Reformed Churchmen

We are Confessional Calvinists and a Prayer Book Church-people. In 2012, we remembered the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; also, we remembered the 450th anniversary of John Jewel's sober, scholarly, and Reformed "An Apology of the Church of England." In 2013, we remembered the publication of the "Heidelberg Catechism" and the influence of Reformed theologians in England, including Heinrich Bullinger's Decades. For 2014: Tyndale's NT translation. For 2015, John Roger, Rowland Taylor and Bishop John Hooper's martyrdom, burned at the stakes. Books of the month. December 2014: Alan Jacob's "Book of Common Prayer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Common-Prayer-Biography-Religious/dp/0691154813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417814005&sr=8-1&keywords=jacobs+book+of+common+prayer. January 2015: A.F. Pollard's "Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation: 1489-1556" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-English-Reformation-1489-1556/dp/1592448658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420055574&sr=8-1&keywords=A.F.+Pollard+Cranmer. February 2015: Jaspar Ridley's "Thomas Cranmer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-Jasper-Ridley/dp/0198212879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422892154&sr=8-1&keywords=jasper+ridley+cranmer&pebp=1422892151110&peasin=198212879

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

25 Feb 484: Huneric, Arians, Anglicans, Articles & Nicene Creed

25 February 484. Vandal King, Huneric, rules in favor of Arianism. Mr. (Dr.) Rusten tells the story with a few of our musings throughout.

Rusten, E. Michael and Rusten, Sharon. The One Year Christian History. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2003.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Year-Christian-History-Books/dp/0842355073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393302630&sr=8-1&keywords=rusten+church+history

The backstory.

In the early 4th century, the Alexandrian Arius, advocated his views that denied the eternality of the Word, Jesus Christ. There was a time when Jesus ούχ ήν, or, “was not.” (For the Greek-students, we could not get the punctuation correct in this forum, ήν.) The Nicene Council met and ruled in 325 A.D. The Nicene Creed has been confessed as Scripturally warranted in both the East and West since then.

Constantine the Great called the Council. He held up the Scriptures and said, “Let all things be settled by this Book.” The East and the West has, since 325 A.D., upheld the Nicene Creed.

This historic Anglican faith has retained this 4th century Confession and Creed since then, notably, in the service for Holy Communion. The Nicene Creed was reaffirmed by Article VIII of the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, 1571 A.D. It is notable that the Anglican Article uses Scripture to justify reception of the Creed and not the reverse, to wit, because the Church said-so.



It still boggles the mind to think of this being "confessed" weekly in Holy Communion (like many orthodox hymns being sung). Yet, it happens throughout the US, UK and Canada.

But, in the 4th and 5th centuries there were some Germanic tribes that embraced “Arianism” and rejected the Nicene Creed.

In 429 A.D., King Gaiseric, a king of Vandals, led 80,000 troops out of Spain and conquered portions of northern Africa. In suing for peace, the Roman Empire ceded land by treaty. In 433, Gaiseric took Carthage. In 455, he sacked Rome, primarily—as is usual (like the later Islamic quests)—driven by greed, covetousness, tax-tributes and personal glory.

Gaiseric’s son, Huneric, took power after his father’s death in 477. He fleeted up. Huneric, the son and new king, was an Arian. He used his power to force Nicene bishops to adopt Arianism.

He ordered a debate on 1 Feb 483 A.D. to settle the issue and show the superior merits of Arianism. According to Rusten’s telling, 100s of bishops from both sides appeared (112). We think this number rather large and Mr. (Dr.) Rusten provides no sources. The Arian bishops issued technicalities that forestalled debate.

Apparently, there was an uproar (somewhere, but Rusten doesn’t tell us). Huneric declared that “Catholic bishops were taking it upon themselves, with consummate foolishness, to throw everything into confusion with seditious shouting, with the intention of bringing it about that the debate did not take place” (112). Huneric cancelled the debate.

Huneric decreed that non-Arian (= Nicene-based) worship cease, non-Arian churches be turned over to Arian bishops, and that all non-Arian bishops convert to Arianism by 1 Jun 484.

According to Rusten’s telling, 100s of Nicene-confessing bishops refused, lost their properties and suffered other cruelties including crimes against persons—assaults and more. Suffering does beef up the courage, but we editorialize.

Huneric died in Dec 484 A.D. His successors did not perpetuate the persecutions. In 533, the Vandals were defeated and Carthage was returned to the Roman Empire.

A few exploratory questions:

• What of Jehovah’s Witnesses? How would you answer them?

• What of the varied Trinitarian heresies amongst some Pentecostalists? T.D. Jakes? What sayest thou Mark Driscoll? What of Benny Hinn's claim of 9 Persons in the Trinity?

• What of the “Assemblies of God” who took a vote in 1914, yeah or nay, as to whether to adopt Trinitarian theology or not? Americans re-inventing the wheel by a vote?

• What of 19th-21st century theological liberals?

• What view does Ms. Shori (Bp. in TEC) endorse?

• What of reaffirmation of Article VIII of the Thirty-nine Articles? Did the Americans in 1789 remove the Athanasian Creed? Or, was it reaffirmed, by default, in the modified Articles of 1801? Is someone "accursed" who denies Nicene Christology?

• What of modern worship, very often, that knows nothing of the Nicene Creed? Modern evangelicals, what say you of the omission of this Creed from your divine services? Rick Warren, what sayest thou? Are there sociological studies that give stats on adults able to confess this Creed? I've seen a few on the 10 commandments and they aren't very encouraging.

• What say you of these things? How would you build a case for the Nicene Creed?

Colossians 1.15-17:

1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)
15 [a]Who is the image of the invisible God, [b]the first begotten of every creature.
16 For by him were all things created which are in heaven, and which are in earth, things visible and invisible: whether they be [c]Thrones, or Dominions, or Principalities, or Powers, all things were created by him, and for him.
17 And he is before all things, and in him all things consist.

Footnotes:

a. Colossians 1:15 A lively description of the person of Christ, whereby we understand that in him only, God showeth himself to be seen: who was begotten of the Father before anything was made, that is, from everlasting, by whom also all things that are made, were made without any exception, by whom also they do consist, and whose glory they serve.
b. Colossians 1:15 Begotten before anything was made: and therefore the everlasting Son of the everlasting Father.
c. Colossians 1:16 He setteth forth the Angels with glorious names, that by the comparison of most excellent spirits we may understand how far passing the excellence of Christ, in whom only we have to content ourselves, and let go all Angels.

The Nicene Creed, including the very warrantable double procession is as followings:

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen

3 comments:

Hudson said...

What of the Nicene insistence that the Son of God was "in the beginning"? This was directed against the Arians, but shouldn't we also say that infralapsarians who think the process of salvation begins AFTER creation is also Arianism?

Some of these modern Arians even think salvation comes AFTER the incarnation, but the Nicene phrase "he suffered" (intransitive verb) means that He experienced pain and suffering for his entire life, and this according to His eternal plan. Why do we permit the modernized version which says "he suffered death" (transitive) which means that He merely permitted or allowed death to overtake Him? This too, as a denial of the imputation of His active and passive righteousness, is a form of Arianism.

Reformation said...

1. I don't follow the logic on supra/infra in relation to Arianism.
2. Nor do I understand your statement of "suffered," "he suffered death" and the relation to active/passive obedience in relation to Arianism.
3. I may be obtuse here.

Reformation said...

As for obtuseness, it's not the first time (nor will it be the last).