Continued from above...
During this council, Eusebius the Bishop of Caesarea (as the spokesman for the middle-of-the-road group) attempted to settle it by submitting a confession of faith that according to some sources was an old Palestinian confession. It seems it had been used in instructing converts to Christianity and had doubled as a baptismal confession. Eusebius had hoped that it would suit everyone present at the council, thereby restoring harmony again. This confession of faith was in fact middle-of-the-road and non-controversial. The reason why I say this is because the vast majority present at this council (if not all) would have believed it. The problem was that whilst this confession suited the Arians and also the middle-of-the-road group, meaning it suited the vast majority at this council, it did not suit the up and coming trinitarians. This is because whilst they would have believed what it said, it also allowed for the beliefs of the Arians. In other words, this confession that Eusebius presented was theologically correct but was far too elastic - too all embracing. This confession was rejected whilst another was submitted (and eventually accepted) that condemned the Arians. The latter formed the basis of the orthodox trinity doctrine that came later. As far as our talks here are concerned, it is very interesting to examine the confession of faith that Eusebius presented at the council. We can read this today because in explanation of what had happened at Nicaea, He later included it in a letter to his parishioners. He wrote to them saying
“As we have received from the Bishops who preceded us, and in our first catechizings, and when we received baptism, and as we have learned from the divine Scriptures, and as we constantly believed and taught as presbyter and bishop, so believing also at the time present, we report to you our faith, and it is this:” (Eusebius, letter to his church, as quoted in J. Stevenson’s ‘A New Eusebius’ revised by W. H. C. Frend)
Eusebius informed his parishioners that the confession of faith that he personally had presented at Nicaea was the very same faith as that which he had been teaching them. He also said that it was what the other bishops before him had been teaching. This therefore had been the consistent faith of what we term today early Christianity. Notice that Eusebius said it was the faith that they as Christian leaders had “learned from the divine Scriptures” and had “constantly believed and taught”. This faith therefore was the norm. In other words, what Eusebius said he had presented at Nicaea (the old Palestinian confession) was, at that time, the common faith of Christianity. It was not something new. It should go without saying therefore that what Alexander and his group were pushing for (the up and coming trinitarians) was something new. Certainly it was something not generally believed then by Christians. It was therefore to Christianity, a new theology. Eusebius continued in his letter to his parishioners (this is the confession of faith he presented at the council)
“We believe in One God, Father Almighty, the Maker of all things visible and invisible. And in One lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God, God from God, Light from Light, Life from Life, Only - begotten Son, first-born of all creation,’ before all the ages begotten from the Father, by whom also all things were made; who for our salvation was incarnate, and lived among men, and suffered, and rose again the third day, and ascended to the Father, and will come again in glory to judge living and dead. And we believe also in One Holy Spirit.”
Adapted from a study on the subject of the term "begotten" by Terry Hill.
During this council, Eusebius the Bishop of Caesarea (as the spokesman for the middle-of-the-road group) attempted to settle it by submitting a confession of faith that according to some sources was an old Palestinian confession. It seems it had been used in instructing converts to Christianity and had doubled as a baptismal confession. Eusebius had hoped that it would suit everyone present at the council, thereby restoring harmony again. This confession of faith was in fact middle-of-the-road and non-controversial. The reason why I say this is because the vast majority present at this council (if not all) would have believed it. The problem was that whilst this confession suited the Arians and also the middle-of-the-road group, meaning it suited the vast majority at this council, it did not suit the up and coming trinitarians. This is because whilst they would have believed what it said, it also allowed for the beliefs of the Arians. In other words, this confession that Eusebius presented was theologically correct but was far too elastic - too all embracing. This confession was rejected whilst another was submitted (and eventually accepted) that condemned the Arians. The latter formed the basis of the orthodox trinity doctrine that came later. As far as our talks here are concerned, it is very interesting to examine the confession of faith that Eusebius presented at the council. We can read this today because in explanation of what had happened at Nicaea, He later included it in a letter to his parishioners. He wrote to them saying
“As we have received from the Bishops who preceded us, and in our first catechizings, and when we received baptism, and as we have learned from the divine Scriptures, and as we constantly believed and taught as presbyter and bishop, so believing also at the time present, we report to you our faith, and it is this:” (Eusebius, letter to his church, as quoted in J. Stevenson’s ‘A New Eusebius’ revised by W. H. C. Frend)
Eusebius informed his parishioners that the confession of faith that he personally had presented at Nicaea was the very same faith as that which he had been teaching them. He also said that it was what the other bishops before him had been teaching. This therefore had been the consistent faith of what we term today early Christianity. Notice that Eusebius said it was the faith that they as Christian leaders had “learned from the divine Scriptures” and had “constantly believed and taught”. This faith therefore was the norm. In other words, what Eusebius said he had presented at Nicaea (the old Palestinian confession) was, at that time, the common faith of Christianity. It was not something new. It should go without saying therefore that what Alexander and his group were pushing for (the up and coming trinitarians) was something new. Certainly it was something not generally believed then by Christians. It was therefore to Christianity, a new theology. Eusebius continued in his letter to his parishioners (this is the confession of faith he presented at the council)
“We believe in One God, Father Almighty, the Maker of all things visible and invisible. And in One lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God, God from God, Light from Light, Life from Life, Only - begotten Son, first-born of all creation,’ before all the ages begotten from the Father, by whom also all things were made; who for our salvation was incarnate, and lived among men, and suffered, and rose again the third day, and ascended to the Father, and will come again in glory to judge living and dead. And we believe also in One Holy Spirit.”
Adapted from a study on the subject of the term "begotten" by Terry Hill.
