Torrance, T. F. (1981). The Incarnation: ecumenical studies in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed A.D. 381. Edinburgh: Handsel Press.
I believe in one God, the Father almighty,
Torrance gives evidence that upon drafting the Nicene Creed Aryanism and Gnosticism denies Jesus as a true man. The Nicene Creed of 325 was during the period of Arians converting the Northern barbarians. Originally, the Athanasius possess authority of the Creed and the inhabitants regard it as equal of the Bible since it is a third Christian sacred book. In A.D 381 Constantinople adopts the Nicene Creed. Elders in the early Presbyterian Church held that the Father begot the Son and together they gave the world shape because it was void and shapeless as detail in the book of Genesis chapter one verses one. The Nicene Creed teaches that all people should confess to the Lord Jesus Christ since he is similar with God the Father. In John, 1:14 (O’ Collins 17) elaborates that the Son comes from the Father and God reveals him upon the earth.
Begotten by the father before all ages
According to Torrance this stanza, illustrate that the Father and the Son have been in existence since the formation of the world. Matthew 24:3 (O’ Collins 22) refers to Jesus explanation on matters about the future events.
Pickstock, C. (1994). Asyndeton: Syntax and Insanity. A Study of The Revision Of The Nicene Creed. Modern Theology, 10(4), 321-340.
Light of Light; true God of true God;
Pickstock elaborate that the heresy Athanasius assumes that light was instantaneous emerging from the rays of the sun. The light and sun coexist eternally just like the Father and the Son. John 14:9(O’ Collins 39) says that he who has seen Jesus has seen God. In retro respect when one sees the light, one has already seen the sun.
Hunter, H. D. (1992). Confessing The One Faith: An Ecumenical Explication Of The Apostolic Faith As It Is Confessed In The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (381) Faith And Order Paper, No. 153 (Geneva: World Council Of Churches Publications, Revised Edition, 1991), 139 Pp. ISBN. Pneuma, 14(1), 204-208.
True God from true God, begotten not made,
Hunter argues that this stanza disclaims Arius teaching that the Father creates the Son. Arius says that the Son is inferior to the Father since the Father begets the Son. Athanasius offers that a son has the capability to resemble his father. Hunter suggests that begotten refers to an eternal process not limited to time. God has a timeless relation with the Son since both are eternal.
Louth, A. (1983). The Incarnation: Ecumenical Studies In The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. Edited By T. F. Torrance. Edinburgh, Handsel Press, 1981. Pp. Xxii + 180. £6.50.. Scottish Journal of Theology , 36(01), 111.
Of one essence with the father
Louth suggests that the Son is consubstantial with the Father. The Arians denied the fact that the Son of God and the father were the same. Arians held that the Son had the rank of Angels.
Staats, R. (1981). The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed As A Foundation For Church Unity? Protestant Thoughts On Its Centenary, 1981. Irish Theological Quarterly, 48(3-4), 212-227.
Through him all things were made
The bible asserts in John 1:3(O’ Collins 37) that the Son is an agent through whom all beings are made. In essence, the Son is not a creating thing but an agent of creation. In this light, the council of Nicaea urges the bishop to translate the version to the Father by whom all things were made.
For us and our salvation
The older translation was for us men. The Greeks and Latin applied man to include both human genders. The feminist should not complain of the sexist language.
He came down from heaven: He suffered and was buried.
The Nicene fathers left a loophole for the people that want to believe that Jesus swoon on the cross.
The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed: a resource prepared by the Office of Theology and Worship. (1998). Louisville, Ky.: Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Office of Theology and Worship.
On the third day, he rose again 1Corinthians 15:4(O’ Collins 117) Jesus appears to the disciples upon resurrection. This verse acts as a fulfillment of the scriptures.
Reference
O’ Collins, Gerald. Christology A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic Study of Jesus. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.
