Glad Tidings
Volume 1 6, Issue 5
September/October 2012
Glad Tidings September/October 2012
Something To Consider ...................... p.3 by Sean Finnegan
Glad Tidings is published six times per year by
Seek Yahweh: Nomina Sacra the Replacement of God’s Name ....... p.4
Living Hope Ministries
International
458 Old Niskayuna Road,
by John Cortright
Latham, New York 12110 USA
Anxiety and Worry, Scriptures and Prayer ......................... p.6 by Mary Ann Yaconis The Congo Connection ....................... p.8 by Daniel Fitzsimmons Trinity Controversy 1: Alexander and Alexandria .................. p.9 by Sean Finnegan
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Website www.LHIM.org Glad Tidings is mailed free to anyone who requests it. Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted.
Mark these important dates on your calendar!! October 9-November 27 Isaiah (Part 2) BEC Living Hope Community Church October 19-21 Parenting Conference Living Hope Community Church October 26th Donald MacMillan Praise Night Living Hope Community Church October 27th Harvest Fest Living Hope Community Church December 27-30 Winter Teen Advance Frost Valley January 4-6 Young Adult (20’s) Advance Woodstock 2
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER: Praising God through Revelation We recently restarted our Final Words: A Study of Revelation class. Revelation provides much insight into the spiritual realm, living obediently, and the end times. It also contains a large cache of praise ammunition. From the jaw dropping vision of God’s throne room in chapter four to the description of New Jerusalem in the last two chapters, a variety of beings praise God repeatedly. What follows is a compendium of these texts, slightly revised to enrich your own prayer life. (All references are from Revelation.) You are the great revealer who showed Your servants what must soon take place (1:1). You are the alpha and the omega who is and who was and who is to come (1:4, 8). Sitting on Your throne, Your appearance is like jasper and carnelian (4:2-3). Surrounding You is an emerald rainbow, four living creatures, twenty-four elders, and myriads of angels (4:3, 4, 6; 5:11). From Your throne issue forth flashes of lightning and peals of thunder (4:5). The mighty six-winged creatures exclaim, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (4:8). The twenty-four elders fall down before You, casting their crowns and declaring “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created” (4:10-11). Every creature proclaims, “To You be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (5:13). The courageous martyrs call You, “Sovereign Lord, holy and true” (6:10). Your wrath is so great that the great ones, the generals, the rich, and the powerful hide themselves from Your face (6:16). One day, a countless multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language will cry out, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne!” (7:10). The angels, the elders, and the living creatures, once again will fall on their faces, worshipping You and saying “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen” (7:11-12). You will care for those who came out of great tribulation, providing them with shelter from the sun, food to satisfy their hunger, and comfort by wiping away every tear (7:15-17). At the last trumpet, loud voices in heaven will shout, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever” (11:15). The twenty-four elders will again fall on their faces and proclaim, “We give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty who is and who was, for You have taken Your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but Your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding Your servants, the prophets and saints3 and those who fear Your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth” (11:16-18).
The angel who proclaims the eternal gospel instructs all saying, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; Worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water” (14:7). Those who conquered the beast will stand beside the sea of glass with Your harps in their hands, singing the song of Moses and of the Lamb saying, “Great and amazing are Your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed” (15:2-4). The mighty angel who executes Your wrath will cry out, “Just are You, O Holy One, who is and who was, for You brought these judgments; for they have shed the blood of saints and prophets and You have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!” (16:5-6). The altar will join in with the words, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are Your judgments!” (16:7). After You judge wicked Babylon, the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven will cry out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God for His judgments are true and just; for He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of His servants. Hallelujah!” (19:1-3). Then the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures will fall down and say, “Amen. Hallelujah!” (19:4). Next, from the throne a voice will ring out, “Praise our God, all you His servants, you who fear Him, small and great” (19:5). Finally, a great multitude will declaim with the roar of an ocean and the boom of thunder, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory; for the marriage of the Lamb has come; his bride has made herself ready” (19:6-7). In the end, Your dwelling place will be with people. You will put an end to mourning, crying, pain, and death (21:3-4). You will make all things new (21:5). You are the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, the one who gives access to the spring of the water of life without payment (21:6). To the one who conquers, You will be his God (21:7-8). You will establish New Jerusalem, endowing it with Your glory and radiance, illuminating it with Your own light (21:2, 11, 23). You and the Lamb will be its temple (21:22). Your servants will see Your face and Your name will be on their foreheads (22:3-4). O Lord, the God of the spirit of the prophets, send Jesus soon (22:6, 21)! Grace and Peace,
Sean Finnegan
Seek Yahweh:
By John Cortright
Nomina Sacra - the Replacement of God’s Name
S
cholars and paleographers have come to realize that there are no extant manuscripts dated before 100 AD where the Greek Word kurios (LORD) was used as a surrogate for the name of God, YHWH. In fact, in all manuscripts (both Greek and Hebrew) dated earlier than 100AD, the name of God, YHWH, is used in the manuscript. It is found written either in Herodian Hebrew script of that era, a more ancient Paleo Hebrew script, or in some instances, rendered in Greek by the letters IAO. (See Glad Tidings Article Seek
Yahweh: The Tetragrammaton in First Century, July/August Edition, Vol 16, issue 4, page 4.) The question then becomes “What happened?” How and when did the name of God disappear from Scripture? Perhaps the early Christian use of the nomina sacra offers insight as to when this replacement occurred.
Nomina sacra means “sacred names” in Latin and refers to the traditions of abbreviating frequently occurring sacred titles in early Greek manuscripts. These contractions are indicated with over lines above two or sometimes three Greek letters. These are found in all early Greek manuscripts from the 2nd and 3rd centuries. “God,” “Jesus,” “Christ,” and “Lord” are some of the words designated with this feature. For instance, “Lord” or KYPIOC (kurios) in the Greek would be KC. (See examples on pg 5.) This practice of abbreviating the divine names was a uniquely Christian phenomenon. In his book, Encountering the
Manuscripts: An Introduction to New Testament Paleography and Textual Criticism, Philip Comfort writes, “Jews never wrote nomina sacra the way Christians did; the Jews did things differently for one divine name and one divine name only: Yahweh. Jewish scribes would frequently write this in its Hebrew contracted form (even in PaleoHebrew letters) and then continue on with the Greek text.”1 However, by the second century, in Christian copies of the Greek Old Testament, the divine name YHWH is no longer in the text. Rather, it is replaced with the abbreviated nomina sacra form of kurios. While all manuscripts from the first century contain the name of God, YHWH, none of the Greek manuscripts from the second century contain the Tetragrammaton. Rather, in all manuscripts, both Old and New Testament, the Greek word kurios is written in the contracted form of nomina sacra. This simple truth, as seen from these ancient documents, should grab our attention and help to identify the historical context as to when this change took place. Different theories exist regarding this change from the Tetragrammaton to the nomina sacra. In the Cambridge History of the Bible, Volume I, the authors state that “in Jewish copies of the Greek versions of the scripts, it was usual for the name of God, Yahweh, to be written in Hebrew letters, sometimes by a second hand, the place for it being indicated by spacing or dots. This treatment of the Tetragrammaton provided a 4
precedent for what paleographers know as nomina sacra in Christian manuscripts.” 2 Through his examination of ancient manuscripts, Philip Comfort offers insight, giving a time frame for the transition of the Tetragrammaton, YHWH, to the nomina sacra form of Kurios (Lord). “Interestingly, a transitional stage – between YHWH and KC – can be witnessed in P. Oxyrynchus 656 (… this codex is dated to the second century AD)… the original scribe left a four-letter space open in four occurrences where the name ‘Lord’ would appear, presumably for someone else to fill in the Tetragrammaton in Hebrew. But it was not filled in with the Tetragrammaton. Instead, the divine name was squeezed in by another scribe with the name KYPIOC. Evidently, there was no one qualified to fill in the space with the archaic-Hebrew form, so it was filled in with the Greek surrogate.”3 By the end of the second century, the Christian church had veered from the days of the early apostles. By this time, Judaism had experienced radical upheaval through the JewishRoman wars: the destruction of the temple in 70AD and the Bar Kokhba revolt (132 – 136 AD). The Christian movement had moved away from its Jewish roots and taken on a more Greek influenced form. Writings from some 2nd century church fathers reveal doctrines of Jesus being God or a preexistence. These doctrines, with roots in Greek philosophy, were beginning to make their way into Christian thought. (Continued on page 5)
(Continued from page 4)
Professor George Howard, Associate Professor of Religion and Hebrew at the University of Georgia, suggested that the removal of God’s name blurred understanding in the early church. “Once the Tetragrammaton was removed and replaced by the surrogate ‘Lord,’ scribes were unsure whether ‘Lord’ meant God or Christ. As time went on, these two figures were brought into even closer unity until it was often impossible to distinguish between them. Thus, it may be that the removal of the Tetragrammaton contributed significantly to the later Christological and Trinitarian debates which plagued the church of the early Christian centuries.”4
As the children of faith, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, and as worshippers of the one true God, whose name is Yahweh, may the church continually search for truth. May we, as workmen of the Word, seek Yahweh with all of our hearts and find the knowledge of God.
1
Philip Comfort, Encountering the
Manuscripts: An Introduction to New Testament Paleography and Textual Criticism (Broadman and Holman Publishers, Nashville, TN, Copyright © 2005). P. 202 2
Proverbs 2:1-5 My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the LORD (Yahweh) and discover the knowledge of God.
P.R. Ackroyd and C.F. Evans, Editors, The Cambridge History of
the Bible- Volume 1: From the Beginnings to Jerome (Cambridge University Press, New York, NY, Copyright © 1970). P. 60 3
Comfort, op.cit P.209
4
George Howard, “The Name of God in the New Testament," Biblical Archaeology Review, March 1978, pgs.12-14, 56
This manuscript is a 3rd Century (around 200AD) Greek Old Testament papyrus from the book of Ezekiel. Here in this 3rd century document, the name of God is not written in Hebrew as YHWH; but rather, it has been replaced with a nomina sacra form of the Greek word kurios as KC. This manuscript is part of the Chester Beatty Collection.
This codex is from Hebrews chapter 7:20-28. This papyrus manuscript is freely available online from the University of Michigan’s online collection of Papyrus #46. It is dated to the 3rd century and is one of the oldest extant manuscripts of the book of Hebrews. This Greek word for “Lord” (kurios) is written in nomina sacra form as KC. This verse is a quote from Ps 110:4, where in the Hebrew Old Testament, it is the name of God, YHWH. 5
Practical Application of the Book of Revelation By Mary Ann Yaconis
R
ecently, Rev. Vince Finnegan taught the first part of a class on the book of Revelation which became a very important topic of conversation this summer. Many have been curious and ask, “How do I practically apply the book of Revelation?” Thoughts were vocalized that considered: procuring survival gear and supplies; confusion about how to live now that the end appears so much nearer; regrets for not knowing the Bible better and living what we know; excitement at what is to come; and, across the board, plans to improve on living in a spiritual way. Almost all conversations covered an increased desire to heed what was taught to the seven churches and to love as Christ loves.
Recent political and social news, aging issues, and financial woes have begun a deeper physical awareness of the tenuousness of our circumstances and, in some way or another, effect our faith in expecting that Yahweh will provide. The problem lies for us to remain in faith and to be certain that we are listening to and applying God’s Word all the time. Having the vision of what lies
ahead, we at this juncture are pressed to take the next step which is obedience to what is written in the Scriptures. We are well aware of the basics such as not to steal, but to speak Yahweh’s truth, love our neighbor, etc. Yet, how are we with living by trusting in the holy spirit to guide and direct us all the time? We can know and live by the Word of God and live a life that closely resembles Christ’s example, but we will never truly be Christ-like unless we learn to live by being responsive and obedient to the holy spirit. Paul exhorted us not to be misinformed about spiritual matters.
1 Corinthians 12:1 Now about the spiritual gifts (the special endowments of supernatural energy), brethren, I do not want you to be misinformed. (Amplified Bible) It is so very important that we understand God’s Word to the point of having it not only stored in our minds for quick recall, but as habitual behavior. The Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation teach us how to live by the spirit so we don’t veer off the righteous path and get into spiritual nonsense. We need to be sensitive and respond quickly to the holy spirit and allow it to guide and
direct our steps, all the while checking that there is no contradiction of the Word. What causes us to fail is unbelief such as constant questioning if it is God comforting and guiding us or if God hears our prayers at all. Men and women of the Scriptures over and over again show us examples of how the holy spirit guided them and their obedience to that guidance. These examples help build our faith. In I Samuel 16:1-13, how did Samuel know the process so that David was the one anointed King of Israel? In Exodus 14, how Yahweh communicated with Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt is better than any action movie. Moses listened to and obeyed Yahweh to camp in the chosen place, to lift up his staff, and to be strong against the railings of the Israelites. How was Samson able to use the jawbone of a donkey to kill the 1,000 Philistines (Judges 15:9-20)? How did Daniel (Daniel 2, 4, and 7) and Joseph (Genesis 40-41) interpret dreams? What gave Mary and Elizabeth the prophetic words before the birth of their two sons (Luke 1:39-55)? How did Paul know to go to Macedonia but not other places to preach the Kingdom message (Acts 16:9-12)?
“As we live not in the senses realm but in the spiritual, we will have power over the evil one and be witnesses to all people of the coming Kingdom.” (Continued on page 7) 6
(Continued from page 6)
The answers are all one answer. The holy spirit is what guides and directs us while giving us godly power to bring the supernatural into the natural.
I Corinthians 12:1, 4-11 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
The evidences of the holy spirit listed here we have available to us right now. Speaking in tongues gives us the opportunity to pray in a perfect language with perfect words to Yahweh. We have the wisdom of God available in abundance. We have the ability to have faith, heal, and even be a part of miracles. Also, we have the privilege to bring forth prophecy and interpretation of tongues from God to bless the believers. Another specific benefit of holy spirit is to be able to discern spiritual matters which we will certainly need abundantly in these coming end times. Holy spirit gives us wisdom
which gives us power to overcome evil in this world. During our times of prayer, the holy spirit inspires us, gives us answers to our questions, heals us, and provides strength for the day at hand. We can try to go out and “be good” and do the kind deeds that God would have us to do, but without the holy spirit inspiring and strengthening us, we cannot sustain these good deeds. Nor are we able to sustain
The
the “harder tasks” such as forgiveness, patience, and standing against Satan’s evil. We tend to marvel at how Jesus was able to accomplish all that he did, i.e. bless five loaves and two fish to feed over five thousand people. Yahweh gave him a task to do, and Jesus through the power of the holy spirit was able to accomplish the impossible. So, the answer to the question of “How do I practically apply the book of Revelation?” is actually simple. The godly life we live now and in the future will be completely dependent on our faithfulness to live by holy spirit. As we live not in the senses realm but in the spiritual, we will have power over the evil one and be witnesses to all people of the coming Kingdom. We can live up to the exhortations to the seven churches only if we live by the spirit of God. We can know the Bible from Genesis to Revelation by heart, but that alone will not sustain us. If we add living in the spiritual power of holy spirit, we will be able to be overcomers.
MAC is BACK
Donald MacMillan (Our beloved brother from Grieve, Scotland) will be conducting a praise night.
October 26, 2012 Living Hope Community Church 7
Congo Connection
Believe like a Congolese By Daniel Fitzsimmons
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ore than once during Living Hope’s trip to the Congo, I found myself marveling at the faith of our Congolese brothers and sisters. One of their most enduring characteristics is that they are fully persuaded that God delivers His people in time of need. Despite their circumstances, I found myself envying their total dependence on God. I believe that deliverance in the Congo is more powerful because the need is greater and the options so few. When I need deliverance, I sometimes supplement my prayers with a solution of my own. Upon receiving deliverance, in my pride and arrogance, I’m tempted to think that maybe God wasn’t involved. In the Congo, the shame of thinking this way was truly realized and exposed as a lie.
Many of you have heard this story, but when our passports were collected upon entering Brazzaville, mine was returned without its proof of vaccination, which is needed by anyone traveling in central Africa. This was a big problem, and we immediately began praying for its return. The officials who cleared us for entry, who I imagined from experience were equal parts corrupt and indifferent, had nothing to gain by tracking it down. In the shuffle of five passports and the various documents from the handful of Congolese we were traveling with, I pictured it getting misplaced or fal-
ling to the floor in some government office. The chances of it being found and returned were slim to none. The only way out of this situation was an intervention by God, and I had no solutions of my own. And intervene He did. Twenty minutes after we prayed, the proof of vaccination was returned to me, and we were on our way. Only a fool would believe that in a place like Brazzaville, a small yellow square of paper would make its way back to its owner by chance and free of charge.
though there are no official numbers, it is clear just by driving around their respective cities that unemployment is endemic in both countries. The Congolese are rich. Many families walk miles and miles to attend church services. Other families adopt children and share with them what little they have. It is clear by spending time with them that their hearts are fully captivated by God and their hope is not bound up in circumstance but in the promise of God’s Kingdom to come. Who is richer: us or them? Who is poorer? Who is better equipped to lead a godly life?
Since I’ve been home, I’ve found myself repeating the phrase, “believe like a Congolese.” To me, the words mean returning to the base conviction that all Christians must have that God’s power is real. It means turning off my mind which has been trained to look for a solution without going to Him. The Congolese are poor. Many families live off of a few dollars a day. Other families rotate which of their children will eat on a given day. Al8
I encourage you to pray for our Congolese brothers and sisters, that their faith can grow even stronger and that God will supply their needs. I encourage you to pray for us, that we don’t become anesthetized by convenience and overly reliant on our own devices. The devil attacks each of us in different ways, and the same can be said about different countries on the fault line between the first and third world. As easy as it is to pity the Congolese, it’s more worthwhile to aspire to believe like them.
Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? James 2:5
logical acumen”(H.E. 1.5).2 Essentially, Arius was remarkably By Sean Finnegan brilliant, extremely disciplined, and very persuasive. He may have studied id Jesus have a beginunder Lucian of Antioch for a time. ning or has he always When he was in his late forties, he existed? This simple was ordained a deacon by Peter, the question was at the heart of the conbishop of Alexandria. Peter’s succestroversy that broke out between sor Achillas made him a presbyter Christians in Egypt in the early fourth when Arius was in his mid-fifties century. Alexander, the powerful whereupon he began pastoring a bishop of Alexandria, began teaching church in the Baucalis district in AlexJesus was eternal like the Father, andria. By the time the controversy while a number of his clergy strongly with Alexander broke out, he was disagreed with him and argued that already sixty-two years old and the Son was begotten and thus had a highly respected by everyone. This is beginning. Before long, the dispute evidenced by the fact that when he in Egypt spilled over into the surwas excommunicated, seventy virrounding regions of the eastern half gins, seven presbyters, and twelve of the Roman Empire and continued deacons immediately left with him to escalate until the Roman govern(Pan. 69.3.2, 5). ment officially endorsed one perspective while outlawing all others in A.D. 381. Although most informed Christians are taught that it was Arius that caused all the trouble, in fact, the historical record reveals a quite different perspective. To better understand what happened back then, we need to acquaint ourselves with Arius and the early years of the strug7 gle before the emperors started getting involved.
Trinity History 2: Arius
D
“We should not, therefore,
imagine Arius as a renegade priest, willfully flouting orthodox theology to spread subversive ideas about the Trinity.”
Born around A.D. 256 in Libya, Africa, Arius was a highly intelligent and devout Christian. Very little about his early life survives, and what we know was written by his enemies. Epiphanius calls him “unusually tall,” and said he “wore a downcast expression” but admits he “was pleasant in his speech…forever winning souls” (Pan. 69.3.1).1 Another historian, Socrates of Constantinople, said Arius was “possessed of no inconsiderable
Arius is typically painted as an outsider who endeavored to push upon the Christians of his time progressive ideas about God and Christ based on his philosophical sensibilities. Nothing could be further from the truth of the matter. Arius had already given his life in service to the church. He was not young and impulsive, nor was he progressive or liberal. His concern was to retain the faith he had received and that was already 9
accepted, especially by his own bishop, Alexander. In a letter to Alexander after his banishment, Arius claimed that his faith was “received from our forefathers and learned from you as well.” He goes on to detail the faith he learned from Alexander that there is “one God, the only ingenerate, the only eternal, who alone is without beginning, the only true God…He has begotten him [Christ] not in appearance but in truth and brought him into being by his own will” (Pan. 69.7.3-4). He continues, “But God is before all as a unit and the first principle of all. And thus he is also before Christ, as we have learned from you when you have preached in the church” (Pan. 69.8.2). So, Arius clearly did not think he was inventing anything new and had no problem saying so right to the man who was persecuting him. So what happened? How did Arius end up fired by his overseer? Apparently at some big meeting of Alexander’s, he made a public declaration. Socrates reports the following: He [Alexander], in the fearless exercise of his functions for the instruction and government of the church, attempted one day in the presence of the presbytery and the rest of his clergy, to explain, with perhaps too philosophical minuteness, that great theological mystery—the unity of the Holy Trinity.” (H.E. 1.5) Upon hearing Alexander’s exposition, Arius thought Alexander was teaching Sabellianism (an idea that the Son was the Father, popularized by Sabellius a century earlier (H.E. 1.5). Before long, word of (Continued on page 10)
Trinity History 2: Arius Continued... (Continued from page 9)
Arius’ disagreement got back to Alexander who asked Arius to meet with him (Pan 3.5). Once it was clear that he could not convince Arius, Alexander called together a council of presbyters and some bishops to officially examine him (in A.D. 318).3 Arius and many others (including some bishops) refused to sign the confession of “orthodoxy,” so the council, led by Alexander, publicly excommunicated nearly one hundred of their brothers and sisters in Christ. Upon this devastating turn of events, some of them travelled to other areas to seek help. The only way they could hope to regain fellowship with their home churches was to convince enough other bishops to confront Alexander. Quite a few bishops responded including Eusebius of Caesarea, the famous church historian, and the influential Eusebius of Nicomedia. Because Arius did not have the benefit of institutional support in his native Alexandria and the government was still uninvolved in Christian matters, his only recourse was to persuasion. He distilled his faith statement down to a short slogan, “There was when he was not” and popularized this truth as much as he could. Arius was no fool: he knew he
had Scripture and logic on his side, and he was not about to submit to Alexander’s heavy-handed tactics just because he held the title “bishop.” Arius’ only theological work that partially survives is called the Thalia, which means “Festivity.” He wrote it sometime between A.D. 318 and 321, during the tumultuous years leading up to the council of Nicea in A.D. 325. Here is how it begins: In accordance with the faith of the elect of God, God’s sage servants Holy and orthodox, who had received God’s holy Spirit, I learned these things from participants in wisdom, Skillful, taught by God in every way and wise. In their steps came I, stepping with the same opinions, The notorious, the one who suffered much for God’s glory; Having learned from God I myself know wisdom and knowledge. God then himself is in essence ineffable to all. He alone has neither equal nor like, none comparable in glory; We call him Unbegotten because of the one in nature begotten; We raise hymns to him as
“In Alexandria he [Arius] represented not only a conservative theology, but also a conservative understanding of his presbyteral role visvis-à-vis the bishop, and a traditional Alexandrian confidence in the authority of the inspired contemplative and ascetic teacher.”8
Unbegun because of him who has beginning. We adore him as eternal because of the one born in time. The Unbegun appointed the Son to be the beginning of things begotten, And bore him as his own Son, in this case giving birth. He has nothing proper to God in his essential property, For neither is he equal nor yet consubstantial with him.4 This poem goes on, but Arius’ primary point derives from a rocksolid confession in the fact that the Father begat the Son. Arius said, “If the Father begat the Son, he that was begotten had a beginning of existence: and from this is evident that there was a time when the Son was not” (H.E. 1.5). Arius grounded this belief on biblical, grammatical, and logical grounds. Although his opponents, even today, sometimes accuse him of twisting Christian doctrine to fit with Greek philosophy, R.P.C. Hanson, the author of a massive near thousand-page book on the subject, writes: “It is not just to dismiss him [Arius] as one wholly preoccupied with philosophy. The very fact of his eclecticism suggests that he has some ultimate purpose for which he is using the tools of philosophy, but which itself is not philosophical but theological. He was in his way attempting to discover or construct a rational Christian doctrine of God, and for this his chief source was necessarily not the ideas of Plato or Aristotle or Zeno, but the Bible.”5 Naturally, Alexander was enraged by Arius’ efforts to popularize his mes(Continued on page 11)
10
(Continued from page 10)
sage in Alexandria and abroad. As a result he sent seventy bishops a circular letter (Pan. 69.4.3), slandering his enemy. The tone of Arius’ Thalia and Alexander’s letter could not be more opposite. Rather than focusing on the issue, Alexander lambasted Arius calling him wretched, deranged, cantankerous, idiotic, ignorant, and impious. Alexander thundered, “Christ’s undivided cloak, which the executioners did not even wish to divvy up, they have dared to rip apart.”6 Alexander was intent to exculpate himself while accusing Arius of divisiveness. However, it was Alexander’s rash excommunication of Arius and the others that caused their outreach. In fact, before this time, many Christians who disagreed on this matter had no problem getting along. By making belief in the eternality of the Son a requirement for fellowship, Alexander began the polarization process that eventually ripped the church apart. Upon receiving the letter, some bishops refused Arius and his friends fellowship while others continued supporting them. Before long (A.D. 319), Eusebius of Nicomedia and a number of other bishops held another council in Bithynia (northern Turkey) at which Arius was vindicated as orthodox. They sent a letter to Alexander demanding Arius’ restoration. Around this time, Eusebius of Caesarea wrote to Alexander protesting how he was treating Arius. A couple of years later (between A.D. 321 and 322), Eusebius of Caesarea called for a second council in Palestine at which Arius was once again supported, and Alexander once more was entreated to reinstate Arius. After this, the whole issue was tabled for a while because the eastern emperor, Licinius, banned the meeting of bishops. But, once Constantine defeated Licinius in A.D. 324 and
became the sole emperor of both east and west, the issue came before him. Constantine wrote to Alexander and Arius urging them to reconcile. He condemned Alexander for asking his presbyters what each one thought on an “inexplicable passage” of the Bible that is “improper for discussion” (H.E. 1.7). He reproves Arius for rashly answering rather than burying his thoughts in silence. Essentially, Constantine argued that such subjects are too complicated to handle and that they are of “least importance.” In one sense, Constantine was right— it is far better to deal with doctrinal
foray into this controversy proved entirely ineffective, he was not one to give up easily. Where was this all heading? Will the bishops in the north successfully convince Alexander to readmit Arius? Will the emperor ignore the issue and focus on other matters? Will the question of whether or not the Son is eternal blow over? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding “No!” Alexander remained unyielding as ever, the emperor decided to stick his nose right into the issue, and the eternality question continued to fester and divide Christians for at least sixty more years. Next time, we will turn our attention to Constantine and the world-wide council of bishops he called at Nicea to decide on the issue once and for all (or so he thought). 1
Epiphanius of Salamis, Panarion: Books 2 and 3 (Sects 47-80, De Fide), trans. Frank
Williams (Leiden, Brill 1994). 2
Socrates Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History, trans. A. C. Zenos in the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers (Second Series), vol 2 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson 1999). 3
For a more detailed chronology see R.P.C. Hanson’s nine-point outline. R.P.C. Hanson,
The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God
Arius (256-336)
(Grand Rapids, Baker Academic 2007), pp. 134-135. 4
differences within the church through respectful and patient investigation rather than dividing over them and thereby destroying the witness of unity to the world. However, in another sense, he was dead wrong; this issue was not unimportant. Alexander’s theological speculation had nudged the church down a trajectory that would culminate in a full-blown Trinity doctrine, complete with so many abstract conceptualizations that few could adequately explain it. As one might imagine, Constantine’s letter was completely ineffective in persuading Alexander to lift the ban on Arius. Even if Constantine’s initial 11
J. Stevenson, A New Eusebius: Documents Illustrating the History of the Church to ad 337, trans. Stuart Hall, ed. J. Stevenson, rev. ed. W. H.C. Frend. (London: SPCK 1987). 5
Hanson, p. 98.
6
Kirchengeschichte Theodoretus, ed. Léon Parmentier and Günter Christian Hansen. Berlin: Akademie Verlag, 1998. (Translated by Andrew S. Jacobs in Christianity in Late Antiquity 300-450 c.e. Oxford University Press, 2004, pp. 160-166.) 7
Bart D. Ehrman and Andrew S. Jacobs,
Christianity in Late Antiquity 300-450 C.E. (Oxford: Oxford University Press 2004), 158. 8
Rowan Williams, Arius: Heresy and Tradition (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans,
2002), p. 233.
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Parenting Conference October 19 - 21 We are having a conference for parents of children of all ages (preschool through young adult). Come and join us for a weekend of exploring together what the Scriptures say on parenting and some practical help as well. Our theme verse is Deuteronomy 4:9. Deuteronomy 4:9 "Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. Surely, such a charge would not be given if it were not available to do with God’s help. In Genesis 18:19, God said of Abraham: “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” May He regard us also as faithful in these matters. Now Available to register online at lhim.org/register