This study examines how the core proclamation of the apostolic speeches in Acts, particularly the creedal statement “God raised Jesus”, functions as a foundational theological statement with significant implications for New Testament theology and systematic theology. After identifying the creedal statement within primary speeches in Acts through a structural linguistic analysis, this study traces its … Read more
This paper argues that nearly every doctrine in the Old Roman Creed (an early variant of the Apostles’ Creed) appears in seminal form in Psalms 1-2. Despite differences in the level of clarity and precision as well as the literary medium (poetry vs credal statement), the doctrine of the Creed is not fundamentally different from … Read more
Robert Jenson famously lamented the lack of fixed dogma on Christ’s atonement. Although the early church responded to trinitarian controversy regarding the person of Christ, with the First Council of Nicaea providing an initial ecumenical judgment, the work of Christ remained a flexible doctrine for centuries. When contrasting the Apostles’ Creed and the Creed of … Read more
Bishop John Pearson (1613–1686) of the Church of England authored one of the classic texts of Anglican theology, his Exposition of the Creed (first edition 1659). In it, he used the Apostles’ Creed as a framework for instruction in Nicene and Protestant doctrine, supported by copious citations of earlier—especially patristic—authorities. Pearson’s Exposition played a foundational … Read more
John Calvin modified the meaning of “very God of very God” in the Nicene Creed. Restricting eternal generation to the Son’s personhood without the communication of the divine essence from Father to Son, controversy erupted over his views for the next two hundred years or so. Calvin’s views of eternal generation became widely accepted from … Read more
This paper explores the relationship between divine immutability and God’s creative and providential activity, arguing that immutability does not imply passivity but must be understood in relation to God’s purely actualized nature. As actus purus, God’s being is fully realized without potentiality, making his immutability not a limitation but the very ground of his continuous … Read more
This paper examines the foundational role of divine plenitude in the formation and articulation of Nicene Trinitarian theology. Divine plenitude—the infinite fullness and blessedness of the Father’s essence as the fons divinitatis—grounds the coequality, coeternality, and consubstantiality of the Father, Son, and Spirit while preserving the unity of the divine essence. This study argues that … Read more
Digital media pervades modern societies and relationships. The anniversary of the Council of Nicaea provides a fitting occasion to examine the enduring significance of early Christian theology for modern discussions of media, representation, and mediated presence. Placing fourth-century theology into conversation with contemporary media theories, including media as cognitive and social infrastructure, will demonstrate that … Read more
While Evangelicals reject Roman Catholic ecclesiology—including magisterial authority and depositum fidei—their use of creedal terms like ὁμοούσιος (consubstantial) and hypostatic union risks conflating ecclesial interpretations with the apostolic teaching “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Though Scripture’s narrative-doxological witness to Christ’s deity (John 1:1–18; Colossians 1:15–20) resists systematic retrojection, creeds impose metaphysical … Read more
This paper argues that the Nicene Creed functions not merely as a statement of belief, but as a performative act central to Christian worship and spiritual formation. Often relegated to a secondary liturgical role, the Creed’s original context reveals its “first-order” importance. It is not simply recited but proclaimed, embodying the church’s self-definition before God. … Read more