With the 1700th celebration of Nicaea this year, it seems appropriate to bring out the fathers’ wisdom on virtue as it relates to spirituality, theology, and ministry. The fathers are well known for their articulation and defense of biblical orthodoxy, but their spiritual and virtuous life was the undergirding factor for such articulation. In Morals … Read more
Cyprian of Carthage (bishop 248–258) paved the way for the West to reject Arianism and accept the Creed of Nicaea (325) through ascribing divine language and work to Jesus Christ. Few studies have explored Cyprian’s Christology, even though he lived merely seventy-five years before the Council of Nicaea (325). Cyprian did not just hold a … Read more
The Nicene Creed is best known for its develop of an orthodox formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity. Due to Trinitarian formulation the Creed has been accepted an “ecumenical creed.” Nevertheless, an under scrutinised aspect of the Creed is its statement on baptism. This paper will examine the Creed’s understanding of baptism. It will … Read more
It is a well known idiom that those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it. Creeds are not merely statements of faith from ancient churches. There were historical events that precipitated the need for each creed and shaped what select few doctrines were included. It is easy to look at historical creeds … Read more
While Christian-Muslim dialogue is well-worn, some crucial areas of reflection are underrepresented. Questions of textual transmission, historical analysis, and comparison between the respective religion’s soteriological systems are often rehearsed in Christian-Muslim debate. The world of Christian apologetics is also no stranger to considerations of trinitarianism, but far too often, the Christian apologetic response to Islam’s … Read more
The present paper demonstrates that the early American Methodists (1784-1830) followed John Wesley in affirming the Anglican doctrine of infant baptismal regeneration, which was rooted in their interpretation of the Nicene Creed. Like Wesley, the American Methodists maintained this sacramental emphasis of objective grace even while emphasizing the importance of evangelical conversion. Some, however, such … Read more
This paper argues that the Synoptic Gospels’ application of Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1 to Jesus reflects a theological claim of his equality with God. Both passages in their original context anticipate the coming of YHWH, preceded by a forerunner who prepares the way for God’s arrival. In Mark 1:2–3, these passages are blended and … Read more
This paper reexamines a widely accepted assumption in New Testament scholarship—that the Synoptic Gospels’ portrayal of Jesus as eschatological judge parallels the figure of the Son of Man in the Similitudes of Enoch (1 En. 37–71). Scholars such as Daniel A. Kirk (A Man Attested by God) and Bart D. Ehrman (How Jesus Became God) … Read more
The thesis of this paper is that contrary to some scholarly views to the effect that creedal language in the early church started with the first ecumenical creed of Nicaea in AD 325, earlier documents such as Paul’s letters are littered with pre-creedal language. This language serves as the precursor to the second-century regula fidei, … Read more
Much scholarship on the ancient church has been too concerned with its relationship to the Graeco-Roman context (Harnack, Wilken, etc.). Scholars note where early Christians use genres and ideas made available to them by a preexisting social milieu (Brown, Brakke). In objection, some have raised how Christians have transformed genres and ideas (Petitfils, Hagner). For … Read more