Belief into Creed

"Heresy" raised its ugly head everywhere in the early Church. It caused serious debate and disagreement concerning Christian beliefs including.

·       the proper understanding of Christ’s nature,

·       What to do about those who had recanted their faith in order to escape death through martyrdom,

·       The human and divine nature of Jesus,

·       What books belonged in the canon and

·       The extent of what Jesus’ death on the cross had achieved,

and much more.

Thankfully the early Patristic Fathers, Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian, through their clear thinking and understanding, countered heretical arguments, and in doing so, preserved the correct or “orthodox” beliefs of the Church that had been first taught by Jesus and then by and through the Apostles.

These debates on beliefs were crucial as they provided the mechanism for the patristic fathers to put down in writing the correct beliefs of the Church in creeds and doctrines that stated clearly what it meant to be a believer and follower of Christ.

This didn’t happen overnight, it took place over a period of almost 500 hundred years, during seven great ecumenical councils between the years 325 AD and 787 AD.

The Council of Nicea (325 AD)

The First Council of Nicea was called in 325AD, by the Roman Emperor Constantine I. It was the first ecumenical council of the   Church, and its primary purpose was to address the theological controversy surrounding the teachings of Arius.

Who was Arius?

Arius was a 4th-century priest from Alexandria (Libya, North Africa) who rose to fame because of his theological teachings that denied the doctrine of the Trinity. Arius stated that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was not co-equal with God the Father, but was instead a created being. He argued that the Son was subordinate to the Father and had a beginning, while God the Father was eternal and without beginning.

The council was attended by over 300 bishops from across the Christian world. At the end of this Council, the doctrine of the Trinity was upheld as the orthodox (correct) position of the Church with the council declaring that Jesus Christ was of the same substance as God the Father.

*(Homoousion; is a theological term used in the Nicene Creed for describing Jesus as "same in being" or "same in essence" as God the Father. This term was also later applied to the Holy Spirit, designating him as being "same in essence" as the Father and the Son.)

After Nicea, Arius and his followers were declared to be heretics. Despite this, Arianism continued to be a significant theological issue in the early Church that rumbled on for several centuries.

This 1st council also established the Nicene Creed, which remains one of the most important Christian creeds to this day.

Other important issues were also addressed at the Council of Nicea, including the calculation of the date of Easter (and the reason why Easter and Passover don’t always coincide) and the relationship between the Roman Emperor and the Christian Church.

The Council of Constantinople (381 AD)

The second ecumenical council of the Church was held in 381 at Constantinople. It was convened by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I, to address a number of theological controversies that had arisen since the Council of Nicea in 325.

The council reaffirmed the Nicene Creed, established at the Council of Nicea 325, but expanded upon it by adding several clauses. These additions included a statement on the divinity of the Holy Spirit. This expanded version is known as the “Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed”, and is still used by many Christian denominations today. (*The filioque clause/filioque controversy remains today between the Eastern Greek Orthodox church and the Roman Catholic church)

The council also addressed other theological controversies, including the nature of Christ's human and divine natures and the doctrine of the Trinity. It condemned several heretical teachings, including yet again Arianism, which was still debated by many.

In addition to its theological findings, the Council of Constantinople also had significant political implications. It reaffirmed the authority of the bishop of Rome as the head of the church and recognized the primacy of the bishop of Constantinople as the patriarch of the Eastern Roman Empire. This recognition of the bishop of Constantinople's authority helped to establish the position of the Eastern Orthodox Church within the broader Christian world.

The Council of Ephesus (431 AD)

The third ecumenical council, “The Council of Ephesus” was convened in 431 AD. Its main purpose was to resolve the theological controversy that had arisen concerning the nature of Christ.

The council affirmed the orthodox position that

·       Christ was both fully human and fully divine

·       The Virgin Mary should be called "Theotokos," Greek for "Mother of God".

This decision was made in response to the teachings of Nestorius, the Archbishop of Constantinople, who had argued that Mary should be called "Christotokos," or "Mother of Christ," because she had only given birth to Christ's human nature.

The council also condemned several heretical teachings, including:

·       Pelagianism, which held that human beings could achieve salvation through their own efforts without divine grace,

·       The teachings of Nestorius. The council affirmed the unity of Christ's person and nature and declared that His “divine and human” natures were united in a single hypostasis, or person.

In addition to its theological findings, the Council of Ephesus also had significant political implications, as it affirmed the authority of the bishop of Rome as the head of the church and recognized the primacy of the bishop of Alexandria as the leader of the church in Egypt. This recognition of the bishops helped to establish the positions of the Roman Catholic Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church within the broader Christian world.

The Council of Chalcedon (451 AD)

The fourth ecumenical council the Council of Chalcedon, took place in 451 AD. Yet again its primary purpose was to address a number of theological controversies that rumbled on following the Council of Constantinople in 381, particularly around the nature of Christ.

The council reaffirmed the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed and declared that Christ was "perfect in Godhead and perfect in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting of a rational soul and a body." This statement, which is now known as the Chalcedonian Definition, became one of the most important statements of Christian belief regarding the nature of Christ.

The council also condemned several heretical teachings, including:

·       Nestorianism, (yet again) which held that Christ was two separate persons, one divine and one human, and

·       Monophysitism,

 * Monophysitism asserted that the person of Jesus Christ has only one, divine  nature rather than the two natures, divine and human,

 Monophysitism held that Christ's human nature was absorbed into his divine  nature. The council affirmed that Christ had two distinct natures, divine and   human, that were united in one person, without confusion, change, division, or separation.

In addition to its theological findings, the Council of Chalcedon also had significant political implications, as it affirmed the authority of the bishop of Rome as the head of the church and recognized the primacy of the bishops of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem as patriarchs. This recognition of the patriarchs helped to establish the positions of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Church within the broader Christian world.

The Council of Constantinople (553 AD)

The fifth Ecumenical Council was convened in 553AD at The Council of Constantinople II to address the theological controversies that had arisen in the Church since the last council.

Here the council condemned several heretical teachings, including yet again Nestorianism and Monophysitism, which had been addressed at earlier ecumenical councils. It also addressed a new controversy, which had arisen around the teachings of Theodore of Mopsuestia and Theodoret of Cyrus.

The council affirmed the orthodox position that

·       Christ had two distinct natures, divine and human, that were united in one   person, without confusion, change, division, or separation.

·       It also affirmed the orthodox position on the role of the Virgin Mary in the   Incarnation and declared that the title of "Theotokos" should be exclusively   used to refer to her.

·       It affirmed the use of images in worship

·       and declared that the Bishop of Rome had a primacy of honour but not of    jurisdiction over the other patriarchs.

Overall, the Council of Constantinople II helped clarify the orthodox Christian understanding of the nature of Christ, the role of the Virgin Mary, and the use of images in worship.

The Council of Constantinople (680-681 AD)

The Sixth Ecumenical “The Council of Constantinople III”, was convened in 680-681 AD to address the ongoing theological controversy around the nature of Christ.

·       The council affirmed the orthodox position that Christ had two distinct     natures, divine and human, that were united in one person, without     confusion, change, division, or separation.

·       It also affirmed the orthodoxy of the teachings of Pope Leo I of Rome,     particularly his "Tome," which had been issued in 449 AD and had been     widely accepted as an authoritative statement of Christian belief.

The council condemned several heretical teachings, including

·       Monothelitism, which held that Christ had only one will, rather than both a   divine and a human will. The council affirmed that Christ had both a divine   will and a human will, which were united in his one person.

In addition to its theological findings, the Council of Constantinople III also had significant political implications.

·       It affirmed the authority of the bishop of Rome as the head of the church and

·       recognized the primacy of the patriarch of Constantinople as the leader of the   Eastern Orthodox Church.

Overall, the Council of Constantinople III helped to further clarify the orthodox Christian understanding of the nature of Christ, particularly his wills. In addition, the council further established the positions of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church within the broader Christian world.

The Council of Nicea (787AD)

The Seventh Ecumenical Council, the Second Council of Nicea, was convened in 787 AD to address issues of the use of religious images, known as icons, in Christian worship.

The council affirmed the use of icons in Christian worship but condemned the worship of icons as a form of idolatry. It declared that icons should be venerated but not worshipped and that they could be used as aids to prayer and devotion.

The council also reaffirmed the orthodox Christian understanding of the Incarnation and the nature of Christ, affirming the teachings of the earlier ecumenical councils on these topics.

In addition to its theological findings, the Council of Nicea II also had significant political implications, as it helped establish the Byzantine Emperor's authority over the Eastern Orthodox Church. The council affirmed the authority of the emperor to regulate the use of icons in the church and declared that the emperor had the right to summon and preside over church councils.

Overall, the Council of Nicea II helped resolve the controversy over the use of icons in Christian worship and helped to further clarify the orthodox Christian understanding of the nature of Christ.

Collectively the seven ecumenical councils played a crucial role in defining the beliefs and practices of the Christian faith.

They addressed various theological controversies, including the nature of God, the nature of Christ, and the Holy Spirit (for us in the West) and the use of religious images in worship.

They affirmed the orthodox Christian understanding of these topics and condemned various non-orthodox or heretical teachings that had arisen within the Church.

The councils also had significant political implications, as they helped to establish the authority of various patriarchs and emperors over the church. Overall, the ecumenical councils achieved the goal of clarifying and consolidating the core doctrines of the Christian faith and shaping the future of Christianity for the centuries to come.

From the earliest days of the Church, Christians worked to develop short, simple summaries of the faith that we Christians today know and love as our creeds.

“The Apostles Creed”, a short personal declaration of faith that begins with the words “I believe”

“The Nicene Creed”, a more expanded corporate version that elaborates on our beliefs, beginning with the words “We believe”

Then there is “The Creed of St Athanasius” which focuses on the nature of the Trinitarian doctrine and the study of Christ (Christology). It was the first creed to explicitly state the equality of the three hypostases of the Trinity.

It differs from the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed and the Apostles' Creed in that it includes anathemas (a formal curse by a pope or a council of the Church) condemning those who disagree with its statements (the original Nicene Creed contained these also).

Have a great day, and God bless.

Trev.