1. Theology and Christology
Christian Creeds
Theology and Christology

2. Creed Creed comes from the Latin credo = I believe
It also refers to a statement of faith
It is a confession of belief, not a statement of fact
It is a statement of Christian belief about God and Jesus
Creeds summarize core beliefs and cherished values
Creeds reflect theology rather than history

3. Specific reasons for creeds
To answer questions such as:
Was Jesus God?
Was Christ crucified?
Did Yahweh create Jesus Christ?
Problem: If God the Father created Jesus Christ then God the Father was not always a father, meaning that God changed. By definition, God is not supposed to change, ever.
Did Jesus exist before creation?
How does the Holy Spirit come into all of this?

4. Why Creeds? Creed are a way of defending one’s faith- like an apology
As an apology
Defends Christianity as monotheistic against accusations of being polytheistic
Why? The Trinity – 3 gods? 1God?
How are they the same and how are they different?
The Christian creeds are the answer to these problems.

5. Christology Creeds address/answer questions about Christ
Creeds explain/define Christology
Christology
The understanding of who Jesus is
Christology is the term used for understanding Christ (Anointed One) and how the Anointed One is related to Jesus and to God the Father
There were diverse ways of understanding Jesus
Teacher, Prophet, Messiah, etc.

6. Council of Nicaea: Nicene Creed
First ecumenical council
Ecumenical council refers to worldwide gathering of Christian bishops
Purpose: Constantine wanted a church that had beliefs that would be catholic
Catholic means universal or everywhere
Issues discussed:
The relationship between God the Father and the Son
Church disciple and administration
Sources used: scripture (see warm-up)
Terminology: homoousios & homoiousios
Homoousios: means of the same substance
God the Father and the Son are not just alike they share the same divinity
Homoiousios: means of similar substance
Outcomes:
God the Father and the Son are of the same substance

7. Beyond the council of Nicaea
Even though Arius accepted the decision of Nicea, he was not readmitted to the church
He was accused of immoral conduct, supporting rebels against the emperor
Athanasius of Alexandria- Important leader
Human beings are meant to be a perfect reflection of God
But they lost this perfection due to sin
As a result, a new creation is needed
Jesus Christ came to the world restore humanity so that they reflect God’s image perfectly again.
Christ came to save humanity
In order for Christ to save, He had to be divine
As stated in the Nicene Creed

8. Unanswered quest. of Nicaea
“of the same substance”:
God the Father and the Son share an eternal substance different from everything else?
The three persons of the Trinity are without distinction?
Is the Son divine?
Did Christ have only a divine nature, or did he have a human one as well?
Was his mind divine, but his body human?
If Jesus was divine, did that make Mary the Mother of God? But how could God be born?
What about the Holy Spirit?- where did it fit into the picture?

9. The Council of Constantinople
Aka second great ecumenical council of the Church
Purpose: revise the Nicene Creed
Issues discussed: the Father and the Son share the same divinity
Arian interpretations are wrong
Outcome:
Jesus is “true God from true God, begotten not made, one in Being with the Father”
Begotten – generated from same substance like an embryo that carries DNA
Begotten can be considered an eternal thing – only in the case of the son
Created – made from nothing – like Adam in Genesis 1
Created cannot be eternal.
the Nicene Creed as it is today
This creed is recited during Sunday Mass