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
This paper explores and compares three major theological approaches to the discernibility of the persons of the Trinity: the patristic doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son, John Calvin’s assertion of the Son as autotheos, and Brant Bosserman’s philosophical argument for triune necessity as articulated in The Trinity and the Vindication of Christian Paradox: … Read more
The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed’s affirmation that Jesus Christ “by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary” reflects a deeply biblical and theologically rich claim about the person and work of the Holy Spirit. By retrieving and clarifying the Creed’s brief but profound affirmation, this paper helps illuminate the Spirit’s identity as the Lord and … Read more
The Nicene Creed states that the eternal Son of God “came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit.” This language raises a question about the what it means that the person of Jesus Christ “came down from heaven.” The development in the Chalcedonian Definition indicates that this one Son is “made known … Read more
Many interpreters view Lady Wisdom in Proverbs as the personification of Yahweh’s wisdom. Even more, her lengthy speech in Proverbs 8 affords her a quasi-divine status. This text in turn became the locus of debate over Christ’s nature among the church fathers, with many early theologians, Arians and orthodox alike, resorting to the text to … Read more
Three hundred and ten years after the First Council of Nicaea in 325, the Nicene Creed finally made its way to China in the seventh century, when missionaries from the Church of the East journeyed along the Silk Road and arrived in Tang China’s capital in 635. Since that time, despite numerous unsuccessful attempts by … 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
Nicea’s Cultural Offense The emergence of creeds and confessions presents a grand narrative of intra-Church conversation (sometimes collegial, sometimes not so much). The councils wrangled over momentous points of doctrine, which turned on such words as Homoousios, Filioque, and Theotokos. Along the way, such heretics as Marcionites, Sabellians, and Apollinarians were pushed to the side. … Read more
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) has long been regarded as the “gold standard” of psychotherapy due to its empirical support and interdisciplinary application. As a research-driven therapeutic model, CBT dominates psychological interventions for mental health and relational issues. However, the question remains: Is CBT sufficient in addressing cases of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), particularly within a … Read more
Francis J. Grimké (1850-1937), born enslaved, went on to study at Princeton Theological Seminary and spent most of his 50 years of ministry pastoring Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC. He is notable for many reasons, including his traditional theological commitments and the instrumental role he played in the early civil rights movement, as … Read more