The Antichrist theme received significant attention from the time of the early church, as demonstrated in the writings of the church fathers. Multiple strands of interpretation developed in Christendom within 400 years of the resurrection of Jesus, and these varying positions would serve as the foundation for nearly all future interpretation of Revelation 13. Medieval … Read more
The term μονογενής appears five times in the apostle John’s writings—four times in the Gospel of John (Jn 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18) and one time in his first epistle (1 Jn 4:9). Until the 20th century, the dominant rendering of the term in English versions has been “only-begotten.” But that common understanding was challenged by … Read more
Faithfulness of the Nicene formulation to the canonical Gospels in its confession of the full deity and full humanity of Jesus Christ as the second person of the Trinity is surely assumed and affirmed by every orthodox believer who rises to the call in worship, “let us say what we believe.” Less sure is the … Read more
This paper examines the crucial theological and exegetical role of the Greek word μονογενής in the formulation and logic of the Nicene Creed, both in its original form from the Council of Nicaea (325) and its revised form from the Council of Constantinople (381). In the Creed of Nicaea (325), Christians are called to confess … Read more
Textual criticism is deeply fundamentally church history, yet it also presents an enduring challenge for the church. How can the church assert that it is founded upon the Scriptures while simultaneously engaging in the process of establishing the Scriptures themselves? This apparent paradox has been central to both orthodoxy and orthopraxy since the earliest days … Read more
The virgin Mary’s obscurity in modern evangelicalism outside of Christ belies the significant role she played in early Christian debates, doctrine, and creeds. Though absent from the 325 A.D. version of the Nicene creed, Mary appears in the Constantinople version as well as the earlier Apostle’s Creed. Though she did not formally receive the title … Read more
This paper seeks to explore the way Hebrews 1 shows us that the Son is God in the same way that the Father is God while distinguishing between the persons of the Father and the Son. This concept is formalized in the Nicene-Constantinople Creed, particularly with the Son being “Light from Light” and Homoousia with … Read more
When the Nicene Creed in A.D. 325 highlighted the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father, it more broadly reaffirmed early Christianity’s belief in and commitment to the doctrine of the Trinity. This paper will seek to defend Nicea’s Trinitarian commitment through a close reading of Ephesians. Specifically, in conversation with recent formulations regarding Paul’s … Read more
What, according to Paul, is πνεῦμα (spirit)? an inquiry into Stoicism and its influence on Judaism, notably Paul’s thought is critical for a detailed investigation. Stoicism was a leading philosophy in the Greco-Roman world. This school of Hellenistic philosophy flourished until the third century C.E. It would claim its place as the pre-eminent frame of … Read more
Current academic explorations considering God-creation background for the Christ atonement in Hebrews usually predicate on chosen cosmological features of Nicaean and later formulations, with later layers of philosophical thought filling gaps, and often leans on speculations in theological-philosophical matrix of thought. These Nicaean and later approaches to God and his problematic creation unravel tensions between … Read more