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Ancient | Baptist | Episcopal
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| Reformed | Roman
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Salvation
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Ancient Symbols
- Creeds in the Bible
- Ireneaus Rule of Faith
- Hippolytus' account
of the baptismal service
- The Apostle's Creed
- The Creed of
Nicaea
as approved by the Nicene Council (A.D. 325)
- The First Ecumenical
council of Nicaea was called by emperor Constantine. The council met to
deal with the schism created by Arianism. The Arians wished to avoid
the heresy of Sabellius who believed in a divine monad which, by
expansion, projected itself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit--a form of
Modalism. The Arians separated the Son from God entirely so that they
believed he was a creature having a beginning. "There was when he was
not." The Son was but God's first creation, yet out of nothing and
hence has preeminence over the rest of creation.
- The
symbol answers the question, "Who is Jesus Christ."
Its
answer: God
- The Nicene Creed as
approved by the Council of Constantinople (A.D. 381)
- --
The Nicene Creed -- Constantinopolitan Creed -- Creed of 150 Fathers
- Usually
associated with the Council of Constantinople this symbol is an
expansion and revision of the earlier Creed of Nicaea with which it is
often confused. This is the creed recited in churches. The council met
to refute Apollinarianism. Apollinarius taught that Jesus was a
combination of the divine Logos spirit, a sensitive human soul and a
human body. He taught that Jesus did not have a human spirit. His views
were based on the platonic tripartite view of human nature. The council
condemned this view in order to show that Christ, as truly human, could
redeem the whole person.
- The
symbol emphasizes the Trinitarian faith.
- The
symbol is very suitable for liturgical use and was used as an early
baptismal and eucharistic creed. It goes beyond the Creed of Nicaea in
its affirmation of the full deity of the Spirit though it uses biblical
rather than philosophical terms to do so. The filioque
clause found in the Western version of this creed is one of the major
disagreements between the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity.
This clause was not accepted even by the Western Church until the turn
of the first millennium.
- Further
Notes on the Nicene Creed
- Notes
on the Filioque Clause Controversy
- The
Church in the Nicene Creed
- Other
documents of the First
Council of Constantinople
- Notes from the ecumenical councils
- The Council
of Sardica Canon
V (A.D. 343)
- The
council of Sardica was the first synod, which in some sense asserted
Roman primacy.
- Confession of Saint Patrick
(A.D. 390-461)
- The Definition of Chalcedon
(A.D.
451)
- The
council of Chalcedon met to resolve the Monophysite controversy in
which Eutyches had refused to confess the existence of two natures in
Christ both after the union as well as before. The definition
summarizes the Church's teaching on the natures of Christ largely in
negative terms.
- Canons of the Council of Orange
(A.D.
529)
- The
Council of Orange was an outgrowth of the controversy between Augustine
and Pelagius. This controversy had to do with degree to which a human
being is responsible for his or her own salvation, and the role of the
grace of God in bringing about salvation. The Pelagians held that human
beings are born in a state of innocence, i.e., that there is no such
thing as a sinful nature or original sin. As a result of this view,
they held that a state of sinless perfection was achievable in this
life. The Council of Orange dealt with the Semi-Pelagian doctrine that
the human race, though fallen and possessed of a sinful nature, is
still "good" enough to able to lay hold of the grace of God through an
act of unredeemed human will. As you read the Canons of the Council of
Orange, you will be able to see where John Calvin derived his views of
the total depravity of the human race.
- Quicumque vult (Athanasian Creed) (ca. A.D. 500) (Encarta� article)
- The
fullest statement of the Trinitarian faith in abstract metaphysical
terms.
- Part
one: Augustinian definition of the Trinity
- Each persona of the Trinity is fully divine
- Each is unique to itself
- Each is within the other, in perpetual
intercommunication and motion, coequal and coeternal.
- Damnatory clause for those who do not accept this
teaching.
- Part
two: The doctrine of Christ
- Anti-
- Appollinarian
- Nestorian
- Eutychian
- Monophysite
- Reaffirms Ephesian and Chalcedonian council
decisions.
- Damnatory clause for those who do not accept this
teaching.
- Anathemas of the Second
Council of Constantinople (A.D. 533)
- Creeds and Statements - from the Period
after A.D.
600
- Later Creeds
Index
Adventists
Baptist & Anabaptist
Christian Church - Disciples of
Christ
Evangelical Free Church of America
Episcopal/Anglican
Lutheran
- The
Augsburg Confession of Faith (& a whole
lot more) - Philip Melancthon (1530)
- The Book of Concord
The Book of Concord (Link 2)
- The Lutheran Confessions from 1529-1580
- The Augsburg
Confession(1530,1540) - Philip Melanchthon
-
- Written on
behalf of the Protestant territories of Northern Germany for
presentation to emperor Charles V at the Diet of Augsburg.
Melanchthon's twenty one original articles were composed as a response
to John Eck's attack on the Protestants as guilty of being ancient
heresies. Thus the articles attempt to show that the Protestant faith
is in line with the ancient Church. Many, but not all, of the articles
were acceptable to Rome. In 1540 Melancthon revised the confession to
be acceptable to Calvin. The Lutherans rejected this revision and
Melancthon himself. Melancthon's followers would then join the reformed
camp.
- Appendix
- Catalog of Testimonies
- Luther's
Large Catechism
- Luther's
Little Book
- The
Smalcald Articles of Martin Luther
- Written for
Elector Frederick and the Smalcald League stipulating matters that
could be discussed with Roman Catholics at a council they were invited
to by Pope Paul III at Mantua. The Articles were written at a time when
Luther felt death was near and hence they are a powerful expression of
his personal faith.
- Treatise on
the Power and Primacy of the Pope - (1563) Melancthon
- When
Luther's Smalcald Articles were added to the Book of Concord this small
tract was attached to smooth over Luther's condemnation of the pope.
- 95 Theses - Martin Luther (1517)
- Doctrinal
Position of the Missouri Synod (1932)
- Confession
of Faith of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
- The Large Catechism
-
Martin Luther
- The
Large Catechism is an expansion of the Short Catechism through a
collection and revision of several of Luther's sermons. Both catechisms
were incorporated into the Book of Concord.
- Luther's Small Catechism - Martin Luther
- Lutheran
and other Christian resources on the net - OK it's not a
creed but it's a good link!
- Porvoo
Agreements with Anglicans
-
Project Wittenberg - Everything
Luther(an)
Mennonite/Anabaptist
Methodist/Arminian
Orthodox
Pentecostal
Reformed
Religious Society of Friends
Roman Catholic
Independent Old Catholic Church
United Church of Christ
Miscellany
Why these pages were written
This
page remains continuously under construction. If
you have additional links or corrections to links of denominational or
Christian
ecumenical creeds and confessions please EMail me . . .
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