Creedal Christianity: Celebrating Nicaea – Evangelical Theological Society

Luther’s Interpretation of 1–2 Kings and 2 Chronicles and Its Theological Connection to Nicaea

This study analyzed how Martin Luther interpreted the reforming kings in 1-2 Kings and 2 Chronicles and determined that his understanding of biblical reform aligned with the theological objective of the First council of Nicaea. This corresponded with the efforts of the reforming kings to eradicate idolatry, restore temple worship, and re-establish the law. Luther did not interpret the narratives of … Read more

“The Faith of All Orthodox Christendom”: Spurgeon’s Defense of Nicene Faith During the Downgrade

In his inaugural sermon in the newly built Metropolitan Tabernacle, Charles Haddon Spurgeon unabashedly declared to his congregation: “I am never ashamed to avow myself a Calvinist… I do not hesitate to take the name of Baptist… [B]ut if I am asked to say what is my creed, I think I must reply: ‘It is … Read more

Paradox Sensu Strictissimo: Kierkegaard on Jesus being God and Man

At the council of Nicea, the orthodox position defined Jesus Christ as “true God of true God, begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father . . . who for us humans and for our salvation descended and became incarnate, becoming human.” While squashing the controversy of Arianism, a new conundrum was clearly stated: … Read more

The Father, Son, and Spirit in Clement of Alexandria’s Musical-Liturgical Settings

Over a century before the first Council of Nicaea, Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 – c. 215 AD) employed hymnic poetry and musical imagery to impart teachings about the Father, Son, and Spirit. Describing Clement’s musical objectives in the Protrepticus, Andreas Kramarz observes, “The actual singing of Christian hymns is the most natural and proper … Read more

Debating New Testament Church Polity at the 1904 Baptist Congress

This paper argues that the widening theological and ecclesiological divide between Northern and Southern Baptists in the early twentieth centuries can be traced, in part, to differing views on the binding and permanent nature of New Testament polity. While Southern Baptists experienced a heightened sensitivity to questions of church polity during the nineteenth century, many … Read more

Examining Pneumatological Inadequacies of the Nicene Creed

The Council of Nicaea is a pivotal moment in Christian doctrinal formation. At a time of severe trinitarian and christological uncertainties, the council provided guidance to the early church in respect to the identity of Jesus and composition of the Godhead. There are, however, deficiencies both in the Nicene Creed and later conciliar pronouncements related … Read more

Unfallen Fear: Implications of Christ’s Fear of the Lord for Fallen Humanity

When Thomas Aquinas considers the fear of the Lord, he employs language that is largely emotional and postlapsarian. Fear of God’s judgment and fear of separation from God each feature prominently in Aquinas’s treatment of the fear of the Lord. A problem arises when one considers Isaiah 11, however, for it claims that the Spirit … Read more

Nicaea Redemption: From the Necropolis to the Forum

This paper illustrates the progression of the Christian faith from a persecuted, underground movement to the center of Roman public life. Constantine’s choice of Nicaea for the first ecumenical council was not only a strategic choice but also a symbolic statement for repositioning the place of Christianity in civil affairs. The First Council of Nicaea … Read more

IDENTITY MATTERS: THE ETHNICITY OF THE CHURCH FATHERS AND THE FORMATION OF THE NICENE CREED

In Acts 17:26, Luke, inspired by the Spirit of God, records Paul proclaiming to the people of Athens that God “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.” This was part of a larger explanation … Read more

Competing Narratives: Paul’s Implicit Narrative and the Nicene Debates surrounding 1 Cor 15:28

One of the striking realities of theological discourse is that the same story can be told in radically different ways, yielding divergent meanings. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the early Christological debates, where scriptural texts functioned as battlegrounds for competing theological visions. This paper will explore how the interpretation of 1 Corinthians 15:28 … Read more