Pagan Rebellion and Christian Apologetics in Fourth-Century Rome: The Consultationes Zacchaei et Apollonii

1995 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 589-614
Author(s):  
M. A. Claussen
Keyword(s):  
Fourth Century ◽  
Systematic Theology ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Christian Apologetics ◽  
Christian Practices ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Trinity ◽  
Different Parts

Compared with other apologetical works from the early Christian period, the Consultationes zacchaei et Apollonii are surprisingly little discussed. One reason for this is that a lack of scholarly consensus regarding both the author and the period when the text was written has clearly limited its usefulness as a source for historians and theologians. But there is a second problem too: the Consultationes appear to belong to a number of different genres. The work, in different parts, has aspects of a standard apologetic treatise, in which the basic doctrines of Christianity are explained to a sympathetic pagan; of a sometimes rather specialised exposition of systematic theology, which is especially concerned with the relationship between the persons of the Trinity; of a rather mean-spirited attack on various kind of Christian enemies, from pagans to heretics to Jews; of an ascetic, or perhaps even monastic, tractate, which seeks toexplain certain Christian practices.

Dual Processions of the Holy Spirit: Development of a Theological Tradition

1999 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Nodes
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Fourth Century ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Principal Difference ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Back Door ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Trinity

The theology of the Holy Spirit waited through the early Christian centuries until the main doctrines regarding the Trinity and the person of Christ had been forged. Even then pneumatology was introduced ‘by the back door’, in Theodore Campbell's phrase, that of how the Son was placed in the Father, Son and Spirit confession. While prayers to the Spirit were not lacking in the earliest liturgies, still, at Nicea the doctrine ‘had been disposed of in lapidary brevity’, as Jaroslav Pelikan has described the credal line, ‘and we believe in the Holy Spirit’. ‘Nor does there seem to have been a single treatise dealing specifically with the person of the Spirit composed before the second half of the fourth century’. After Nicea, however, controversy concerning the Spirit erupted ‘with a vengeance’, producing the same kind of energy that had accompanied the Christological debates. Pneumatomachi, Tropici, and Macedonians, though losers in the fight for orthodox doctrine on the Spirit's nature, had mounted formidable campaigns, as Arians had done over the relationship of Christ to the Father. But disagreement over the Spirit had an even greater impact than Arian opposition in that the filioque remains a principal difference between the Catholic and Orthodox, and now Catholic and Anglican, creeds.

scholarly journals The Nature of Theology and the Extent of the Atonement

Perichoresis ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 3-18
Author(s):  
Stephen R. Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Fourth Century ◽  
Gregory Of Nyssa ◽  
2 Corinthians ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
Scriptural Exegesis ◽  
Biblical Texts ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
English Baptist ◽  
The Trinity

Abstract This article considers the post-Reformation debates over the extent of the Atonement. It traces the origins of these debates from the articles of the Arminian Remonstrance of 1610 through the declarations of the supporters of the Synod of Dort in 1618-19. The debate is then considered in relation to an English Baptist context, and specifically the exegetical dispute over the meaning of the word ‘all’ in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 and Romans 3:23-4. Three options are examined and the various difficulties in arbitrating between these various interpretations. Recognising these difficulties, the article goes on to explore the relationship between scriptural exegesis and theology with reference to the formulation of the ecumenical doctrine of the Trinity in the fourth century. It argues that while theology should always attempt to be consistent with the exegetical data on occasion it proves inconclusive, as in the case of the debate over the extent of the atonement. In such cases the role of theology becomes one of mediation as it seeks a way of reading the texts of Scripture that allows them to be heard without contradicting each other. Again, this is illustrated from the fourth century and the Christology of Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nyssa. Returning to the question of atonement with this understanding of the task of theology the article seeks to propose a way to reconcile the biblical texts which speak of the atonement as both universal and limited.

Martyria

2019 ◽  
pp. 88-104
Author(s):  
David L. Eastman
Keyword(s):  
Fourth Century ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Focal Points ◽  
Archaeological Evidence ◽  
Textual Evidence ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Christian Practices

Martyria served as spatial focal points for numerous practices associated with the early Christian cult of the saints. However, the archaeological study of these martyr shrines is limited by the lack of evidence prior to the fourth century, forcing scholars in many cases to rely on textual evidence for their reconstructions of spaces. This chapter studies the earliest evidence for martyr shrines in Smyrna and Rome, which is textual, in order to establish primitive Christian practices surrounding martyria. It then examines the archaeological evidence from martyria in Rome and Philippi of the fourth century or later. These sites demonstrate the continuing expansion of martyria as cultic centers. The chapter concludes with a caveat concerning the popularity of small, even private, shrines that are invisible to the archaeological record.

Was Barth a pro-Nicene theologian? Reflections onNicaea and its legacy

2011 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 347-359
Author(s):  
Paul D. Molnar
Keyword(s):  
Fourth Century ◽  
Systematic Theology ◽  
Trinitarian Theology ◽  
The Trinity

If this very weighty and important book did nothing else than establish the fact for modern systematic theology that the trinitarian theology of the fourth century cannot be understood properly by dividing Eastern from Western theology with the usual statement that the former begins with the three persons and moves towards the divine unity while the latter begins with the divine unity and moves towards the three persons, then something truly significant would have been accomplished (Nicaea, pp. 52, 384). Why? Because then one would not be able to trace a supposed modalist tendency directly from Augustine through much Western theology to contemporary theologians such as Barth in order to argue for a view of God's triunity which actually could undermine the full divinity of each of the persons of the Trinity who in reality exist eternally as three persons, one being. Consider, for instance, the remark made by Ted Peters that ‘There is no inherent reason for assuming that the three persons have to be identical or equal in nature.’ If one studies the development of fourth-century trinitarian theology, I think one would find many reasons to insist that the three persons are in fact equal in nature, among which are that any other assertion would undermine the divinity of the Son, lead to some sort of subordinationism or adoptionism (what Barth called Ebionite christology), and would ultimately strip the Gospel of its saving power.

Heavenly Scents

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Reinarz
Keyword(s):  
Fourth Century ◽  
Ancient World ◽  
Christian Tradition ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The Senses ◽  
Christian Practices

This chapter focuses exclusively on sacred scents and traces smell's role in the realm of religion, particularly the Christian tradition. It concentrates on the fourth century, when scent began to play an increasingly important role in early Christian practices. Initially, smells were present in ancient Christian texts, often as undercurrents within the text's larger purpose. Ancient Christians found numerous biblical models for experiencing a domain that lay beyond the physical senses but to which the senses provided access. Through sense encounters, people in the ancient world expected and experienced interaction with their gods, even when this implied communication with realms beyond the physically finite world.

Excursus I

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidney H. Griffith
Keyword(s):  
Eighth Century ◽  
Religious Discourse ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Seventh Century ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Systematic Theology ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Trinity

Greek and Syriac texts dating back to the late seventh century CE bear the earliest notices of emergent Islam recorded by Christians living in the conquered territories of the Levant. Formal conversations between representative Muslims and Christians were recorded in written notices by the early years of the eighth century. Theological treatises written by Christians first appeared also in the eighth century. This article examines Christian theology in the first ʿAbbāsid century and the relationship between Christianity and Islam throughout the period. It looks at the doctrine of the Trinity as a centrepiece of Arab Christian theology in the first ʿAbbāsid century and its role in the burgeoning systematic theology of the contemporary Muslimmutakallimūn. It also discusses a notable development in Islamic religious discourse in two places: Damascus in Syria and Baχra in Iraq.

Ritual and Early Christian Art

2018 ◽  
pp. 586-609
Author(s):  
Robin M. Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Physical Environment ◽  
Visual Art ◽  
Spatial Context ◽  
Wall Paintings ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Christian Art ◽  
Ritual Spaces ◽  
Christian Practices ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Core Part

Extant examples of early Christian art allow scholars to evaluate the relationship between ceremonial actions and the decor of the physical environment in which they transpired. Wall paintings in tomb chambers, relief carvings on sarcophagi, floor and wall mosaics, and other embellished objects were not simply didactic or indiscriminate decorative schemes, they depicted, enhanced, and interpreted the activities that were enacted in their presence. In such places, viewers were also participants, and thus the images they saw contributed a core part of their sensory perception of as well as a reflection upon the ritual’s purpose and meaning. This chapter considers the different ways that visual art in ritual spaces sometimes represents elements of certain early Christian practices as well as other instances in which the design and decoration of the spatial context provide a kind of commentary on the activity taking place within it. In some cases, the imagery in ritual environments may even serve as the continuing performance of the ritual itself, even after the living actors have departed.

Divine Causality and the Monarchy of God the Father in Gregory of Nazianzus

2007 ◽  
Vol 100 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher A. Beeley
Keyword(s):  
Fourth Century ◽  
Eighth Century ◽  
Systematic Theology ◽  
The West ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
Recent Debate ◽  
God The Father ◽  
The Trinity ◽  
Divine Causality

Gregory Nazianzen's doctrine of the Trinity has had a most unusual reception in modern times. Since the Council of Chalcedon in 451 Gregory has been honored with the title “the Theologian” for his definitive teaching on the Trinity in the late-fourth century. His influence was then strongly felt in the christological developments that continued through the eighth century, and his stature in Greek Christian tradition is comparable only to that of Augustine in the West, although his influence is felt there as well. Yet despite his acknowledged ecumenical significance, Gregory's theological achievement has often eluded modern patristic scholars and systematic theologians. Even the most recent wave of specialized work on Gregory and the current synoptic studies of patristic doctrine have tended to overlook major aspects of his work. One of the most acute points of confusion in current scholarship—and a matter of no little significance for Nicene theology—is Gregory's doctrine of divine causality and the monarchy of God the Father within the Trinity. The recent debate over this topic, I would suggest, reflects the extent to which Gregory's doctrine has yet to be assimilated in contemporary historical and systematic theology. In this article I will seek to clarify Gregory's doctrine of divine causality in light of its current reception and to give some indication of its wider significance.

Some North African Turning Points in Christian Apologetics

2006 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
W. H. C. FREND
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Fourth Century ◽  
Third Century ◽  
North African ◽  
Christian Mission ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The North ◽  
The Face ◽  
Important Means ◽  
Christian Apologetics

Apologetics take their place beside miracles of healing and courage in the face of persecution as an important means of furthering the early Christian mission. In the first two centuries AD, when the popular perception was that Christianity was closely allied to Judaism, the argument from Old Testament prophecy was important. In the third century, however, as the Church gained ground among the educated classes in east and west, the emphasis changed to an attempt to demonstrate the superiority of Christianity over its pagan rivals as a philosophy with a more convincing understanding of the role of providence. Apologists in the north African tradition, Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Arnobius and Lactantius, all played their part in this process. The prophecies of the Old Testament had to be confirmed by other prophecies, notably the Sibylline oracles and the sayings of Hermes Trismegistus. Finally, in the fourth century, many north Africans who, like Augustine for ten years, adhered to Manichaean Christianity relied wholly on these authorities, rejecting the Old Testament altogether.

Civilizations of the Supernatural: Witchcraft, Ritual, and Religious Experience in Late Antique, Medieval, and Renaissance Traditions

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Religious Experience ◽  
Late Antiquity ◽  
Late Antique ◽  
Erotic Love ◽  
Cultural Traditions ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Christian Culture ◽  
The Relationship

Civilizations of the Supernatural: Witchcraft, Ritual, and Religious Experience in Late Antique, Medieval, and Renaissance Traditions brings together thirteen scholars of late-antique, medieval, and renaissance traditions who discuss magic, religious experience, ritual, and witch-beliefs with the aim of reflecting on the relationship between man and the supernatural. The content of the volume is intriguingly diverse and includes late antique traditions covering erotic love magic, Hellenistic-Egyptian astrology, apotropaic rituals, early Christian amulets, and astrological amulets; medieval traditions focusing on the relationships between magic and disbelief, pagan magic and Christian culture, as well as witchcraft and magic in Britain, Scandinavian sympathetic graphophagy, superstition in sermon literature; and finally Renaissance traditions revolving around Agrippan magic, witchcraft in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and a Biblical toponym related to the Friulan Benandanti’s visionary experiences. These varied topics reflect the multifaceted ways through which men aimed to establish relationships with the supernatural in diverse cultural traditions, and for different purposes, between Late Antiquity and the Renaissance. These ways eventually contributed to shaping the civilizations of the supernatural or those peculiar patterns which helped men look at themselves through the mirror of their own amazement of being in this world.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document