on hold in the event of a cancellation
At the council of Nicea, the orthodox position defined Jesus Christ as “true God of true God, begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father . . . who for us humans and for our salvation descended and became incarnate, becoming human.” While squashing the controversy of Arianism, a new conundrum was clearly stated: … Read more
Paul’s conflict with Peter in Antioch (Gal. 2:11-14), often considered together with his conflict with Barnabas (Acts 15:15-21), is widely known and has been the subject of much debate since the days of the early church fathers. During the first several centuries, the Antioch incident was frequently cited to blame either Peter or Paul, depending … Read more
Throughout theological antiquity, the doctrine of divine incomprehensibility has enjoyed a pride of place in theological prolegomena. The cast of theologians whose pen wrote of an incomprehensible God is vast, spanning both continents and centuries. From the theological orations of the Cappadocians to the homilies of Chrysostom, divine incomprehensibility received considerable contemplation and treatment. Though … Read more
Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 A.D. – c. 215 A.D.) has often been portrayed as a Christian teacher who ministered apart from the ἐκκλησία. Hans Von Campenhausen’s view represents this opinion of Clement: “Clement himself and his own teachers are outside the rank of the professional clergy” and “in his spiritual instructions he hardly ever … Read more
Over a century before the first Council of Nicaea, Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 – c. 215 AD) employed hymnic poetry and musical imagery to impart teachings about the Father, Son, and Spirit. Describing Clement’s musical objectives in the Protrepticus, Andreas Kramarz observes, “The actual singing of Christian hymns is the most natural and proper … Read more
This paper argues that the widening theological and ecclesiological divide between Northern and Southern Baptists in the early twentieth centuries can be traced, in part, to differing views on the binding and permanent nature of New Testament polity. While Southern Baptists experienced a heightened sensitivity to questions of church polity during the nineteenth century, many … Read more
At first glance, the final genealogy in the book of Ruth appears superfluous. Ruth 4:17 already establishes that David descends from Obed. Why, then, does the book conclude with a broader genealogy from Perez to David (Ruth 4:18-22)? Many scholars have noted the similarity between this passage and the Genesis toledot formula, suggesting that the … Read more
Scholars from a wide variety of Christian traditions (McGrath, Ward, Davison, Ordway) all have recognized the value of imaginative apologetics. However, contemporary introductions to the subject are often generalized and lacking in specific application. This paper will present a Lewisian framework for apologetics in the imaginative mode as a means of Christian engagement with the … Read more
Being “passionate” about Christ or the Gospel or Christian worship is frequently cast as an uncontested virtue, a principal indicator of authenticity in a milieu infatuated with that concept. This presentation pushes back against this notion, following the lead of dissertations by Thomas Dixon (Cambridge, 2003) and Ryan Martin (T & T Clark, 2019) in … Read more
This paper illustrates the progression of the Christian faith from a persecuted, underground movement to the center of Roman public life. Constantine’s choice of Nicaea for the first ecumenical council was not only a strategic choice but also a symbolic statement for repositioning the place of Christianity in civil affairs. The First Council of Nicaea … Read more