Monday, January 16, 2006
Early Church Councils 300-500 AD
Christology of the Later Fathers, Volume III, Edward Rochie Hardie
“God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself” (II Corinthians 5:19)—the basic Christian conviction; Christians have argued over what it means.
5th cent. on—problem: how to maintain the humanity of Christ w/out obscuring his divinity.
1st 4 cents.—problem: how to assert the true deity of the God who acted through Christ w/out obscuring the ancient faith of Israel: “The Lord Our God is One” (Deut. 6:4).
(A)
End of 2nd century heresies:
Modalism—Father and Son are just two appearances of the same subject. Not distinct at all. a.k.a. Sabellianism
Subordinationism—Only God the Father is God in true sense. The Word is 2nd and subordinate.
Paul of Samosata, bishop of Antioch—the Word is an attribute of God.
**These beliefs were not excluded yet in 2nd century. Baptismal promise was “Do you believe in God the Father Almighty?” and “In Jesus Christ, the Son of God?” later “only Son of God?”
(B)
Origen—Jesus Christ the Word, born of the Father before all creatures. God is eternal, his Word (Son) and Wisdom (Spirit) equally eternal. Christ was a real man.
—In Christ godhead and manhood coexist, like fire and metal in red-hot iron. Yet, Hardie says Origen speaks of Son and Spirit as coeternal, yet not quite divine.
Key Greek terms:
hypo-stasis—that which lies beneath as basis of foundation
ousia—being or essence
homoousios—being of the same essence. The best description of the closest unity between the Father and the Son.
Dionysius of Alexandria—rejected homoousios as suggestive of Sabellism.
(C)
313 AD—Christianity legalized by Constantine; era of toleration.
Athanasius of Alexandria—during “pause” between persecution and controversy, writes Against The Heathen and On The Incarnation.
On The Incarnation—“Christ became man that man may become divine.” Restatement of the ancient Church’s faith in re-creation of a fallen world by the Word who made it in the beginning. Christ’s divinity makes his life mighty and his humanity makes it ours. Does not yet define the exact relationship between Father and Son; saves that for after the controversy.
Arius—4th cent. presbyter. Leader of Arianism.
Arianism—form of Subordinationism. Christ is a demi-god. Hardie: it’s not really a form of Christianity. The Word is the “first born of all creation” but he was created, nonetheless. Only God the Father has always existed, uncreated. First creates the Word/the Son/Christ, then creates Creation. The Word is above creation, but less than God. Not quite God or Man. Greater than man, less than God. Kind of like Superman.
Miss Dorothy Sayers’s poem describing Arius’s teaching:
“If you want the Logos doctrine, I can serve it hot and hot:
God begat him and before he was begotten he was not.”
Constantine—annoyed that Christians are arguing and can’t make up their minds. Problem in the West: Donatism. Problem in East: division over faith (e.g. Arianism)
—tells the Bishops to get together and have a Council.
Council in Nicaea (Nicea) 325 AD—2 important notes: (1) out and out Arians were a distinct minority. (2) no one was too comfortable with the introduction of homoousios into the Creed, but it was grudgingly accepted as a way to crush Arianism.
Homoousios—kept the Father and the Son equal, but fear was that it divided the Godhead.
Nicene Creed—uses earlier creeds/baptismal professions and adds anti-Arian anathemas into them.
—Arius and his buddies did not accept the Creed.
—The Creed is good, but raises new questions, e.g. “how are Father and Son, though one, also distinct?” and “how are we to think of the Son as really ‘made man’?”
(D)
Post Nicaea—The controversy is not over. 350—Constantius becomes sole emperor. Semi-Arian position takes the lead. Reason being: If Father and Son are equal (Nicene position), your Lord and King is Jesus Christ. If Son is less than Father, then your earthly Lord and King can be the emperor.
360 AD—all bishops in possession of their sees in East and West (those not in exile) accept a semi-Arian creed, leading St. Jerome to later say “The whole world groaned and was astonished to find itself Arian.” Ulfilas takes these Arian creeds to the Goths, and the Germanic peoples would be Goths for 3 more centuries.
(E)
361-381—important years
361—Constantius dies. New emperor is Julian the Apostate. At least imperial pressure was removed from favoring one Christianity over another.
Athanasius—is older now, a “lion”, Letters to Serapion defends place of the Holy Spirit in the sphere of the deity. Letter to Bishop Epictetus of Corinth asserts completeness of humanity of Christ.
Cappodocian Fathers—Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa
Basil—writes Against Eunomius, attacking Arianism, and On the Holy Spirit, asserting the deity of the Holy Ghost.
—Athanasius uses ousia, essence, to describe the godhead, and hypostasis, subsistence, for its expression in Father, Son, and Spirit.
One ousia and three hypostaseis=Three persons in one substance.
—Emperor Valens, ruler of East from 364-378, supports political Arianism. In 379, West Emperor Theodosius supports the co-equal trinity, ending political Arianism.
Council of Constantinople—381 AD. The Creed we say now that we call “Nicene” is actually Constantinopolitan. It is takes the Nicene Creed, and gets rid of the Anathemas.
Gregory of Nazianzus—this creed “completing in detail that which was incompletely said by them concerning the Holy Ghost.” This creed was a working baptismal creed, the original Nicene was not.
—The Council is putting its “seal of approval” on the works of the Cappodocian Fathers.
**The Armenian Church sticks with the original Nicene Creed, not Constantinople.
G. of Nazianzuas—The Father is known in the Old Testament, the Son in the New, and the Spirit in the life of the Church.
G. of Nyssa—In That We Should Not Think of Saying There Are Three Gods, says the divine actions are all those of the Father acting through Son and by Spirit.
—Cappodicians: emphasize the unity of the Three vs. Augustine: emphasizes the threefoldness of the One.
(F)
Appolinaris—Bishop of Laodicea. Wrote new psalms and scriptures. Consecrated a competing Bishop for Antioch. Started the heresy Appolinarianism.
Appolinarianism—heresy. The belief that the Word did not assume human nature. He only put on a human mask, or image.
G. of N’s reply: “What was not assumed was not redeemed.”
Cyril—from Alexandrian school, spoke in favor of the unity of Christ. God and Man are One Christ, united in concrete being, hypostasis, not just in outward appearance, prosopon.
**We are confused by this because Latin and English translate both hypostasis and prosopon as persona, person.
Nestorius—Bishop of Constantinople, accused of being a Nestorian (irony). He did, though, teach that Mary was just Christotokos, not Theototokos.
Nestorianism—heresy. Taught that the Word was two persons, the human Jesus and the divine Son of God.
Council of Ephesus—431 AD. Reaffirms the unity of God and Man in Christ in one hypostasis. Also, declares that Mary is Theotokos, God-Bearer or Mother of God, and not just Christotokos, Christ-Bearer or Mother of Christ.
Council of Chalcedon—451 AD. Pope St. Leo, Bishop of Rome’s, position wins. In Christ there are two natures and substances (physes and ousiae) united in one person (prosopon and hypostasis).
Monophysites—anti-Chalcedonian. Constantinople went Monophysite until Justin I became emperor in 518 and restored Chalcedon.
Severus—a Monophysite, opposed “In two natures”, but said that in Christ there is manhood consubstantial with ours and deity consubstantial with the Father.
“God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself” (II Corinthians 5:19)—the basic Christian conviction; Christians have argued over what it means.
5th cent. on—problem: how to maintain the humanity of Christ w/out obscuring his divinity.
1st 4 cents.—problem: how to assert the true deity of the God who acted through Christ w/out obscuring the ancient faith of Israel: “The Lord Our God is One” (Deut. 6:4).
(A)
End of 2nd century heresies:
Modalism—Father and Son are just two appearances of the same subject. Not distinct at all. a.k.a. Sabellianism
Subordinationism—Only God the Father is God in true sense. The Word is 2nd and subordinate.
Paul of Samosata, bishop of Antioch—the Word is an attribute of God.
**These beliefs were not excluded yet in 2nd century. Baptismal promise was “Do you believe in God the Father Almighty?” and “In Jesus Christ, the Son of God?” later “only Son of God?”
(B)
Origen—Jesus Christ the Word, born of the Father before all creatures. God is eternal, his Word (Son) and Wisdom (Spirit) equally eternal. Christ was a real man.
—In Christ godhead and manhood coexist, like fire and metal in red-hot iron. Yet, Hardie says Origen speaks of Son and Spirit as coeternal, yet not quite divine.
Key Greek terms:
hypo-stasis—that which lies beneath as basis of foundation
ousia—being or essence
homoousios—being of the same essence. The best description of the closest unity between the Father and the Son.
Dionysius of Alexandria—rejected homoousios as suggestive of Sabellism.
(C)
313 AD—Christianity legalized by Constantine; era of toleration.
Athanasius of Alexandria—during “pause” between persecution and controversy, writes Against The Heathen and On The Incarnation.
On The Incarnation—“Christ became man that man may become divine.” Restatement of the ancient Church’s faith in re-creation of a fallen world by the Word who made it in the beginning. Christ’s divinity makes his life mighty and his humanity makes it ours. Does not yet define the exact relationship between Father and Son; saves that for after the controversy.
Arius—4th cent. presbyter. Leader of Arianism.
Arianism—form of Subordinationism. Christ is a demi-god. Hardie: it’s not really a form of Christianity. The Word is the “first born of all creation” but he was created, nonetheless. Only God the Father has always existed, uncreated. First creates the Word/the Son/Christ, then creates Creation. The Word is above creation, but less than God. Not quite God or Man. Greater than man, less than God. Kind of like Superman.
Miss Dorothy Sayers’s poem describing Arius’s teaching:
“If you want the Logos doctrine, I can serve it hot and hot:
God begat him and before he was begotten he was not.”
Constantine—annoyed that Christians are arguing and can’t make up their minds. Problem in the West: Donatism. Problem in East: division over faith (e.g. Arianism)
—tells the Bishops to get together and have a Council.
Council in Nicaea (Nicea) 325 AD—2 important notes: (1) out and out Arians were a distinct minority. (2) no one was too comfortable with the introduction of homoousios into the Creed, but it was grudgingly accepted as a way to crush Arianism.
Homoousios—kept the Father and the Son equal, but fear was that it divided the Godhead.
Nicene Creed—uses earlier creeds/baptismal professions and adds anti-Arian anathemas into them.
—Arius and his buddies did not accept the Creed.
—The Creed is good, but raises new questions, e.g. “how are Father and Son, though one, also distinct?” and “how are we to think of the Son as really ‘made man’?”
(D)
Post Nicaea—The controversy is not over. 350—Constantius becomes sole emperor. Semi-Arian position takes the lead. Reason being: If Father and Son are equal (Nicene position), your Lord and King is Jesus Christ. If Son is less than Father, then your earthly Lord and King can be the emperor.
360 AD—all bishops in possession of their sees in East and West (those not in exile) accept a semi-Arian creed, leading St. Jerome to later say “The whole world groaned and was astonished to find itself Arian.” Ulfilas takes these Arian creeds to the Goths, and the Germanic peoples would be Goths for 3 more centuries.
(E)
361-381—important years
361—Constantius dies. New emperor is Julian the Apostate. At least imperial pressure was removed from favoring one Christianity over another.
Athanasius—is older now, a “lion”, Letters to Serapion defends place of the Holy Spirit in the sphere of the deity. Letter to Bishop Epictetus of Corinth asserts completeness of humanity of Christ.
Cappodocian Fathers—Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa
Basil—writes Against Eunomius, attacking Arianism, and On the Holy Spirit, asserting the deity of the Holy Ghost.
—Athanasius uses ousia, essence, to describe the godhead, and hypostasis, subsistence, for its expression in Father, Son, and Spirit.
One ousia and three hypostaseis=Three persons in one substance.
—Emperor Valens, ruler of East from 364-378, supports political Arianism. In 379, West Emperor Theodosius supports the co-equal trinity, ending political Arianism.
Council of Constantinople—381 AD. The Creed we say now that we call “Nicene” is actually Constantinopolitan. It is takes the Nicene Creed, and gets rid of the Anathemas.
Gregory of Nazianzus—this creed “completing in detail that which was incompletely said by them concerning the Holy Ghost.” This creed was a working baptismal creed, the original Nicene was not.
—The Council is putting its “seal of approval” on the works of the Cappodocian Fathers.
**The Armenian Church sticks with the original Nicene Creed, not Constantinople.
G. of Nazianzuas—The Father is known in the Old Testament, the Son in the New, and the Spirit in the life of the Church.
G. of Nyssa—In That We Should Not Think of Saying There Are Three Gods, says the divine actions are all those of the Father acting through Son and by Spirit.
—Cappodicians: emphasize the unity of the Three vs. Augustine: emphasizes the threefoldness of the One.
(F)
Appolinaris—Bishop of Laodicea. Wrote new psalms and scriptures. Consecrated a competing Bishop for Antioch. Started the heresy Appolinarianism.
Appolinarianism—heresy. The belief that the Word did not assume human nature. He only put on a human mask, or image.
G. of N’s reply: “What was not assumed was not redeemed.”
Cyril—from Alexandrian school, spoke in favor of the unity of Christ. God and Man are One Christ, united in concrete being, hypostasis, not just in outward appearance, prosopon.
**We are confused by this because Latin and English translate both hypostasis and prosopon as persona, person.
Nestorius—Bishop of Constantinople, accused of being a Nestorian (irony). He did, though, teach that Mary was just Christotokos, not Theototokos.
Nestorianism—heresy. Taught that the Word was two persons, the human Jesus and the divine Son of God.
Council of Ephesus—431 AD. Reaffirms the unity of God and Man in Christ in one hypostasis. Also, declares that Mary is Theotokos, God-Bearer or Mother of God, and not just Christotokos, Christ-Bearer or Mother of Christ.
Council of Chalcedon—451 AD. Pope St. Leo, Bishop of Rome’s, position wins. In Christ there are two natures and substances (physes and ousiae) united in one person (prosopon and hypostasis).
Monophysites—anti-Chalcedonian. Constantinople went Monophysite until Justin I became emperor in 518 and restored Chalcedon.
Severus—a Monophysite, opposed “In two natures”, but said that in Christ there is manhood consubstantial with ours and deity consubstantial with the Father.
# posted by SeanPatrick @ 2:42 PM 
