Nicene Creeds: Origins?

[Archaea]

Thanks, it's ordered and should be here next week.

By the way, re-read James's The Will To Believe, it's a fantastic essay, discussing many of the things we discuss here.

Also, Professor Gadamer's Truth and Method is fantastic as well.

[Solon]

Originally Posted by All-American

homoiousia, to be distinguished from homoousia

This is the origin of the expression "[not] one iota of difference . . . " It's a small orthographic, but huge doctrinal difference. FWIW.

[ChinoCoug]

My class notes from Philosophy of Religion class (upper-division one):

Constantine wants peace in kingdom, not interested in theology.

Issue at hand: Challenge of maintaining monotheism, and yet still believe in Jesus. Arius: Jesus subordinate. Athanasius: distinct, one substance.

Constantine intervention: Why not use homoousious? (same substance) Seen as most important non-Biblical word in Christian history.

It's possible Constantine died an Arian

[All-American]

Originally Posted by ChinoCoug

My class notes from Philosophy of Religion class (upper-division one):

Constantine wants peace in kingdom, not interested in theology.

Issue at hand: Challenge of maintaining monotheism, and yet still believe in Jesus. Arius: Jesus subordinate. Athanasius: distinct, one substance.

Constantine intervention: Why not use homoousious? (same substance) Seen as most important non-Biblical word in Christian history.

It's possible Constantine died an Arian

It's also possible that he died a pagan. Sure, he was baptized on his deathbed, but you have to admit . . .

[ChinoCoug]

Originally Posted by All-American

It's also possible that he died a pagan. Sure, he was baptized on his deathbed, but you have to admit . . .

fine

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by All-American

It's also possible that he died a pagan. Sure, he was baptized on his deathbed, but you have to admit . . .

But did he receive total consciousness?

[Sleeping in EQ]

Originally Posted by All-American

Origen predates the council of Nice, and is most known for having established his school at Caesarea, where Eusebius would later become bishop. Origen believed that the Father and the Son were of seperate but alike substances-- homoiousia, to be distinguished from homoousia, to be of the same substance. Eusebius was an admirer of Origen and seemed to be a proponent of his teachings. The debate of the Nicene council was essentially between the ideas of homoousia and homoiousia; the fate of the world hung on a diphthong. You'll notice that the Nicene creed doesn't really solve the problem. Athanasius, the bishop of Alexandria, would eventually win out the politicking battle and homoiousia was made heretical by the Athanasian creed.

AA has the crux of it here. I'll add, though, that in the discussion of homoiousia and homoousia, the question of the division of the substance is central. Is the substance divided or undivided? The language of Hebrews 1:1 is that of a signet ring and sealing wax, with Jesus being the impress, or the seal, of the Father.