The Threatened Series - 11

Notes on the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed:

1.  "We believe in one God" not two gods, or three gods, or a
multiplicity of gods.  The most basic tenet of Christianity, deriving
from Judaic monotheism.  The clause specifically refutes: (a) the
Dualists - those who, like the Manichæans, believe in two gods, a good
one and an evil one, thus seeking to explain the mixture of good and
evil in the universe;  (b) the Tritheists - those who separate the
three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to the extent of making
them three separate gods;  (c)  the polytheists, those who believe in a
pantheon of several gods.

2.  "the Father" - the distinctive word which Jesus frequently uses to
indicate the relationship of God to humanity.  Cf.  Matthew 6:9, "Our
Father", Matthew 22:42, 23:34, 23:46 and many other places.  He seems
in fact to have used the familiar form, "Abba" ("Daddy"), Mark 14:36; 
cf. Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6.
 
3.  "All-sovereign" - all-powerful, omnipotent.  This of course raises
the question why an omnipotent and all-good God should tolerate evil. 
The question is much discussed, but (at least in orthodox Christian
circles) takes as its starting-point God's omnipotence.

4.  "maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and
invisible"  Cf.  Genesis 1:1, the very first words of the Bible:  "In
the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  This refutes any
notion of dualism, i.e. the idea that there are two gods, one good god,
the creator of heaven and the spiritual realm, and an evil god, the
creator of the earth, matter, the carnal realm.  Such ideas were held
e.g. by the Manichees.  The sole creatorship of God is emphasised in
the phrase "and of all things visible and invisible".  God is the
creator of the physical, visible world - the earth, the stars, animals,
plants, people - and of the invisible realm of spirits - angels, even
devils.

5.  "And in one Lord Jesus Christ" "Lord" (Kyrios) is the title applied
to Jesus in the NT.  Cf. especially Philippians 2:9-11, "Therefore God
raised him to the heights and bestowed on him the name above all names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow - in heaven, on earth,
and in the depths - and every tongue acclaim, 'Jesus Christ is Lord,'
to the glory of God the Father."  "Jesus"  is the name bestowed by
divine command (Luke 1:31, Matthew 1:21) on the infant Christ.  It is
the Greek form of the Hebrew "Joshua" and means "Yahweh saves". 
"Christ" renders the Hebrew "Messiah", "The Anointed One".  This term
is used in the OT for someone set apart for a particular function,
particularly a priest (cf. Leviticus 4:3), a king (cf. 1 Samuel 10:1)
or even a prophet (cf. Isaiah 61:1) - all of which roles Christ is held
to fulfil.


6.  "the only-begotten Son of God" cf. John's Gospel, 1:14 "the
only-begotten of the Father".

7.  "Begotten of the Father before all the ages"  The Son was not
begotten in time, but is eternally begotten (the modern translation). 
Cf. John 1:1, "In the beginning the Word already was" and 1 John 1:1,
"It was there from the beginning."

8.  "Light of Light"  stressing equality with the Father, the source of
all light.  Cf. Gregory of Nazianzus' critique of Apollinarius:
" . . . people should know that Apollinarius, while granting the Name
of Godhead to the Holy Ghost, did not preserve the power of the
Godhead.  For to make the Trinity consist of Great, Greater and
Greatest, as of Light, Ray, and Sun, the Spirit and the Son and the
Father (as is clearly stated in his writings), is a ladder of Godhead
not leading to Heaven, but down from Heaven."


9.  "true God of true God"  emphasising the total divinity of the Son,
in every way equal to that of the Father.

10.  "begotten not made"  - the Son is not a creature.

11. "of one substance [homoousios] with the Father" - the watchword of
Nicene orthodoxy, and hence the most discussed word in the creed.

12. "through whom all things were made" Cf. John 1:3, "All things were
made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made."
 
13.   "who for us men and for our salvation came down from the heavens,
and was made flesh of the Holy Spirit and [note the conjunction] the
Virgin Mary, and became man"  -  "of the Holy Spirit AND the Virgin
Mary".  The Latin "de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine" and the English
"By the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary" sets up a distinction between
the work of the human and divine partners which is not there in the
original.  Still more misleading is the modern "By the power of the
Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary" - which makes it
appear that the Holy Spirit was the active partner, and Mary merely
passive.  In the original, the willing and active participation of both
partners is safeguarded.  Worst of all is the American translation, "by
the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary."  We are
concerned with the miraculous conception of Christ, not his birth,
which followed in the natural way. 

14.  "and was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and
was buried"  Unlike the Apostles' Creed, the N-C does not actually
insist on Christ's death, although this is just as much a credal
statement as his resurrection.  In fact the resurrection is much better
attested than the death.   Saint Paul writes "that he was raised on the
third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to
Cephas [Peter], then to the twelve.  Then he appeared to more than five
hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some
have fallen asleep.  Then he appeared to James, then to all the
apostles.  Last of all . . . he appeared also to me." (1 Corinthians
15:4-8).  Someone unwilling to believe in the resurrection, but also
unwilling to call St Paul a downright liar, would naturally question
whether Christ had in fact been dead.  What doctor had examined him and
pronounced him clinically dead?  It was, I believe, the opinion of
Robert Graves that Christ survived the crucifixion.  I cannot agree
with him;  I simply raise the point to demonstrate that it is not the
case that the death of Christ is a historically attested fact, and the
resurrection merely a credal assertion.  The modern "translation" has,
in fact, "he suffered death and was buried." 

15.  "and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures"  The
creed does not specify which Scriptures actually predict the
resurrection.  Perhaps Isaiah 52:13, "Behold, my servant shall prosper,
he shall be exalted and lifted up."  The phrase is however taken from 1
Corinthians 15:4, "that he was raised on the third day in accordance
with the scriptures."

16.   "and ascended into the heavens" - cf. Luke 24:51, Acts 1:9, Mark
16:19 [probably an addition to Mark's text].
 
17.  "and sitteth on the right hand of the Father" - cf. Mark 16:19
"and sat down at the right hand of God."

18.  "and cometh again with glory to judge living and dead"  Cf.
Matthew 25:31 ff, and many other texts;  especially, for "living and
dead",  1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

19.  "of whose kingdom there shall be no end" - cf. Daniel 7:14, "his
dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away."

20.  "And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and the Life-giver."  The "Creed
of Nicea" had simply stated "And in the Holy Spirit".  Here he is
called "Lord" to establish his equality with Father and Son. 
"Life-giver" perhaps from Genesis 2:7, "Then the Lord God formed man of
dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath [ =
spirit] of life."

21.  "that proceedeth from the Father"  The original text does not say
"and from the Son" [filioque];  this is a later insertion by the
western Church, and is one of the main causes of division between east
and west.

22.  "who with the Father and Son is worshipped together and glorified
together" emphasising the equality between the three persons of the
Trinity. 

23.  "who spake through the prophets"  The Holy Spirit is claimed to be
the true author of the scriptures, who "inspired" the prophets to say
what they did.

24.  "In one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church"  the four so-called
'notes' of the Church:  it is one, because Christ founded only one
Church, which is his body (1 Corinthians 12:27);  holy, because set
apart by God;  cf. 1 Peter 2:9, "But you are a chosen race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people";  Catholic, because it is
for all people, at all times and in all places;  Apostolic, because
founded on the teaching and order of the apostles.

25.  "We acknowledge one baptism unto remission of sins."  And
consequently do not re-baptise.  St Augustine remarks that the
Donatists show themselves to be a sect by wishing to re-baptise the
Catholics.

26.  "for a resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come."
 The Christian hope.  Cf. the article "resurrection of the dead" in
ODCC:

"The doctrine of resurrection appears in a few late passages in the OT;
 it was held by many Jews at the time of Christ's ministry;  and it was
clinched for Christian believers by the Resurrection of Christ
himself."

This, then, has been a brief and doubtless inadequate commentary on the
Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, which is still considered normative
for Christian belief today.

Oriens.
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