protected] Church History Ecclesiology Church History History of Christian Doctrine Church History - Ecclesiology and the History of Christian Doctrine Contenders Discipleship Initiative – Church History Student’s Guide TRAINING MODULE SUMMARY Course Name Church History Course Number in Series 5 Creation Date August 2017 Created By: Russell Richardson Last Date Modified January 2018 Version Number 2.0 Copyright Note Contenders Bible School is a two-year ministry equipping program started in 1995 by Pastor Ron Sallee at Machias Community Church, Snohomish, WA. More information regarding the full Contenders program and copies of this guide and corresponding videos can be found at http://www.vmcontenders.org or http://www.vmcdi.com Copyright is retained by Village Missions with all rights reserved to protect the integrity of this material and the Village Missions Contenders Discipleship Initiative. Contenders Discipleship Initiative Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in the Contenders Discipleship Initiative courses are those of the instructors and authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Village Missions. The viewpoints of Village Missions may be found at https://villagemissions.org/doctrinal-statement/ The Contenders program is provided free of charge and it is expected that those who receive freely will in turn give freely. Permission for non-commercial use is hereby granted but re-sale is prohibited. Copyright
    [Show full text]
  • Epistle to Diognetus (Lake)
    THE EPISTLE TO DIOGNETUS Kirsopp Lake, translator 1. Since I perceive, most excellent Diognetus, that you are exceedingly zealous to learn the religion of the Christians and are asking very clear and careful questions concerning them, both who is the God in whom they believe, and how they worship him, so that all disregard the world and despise death, and do not reckon as gods those who are con- sidered to be so by the Greeks, nor keep the superstition of the Jew, and what is love which they have for one another, and why this new race or practice has come to life at this time, and not formerly; I indeed welcome this zeal in you, and I ask from God who bestows on us the power both of speaking and of hearing, that it may be granted to me so to speak that you may benefit so much as possible by your hearing, and to you so to hear that I may not be made sorry for my speech. 2. Come then, clear yourself of all the prejudice which occupies your mind, and throw aside the custom which deceives you, and become as it were a new man from the beginning, as one, as you yourself also admitted, who is about to listen to a new story. Look, not only with your eyes, but also with your intelligence, what substance or form they chance to have whom you call gods and regard as such. Is not one a stone, like that on which we walk, another bronze, no better than the vessels which have been forged for our use, another wood already rotten, another silver, needing a man to guard it against theft, another iron, eaten by rust, another earthenware, not a whit more comely than that which is supplied for the most ordinary service? Are not all these of perish- able material? Were they not forged by iron and fire? Did not the wood-carver make one, the brass-founder another, the silver-smith another, the potter another.
    [Show full text]
  • REFLECTIONS on the DOCTRINE of the TRINITY Faith in the Living
    REFLECTIONS ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY RAOUL DEDEREN Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan Faith in the living God has been rejected time and again by the ignorant and the indifferent, as well as by many of the learned and the thoughtful. It has been especially chal- lenged today. Such theologians as Bishop John A. T. Robinson of Woolwich, honestly seeking to be Honest to God, urge Christians to abandon most of the phrasing which historically has been used to convey Christian thought. Similarly, the late Bishop James A. Pike of California dismisses many traditional doctrines as old bottles which will inevitably burst and whose bursting should occasion no regrets. In this kind of context many men, even ministers, feel uneasy when they think about the Trinity. The question before us is whether it is time to renounce a doctrine which, by affirming that there are three persons in God, seems to have produced confusion rather than clarification, or whether it was designed to embody values that are a vital and necessary part of the Christian faith. From the days of Arius it has been a chosen scheme with his disciples to represent the doctrine of the Trinity as an artificial theological construct, and consequently unimportant. To a large number of Christians, however, it is a doctrine fundament4 to Christianity since it deals with a correct knowledge of God. Related to the divine Being, his nature and mode of being, this knowledge affects every man's understanding of God as the object of his worship, whether he regards him as one in essence and one in person, or admits that in the unity of the Deity there are three equally divine persons.
    [Show full text]
  • 2/20/2020 1 Recommended Books
    2/20/2020 Survey of Great Bible Truths Doctrinal & Practical 1 THEME 2 RECOMMENDED BOOKS 3 1 2/20/2020 NOTABLES 4 HOW TO STUDY THEOLOGY _______ God the Father 5 6 2 2/20/2020 Key Ideas to Study • Distinguishing the Person (Father, Son, Spirit) • The Attributes / Who God is • The Actions / What He Says & What He Does 7 UNDERSTANDING THE TRINITY Avoiding Heresy & Bad Analogies Persons(s), Nature, Deity, Humanity, Relation 8 HERESIES (Thinking Wrongly about God) •Tritheism • Tritheism is the belief that there are three gods or three separate beings in the Godhead. Few, if any, have held this view consciously, though unwittingly many have fallen into it verbally by their incautious language about the Godhead. • By correctly stressing the three persons as distinct, it is easy to slip into the language of tritheism, which wrongly posits three separate beings. 9 3 2/20/2020 HERESIES (Thinking Wrongly about God) • Modalism • Modalism is also called sabellianism after its founder, Sabellius (~217–220 AD). • Modalism holds that God is only one person who appears in different modes or roles at different times in the divine economy, from which it gets the title “Economic Trinity,” as opposed to the “Ontological(Nature) Trinity” of orthodox theology. 10 HERESIES (Thinking Wrongly about God) • Arianism • Following Arius (250–336 AD), its founder, this heresy denies that Jesus is fully God, allowing Him a created status below God. Arianism was opposed by Athanasius and condemned as heretical at the Council of Nicea (325 AD). 11 HERESIES (Thinking Wrongly about God) • Docetism • From the Greek word dokeo, “I seem,” docetism affirms the deity of Christ but denies His humanity, claiming it was only an apparent, but not real, humanity.
    [Show full text]
  • CHAPTER 4 the CHURCH in the THIRD CENTURY Roman
    The Early Church Christopher K. Lensch, S.T.M. Western Reformed Seminary (www.wrs.edu) CHAPTER 4 THE CHURCH IN THE THIRD CENTURY Roman emperors in the first half of the century Severi dynasty 1. Septimius Severus (193-211) [already discussed under second century] renewed persecution in AD 200: Leonidas (Origen’s father) beheaded Potamiaena (young girl) boiled in oil Petpetua and baby burned; her slave Felicitas killed also died on campaign in Britain 2. Caracalla (211-217) brutal and cruel; murdered family members, including brother Geta; favored the army; built baths; extended Roman citizenship to all, in order to tax all; dropped persecution in middle of reign; was assassinated by his army on a Parthian campaign 3. Macrinus (217-218) prefect of the guard; removed by Caracalla’s cousin and his family 4. Heliogabalus (218-222) cousin of Caracalla, controlled by his mother Soaemias and grandmother Maesa (Caracalla’s aunt); real name was Elagabalus; Latin authors name Heliogabalus 14-year old priest of Syrian sun god; brought Syrian “Baal” (conical black stone) to Rome; unbelievable sexual depravity; grandmother convinced him to adopt cousin Alexander; slain by Guard 5. Alexander Severus (222-235) 4.1 14 years old; well trained and prepared; ruled by mother; temperate and modest, opposite of Heliogabalus; private chapel icons: Jupiter, Orpheus, Apollonius, Abraham, Christ; *put golden rule in house and many public buildings; very efficient administrator, lowered taxes; weak against Germans, bribed them; assassinated in tent by army, under Maximinus Anarchy; army control 6. Maximinus (235-238) huge soldier (they say 8 feet tall); hated culture and education; never entered Rome; confiscated property of upper classes; murdered by soldiers he punished 7.
    [Show full text]
  • ABSTRACT the Apostolic Tradition in the Ecclesiastical Histories Of
    ABSTRACT The Apostolic Tradition in the Ecclesiastical Histories of Socrates, Sozomen, and Theodoret Scott A. Rushing, Ph.D. Mentor: Daniel H. Williams, Ph.D. This dissertation analyzes the transposition of the apostolic tradition in the fifth-century ecclesiastical histories of Socrates, Sozomen, and Theodoret. In the early patristic era, the apostolic tradition was defined as the transmission of the apostles’ teachings through the forms of Scripture, the rule of faith, and episcopal succession. Early Christians, e.g., Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Origen, believed that these channels preserved the original apostolic doctrines, and that the Church had faithfully handed them to successive generations. The Greek historians located the quintessence of the apostolic tradition through these traditional channels. However, the content of the tradition became transposed as a result of three historical movements during the fourth century: (1) Constantine inaugurated an era of Christian emperors, (2) the Council of Nicaea promulgated a creed in 325 A.D., and (3) monasticism emerged as a counter-cultural movement. Due to the confluence of these sweeping historical developments, the historians assumed the Nicene creed, the monastics, and Christian emperors into their taxonomy of the apostolic tradition. For reasons that crystallize long after Nicaea, the historians concluded that pro-Nicene theology epitomized the apostolic message. They accepted the introduction of new vocabulary, e.g. homoousios, as the standard of orthodoxy. In addition, the historians commended the pro- Nicene monastics and emperors as orthodox exemplars responsible for defending the apostolic tradition against the attacks of heretical enemies. The second chapter of this dissertation surveys the development of the apostolic tradition.
    [Show full text]
  • UNIT 4 PHILOSOPHY of CHRISTIANITY Contents 4.0
    1 UNIT 4 PHILOSOPHY OF CHRISTIANITY Contents 4.0 Objectives 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Christian Philosophy and Philosophy of Christianity 4.3 Difficulties in Formulating a Philosophy of Christianity 4.4 Concept of God 4.5 Incarnation 4.6 Concept of the Human Person 4.7 Human Free Will and the Problem of Evil 4.8 Concept of the World and Relationship between God and the World 4.9 Eschatology 4.10 Let us Sum Up 4.11 Key Words 4.12 Further Readings and References 4.0 OBJECTIVES What this present unit proposes is a Philosophy of Christianity. A course on the ‘Philosophy of Christianity’ would mean understanding how the Christian religion looks at world, man, and God. Who is man in Christianity? Why was human life created, sustained? Where is human life destined? What is the understanding of God in Christianity? What is World? What is the relationship between world, man and God? 4.1 INTRODUCTION Of the two terms that constitute the title ‘Philosophy of Christianity’, we are familiar with the word ‘Philosophy’, and we have a basic understanding of its scope and importance. The second term ‘Christianity’ may require a brief introduction. Christianity, a monotheistic major world religion, is an offshoot of Judaism. It began as a Jewish reform movement after the Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension of Jesus Christ and the Pentecost event, in circa 30 CE. Christianity took a systematized form as ‘historical Christianity’ through a triple combination: Jewish faith, Greek thought, and the conversion of a great part of the Roman Empire. Greek philosophy played a primal role in the formulation and interpretation of the Christian doctrines.
    [Show full text]
  • Early Christian Thought
    The RouTledge Companion To eaRly ChRisTian ThoughT The shape and course which Christian thought has taken over its history is largely due to the contributions of individuals and communities in the second and third centuries. Bringing together a remarkable team of distinguished scholars, The Routledge Companion to Early Christian Thought is the ideal companion for those seeking to understand the way in which early Christian thought developed within its broader cultural milieu and was communicated through its literature, especially as it was directed toward theological concerns. divided into three parts, the Companion: • asks how Christianity’s development was impacted by its interaction with cultural, philosophical, and religious elements within the broader context of the second and third centuries; • examines the way in which early Christian thought was manifest in key individuals and literature in these centuries; • analyses early Christian thought as it was directed toward theological concerns such as god, Christ, redemption, scripture, and the community and its worship. D. Jeffrey Bingham is department Chair and professor of Theological studies at dallas Theological seminary, usa. he is editor of the Brill monograph series, The Bible in Ancient Christianity, as well as author of Irenaeus’ Use of Matthew’s Gospel in Adversus Haereses and several articles and essays on the theology and biblical inter- pretation of early Christianity. The RouTledge Companion To eaRly ChRisTian ThoughT Edited by D. Jeffrey Bingham First published 2010 by Routledge 2 park square, milton park, abingdon, oxon oX14 4Rn simultaneously published in the usa and Canada by Routledge 270 madison ave., new york, ny 100016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2010.
    [Show full text]