The English Translation of the Nicene Creed - Essay Example

An Analysis of the English Translation of the Nicene Creed showing how Arianism Influenced the Creed’s Formulation The Nicene Creed was formulated bythe Bishops of the Catholic Church at the First Council of Nicaea convened in the year 325 AD. The main aim of the First Council of Nicaea was to refute the heretical teachings of Arius on the nature of Jesus Christ (Church Fathers: First Council of Nicaea, A.D. 325). Arius had denied the divinity of Jesus Christ, and he had claimed that Jesus Christ was a creature of God the father. This heretical teaching was called Arianism, after its founder Bishop Arius. This paper analysis the English translation of the Nicene Creed and shows how Arianism influenced the Nicene Creed’s formulation. To begin with, the English translation of the Nicene Creed begins with the words, “We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,…”1. In these beginning words of the Nicene Creed, the Nicene Council Church fathers affirmed that there is only one God, the Father. This formulation was actually influenced by Arianism and it was in made in response to Arius’ heretical teachings that could be interpreted to mean that there is more than one God. Although Bishop Arius had not explicitly taught that there is more than one God, he had, however, taught that Jesus Christ is not God and that he is merely a creature of God. Despite denying the divinity of Jesus Christ, Bishop Arius, however, advocated worshiping Jesus Christ (Holcomb, n.d). By denying the divinity of Jesus Christ and advocating for the worship of Jesus Christ at the same time, Bishop Arius implied that there is more than one God who deserves human worship. This is what made the Nicene Council Church fathers to explicitly state at the beginning of Nicene Creed that, there is only one God, the Father Almighty. The second element of the Nicene Creed, whose formulation was influenced by Arianism is the expression, “We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father,…”2. The formulation of this expression was actually in direct response to Arianism. The espression “eternally begotten” is central in the Nicene Creed. As we have said, Arius had denied the divinity of Jesus Christ on the ground that as a human being with material body, Jesus Christ could not possibly be eternal, like God the Father. Bishop Arius saw Jesus Christ as a creation of God, sent by God to earth to teach the humanity about God, and to save humanity from sin. Arius could not conceive how a divine God could have a beginning and could possess a physical material body like Jesus Christ. The Church fathers at the First Council of Nicaea therefore had to counter this erroneous teaching, and to formulate the correct teaching on the relationship between God the Father and God the son (Nicene Creed as the Basis of Catholic Faith). The First Council of Nicaea fathers taught that Jesus Christ is divine, and that He is eternal, just like God the Father. The Church fathers therefore formulated a teaching that Jesus Christ is, “eternally begotten”. By this expression, the Church fathers taught that Jesus Christ does not have beginning in time, contrary to what Bishop Arius had taught. This expression means that, although Jesus Christ, is actually the son of God, Jesus Christ, however is equal with God, and He is eternal like God the Father. This expression therefore was in direct rebuttal of the heretical teachings of Bishop Arius. The other element of the Nicene Creed that shows the influence of Arianism on the formulation of the Apostles Creed is the phrase, “Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, one in Being with the Father”3. To counter the Arius teaching that Jesus Christ wasn’t divine because he had a physical body and that he had a beginning in time, the Church father had to come up with a clear formulation, to show how Jesus Christ is divine. The formulation of this teaching wasn’t easy and for that reason, the Church fathers coined the Greek concept Homoousios (of the same substance). What this means in essence is that Jesus Christ is of the same substance with God the father (The Development of the Canon of New Testament- Arianism). In other words, the Greek concept Homoousios means that Jesus Christ is of the same divine nature with God the Father. This expression therefore in the English translation of the Nicene Creed is expressed the expressions, “ God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, one in Being with the Father”. The Church fathers therefore taught that Jesus Christ is actually one with God, and that He is God from God and of the same Being with God the father. Also, it was quite important for the Church fathers to assert that Jesus Christ wasn’t made or created by God the father as Arius had taught. Being of the same substance with God the Father, Jesus wasn’t made by God the father but He is begotten by God the Father. The formulation of this expression therefore was influenced by Arianism. Another expression in the Nice Creed that shows Arianism influence in the formulation of the Nicene Creed is the expression, “Through him all things were made”4. Having held that Jesus Christ is eternally begotten by God and that He is of the same substance with God the Father, the First Nicaea Council fathers had to show the relationship of Jesus Christ, as the son of God, with the rest of God’s creation. Arius had claimed that Jesus Christ is just a part of this creation of God. On the contrary, the Church fathers taught that it is through Jesus Christ that God the father created all things. This teaching shows that Jesus Christ participated in the creation of things, for it is through him that all things were created. Another expression in the Nicene Creed that shows the influence of Arianism in the formulation of the Nicene Creed is the expression, “For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven…”5 Since the Church fathers had held that Jesus Christ is of the same substance, they had to explain the mission of Jesus Christ on earth. Bishop Arius had claimed that Jesus Christ was just a messenger of God and not the son of God, of the same substance with God the father. The First Nicaea Council Church fathers therefore had to come up with a clear explanation on the mission of Jesus Christ, which would refute Arius flawed teachings on Jesus Christ. Having shown the relationship of Jesus Christ with God the Father, and the created things, the church fathers had also to show the relationship of Jesus Christ with God the Holy Spirit. For this reason, the following expression explains the relationship of God the son with God the Holy Spirit, “By the power of the Holy Spirit He was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man”6. To counter the Arius claim that a divine God cannot be born in a physical body, the church fathers had to give a teaching on how a divine God was born into the world. The Church fathers therefore taught that it was through the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus Christ was conceived and born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In conclusion, the above elements of the Nicene Creed are the main elements that show the influence of Arianism in the formulation of the Nice Creed. These elements influenced the formulation of the Nicene Creed a great deal. Reference Church Fathers: First Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325) - New Advent. Web Holcomb, J. Arius: Know Your Heretics. Web. Nicene Creed as the Basis of Catholic Faith. Web. The Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The Nicene Creed”. Web. The Development of the Canon of New Testament- Arianism. Web. Read More