First Teaching on the Nicene Creed

[josep...@gmail.com]

WHAT IS THIS?

This is the first teaching for the Anglican Christian Basics online
bible study/ discussion group for members and friends of the Church of
Our Saviour, Glenshaw, PA.

Our first study will be on the Nicene Creed and will last eight weeks.
The schedule is posted below.

The first teaching follows the schedule.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Everyone on the church email list received an invitation to join the
group. If you want to participate simply follow the steps to accept
the invitation. Each week we will post a new teaching for the group.
After reading the teaching page you will be able to post questions or
comments which every member of the group will receive. You don't have
to post anything if you don't want to.

As a member you will receive all emails posted by other group members.
You can go to google groups, Anglican Christian Basics, on the web and
customize how you receive the emails. You can also participate from
that same web address if you want.

Three people will be posting teachings for this study: Joseph Martin,
Jono Linebaugh, and Kathy Walzer.

Feel free to call the church if you have questions or suggestions.


Schedule for First Study Topic - The Nicene Creed

Week 1 - Introduction to the Creed

Week 2 - We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of
heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

Week 3 - We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true
God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.

Week 4 - For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the
power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and
was made man.

Week 5 - For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he
suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in
accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated
at the right hand of the Father.

Week 6 - He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

Week 7 - We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son
he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.

Week 8 - We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We
acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the
resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

First Teaching - How did we get the Creed?

The Nicene Creed, as found in the Book of Common Prayer, is printed
above. But before we get into the theology of each section, a bit of
background might be helpful.

Where did the Creed come from? The quick answer is from the First
Ecumenical Council held in 325 AD in the city of Nicea in Asia Minor.
This gathering of bishops and leaders of the Christian Church was
called by the Emperor Constantine for a number of reasons but the most
critical item was to settle a theological dispute that had broken out
between a priest and his bishop and had spread throughout the empire.
Constantine wanted unity in the church and the empire and counted on
the council to settle the argument.

The conflict had been brewing for decades but came to a head in
Alexandria when the bishop of that city, Alexander, condemned the
teaching of a popular priest, Arius, and removed him from his position
in the church. Arius fought back and amassed a large following of
support for his teaching.

The "Arian" teaching was based on a long history of popular philosophy
developed by the likes of Plato and others. The central teaching held
that since God alone was eternal and immutable (unchangeable), it
followed that the Son of God, the Logos or Word of God, was not co-
eternal with God but was the first of all creation (Colossians 1:15).
After this instant in time Jesus was everything Christianity held him
to be. The Arian battle cry was, "There was when He was not."

Alexander argued that this position denied the divinity of the Word
and the Son of God and threatened the very foundation of the faith.
The Gospel of John comes to mind. Arius said this position amounted to
two Gods.

When the Council began the Arians thought they had such a solid case
that they would win the day if they could just explain their case.
However, when it became clear to the gathering that their position
denied the deity of Christ the mind of the council swung hard in the
favor of Alexander and the drafting of the Creed ensued.

Even though the Creed was crafted and anyone who refused to sign the
document was condemned as a heretic, the Arian teaching continued to
thrive after the council and made such a comeback that one of the
champions of the creed, Athanasius, who followed Alexander as Bishop
of Alexandria, was eventually exiled from his homeland by the Arians
for his Creedal beliefs. It would be a long time before the Creed
would take its prominence in the Christian Church.

Questions to consider:

The historian Justo Gonzales (The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1) tells
that the vast majority of those present (at the council) did not
belong to any of the groups (Arian vs. Alexander). He says, "They
bemoaned the outbreak of a controversy that threatened to divide the
church.."

1) Why do you think the vast majority of people prefer to avoid such
theological issues?
2) Is there anything to learn for the current Episcopal controversy?
3) Why do you think Arianism made such a come back even after
Constantine declared those heretics who followed the teaching?

[joseph]

This comment is from Jono Linebaugh. Joseph moved it under the first
topic heading.

This historical background is helpful. Understanding the context of
the
truths proclaimed in the creed helps to clarify their universal
meaning.

I would not that when the church looked like it would crumble, God
acted to
preserve the truth through a few faithful people. This should be an
encouragement for us in today's Episcopal crisis.

It is also interesting to wonder whether Constantine's edict actually
motivate some to turn to Arianism. Forbidden fruit always looks so
tasty!

[joseph]

Good point Jono on the possible effect that Constantine's edict had on
the Arian comeback. One historian notes that before Constantine put
the power of the state behind Christianity to enforce it's rules and
beliefs, the church settled issues within itself over a longer period
of time and certainly without the penalty of jail time for those who
disagreed with the church's/state's position. On the other hand, the
apostle Paul seemed to have no problem pointing out false teachers and
guarding acceptable doctrine so that the church didn't become a
"whatever" organization. Would anyone out there like to make a comment
on how the church can defend the truth of the gospel, either on the
local or national level, without using the heavy hand of power to get
its way?