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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 characterization of David in the Book of Samuel raises the question of whether he should be classified as a virtuous or flawed king. However, it is worth reconsidering whether the interpretation of Davidic narratives should be constrained by a rigid binary framework. This paper concurs with recent scholarship that challenges a dichotomous reading of … Read more
Bethlehem is among the most cited settlements in the Old Testament. It provides the setting for Ruth and parts of other historical books, and it finds reference at other junctures. Depending on the passage and the translation, English versions of the Bible consistently depict Bethlehem as either a city or a town. Yet both biblical … Read more
God’s “creation blessing” was given first to the sea and air creatures (Gen 1:22) and subsequently three times to humanity (Gen 1:28; Gen 9:1, 7). The creation blessing reveals God’s intention for creation characterised by flourishing diversity, including a flourishing ethnocultural diversity. The powers of sin and death, which entered the biblical story in Genesis … Read more
Since the mid-twentieth century, especially through the influence of George Eldon Ladd, the term “historic premillennialism” has been used to describe a form of early Christian eschatology distinct from later forms of premillennialism, particularly “dispensational premillennialism.” In the last seventy-five years, however, scholarly engagement with pre-Nicene eschatology has acknowledged a much greater diversity of views … Read more
In the proposed paper, I argue that ecclesial testimony—the church’s proclamation and embodiment of the gospel message—is a function of both its priestly and prophetic nature. My constructive account adds “priestly” to the predominantly prophetic understanding of ecclesial testimony, exemplified in the writing of Karl Barth. In service of this, I offer a Protestant appropriation … 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
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
In a 2015 article for Biblica (“A King Like the Nations: 1 Samuel 8 in Its Cultural Context,” Bib 96.2 [2015]: 179-200), Jonathan H. Walton argues that the Israelite elders’ desire for a king like the nations is to be interpreted as a desire for a king who can effectively replace the loss of the … Read more