withdrawn by submitter
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
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
Since the emergence of the Baptist movement in England, many have accused Baptist ministers of being unlearned, “dunces, and ignorant [of] both tongues and arts.” With the establishment of dissenting academies, such Bristol, Stepney, and Northern, learned ministry was advocated among English Particular Baptists since the beginning of the long eighteenth century. Despite recent scholarly … Read more
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul begins his teaching on the resurrection with a creedal reminder of the gospel (vv1-11). Paul’s framing of the brief, creedal statements in verses 3b-5 is quite remarkable. In 15:1-3, he intersperses three repetitions of εὐαγγέλιον (gospel) and its cognates with four metaphors that describe embodied engagement with the gospel: standing … Read more
For catechumens and baptized believers alike, the Nicene Creed reveals the identity of the godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) but also shows what God has done for the world. Though Arius (256-336) strayed from orthodoxy in his description of the relationship of the Father and the Son, his initial inquiry, which the Nicene Creed … 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
Can Christians within the Reformed tradition confess that God still speaks? In terms of past activities, reflection on few other types of divine action have generated more fruit than God’s speech; in at least one theologian’s estimation, “it is God’s mouth and vocal cords that have had a preeminent hold on Christian theology.” Accordingly, within … Read more