Prelude: The Roman World Transformed (300-600) - The Provincialization of the Empire (250-350) - Doctrine

7 important questions on Prelude: The Roman World Transformed (300-600) - The Provincialization of the Empire (250-350) - Doctrine

Who were the victors in the battles over doctrine?

  • The so-called Church Fathers were the victors in the battles over doctrine.
  • Saint Athanasius (295-373) - secretary to the bishop of Alexandria, later bishop there himself - had led the challenge against the beliefs of the Christians next door.
  • He called them "Arians," rather than Christians, after the priest Arius, another Alexandrian and a competing focus of local loyalties.
  • Athanasius promoted his views at the Council of Nicaea (325) and won. It is because of this that he is considered the orthodox catholic "Father," while Arius is the "heretic."

What does "God was triune" mean?

For both Athanasius and Arius, God was triune, that is, three persons in one: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

What happened to Arius, and his doctrine, after he lost the battle of doctrines?

  • Arius was condemned and banished. His doctrine, however, persisted.
  • It was the brand of Christianity that Ulfila (311-382), a Gothic bishop with Roman connections, preached to the Goths beyond the borders of the Empire, at the same time translating the Bible into the Gothic language.
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About who did the Council of Nicaea worry and why?

Already the Council of Nicaea worried not only about Arians but also about groups (later called Monophysites or Miaphysites) who held that the "flesh" that God assumed as Christ was nevertheless entirely divine.

What did the Nicene Creed declare about Jesus?

The Nicene Creed went on to declare that Jesus Christ, "because of us men and because of our salvation came down and became incarnate." That is, Jesus became human flesh.

What happened to Monophysite belief?

Monophysite belief in the divinity of Christ's flesh nourished the Armenian, Coptic (Egyptian), and Ehtiopian Christian churches and still does so today.

What did Augustine believe about God?

  • Augustine repudiated the Manichees for their dualism, which made God only one of two cosmic powers, so he rejected Pelagianism for its woeful misreading of human nature.
  • In Augustine's view, human beings were capable of nothing good without God's grace working through them: "Come, Lord, act upon us and rouse us up and call us back! Fire us, clutch us, let your sweet fragrance grow upon us!"

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