What Was the Original Nicene Formulation?

Because of its historical importance, I feel that it is significant to examine further what the Council of Nicea actually passed. I will say this, it was not the Nicene Creed that is used today. The original Nicene formula stated the following: We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the son of God, begotten of the Father, the only begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, 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 both in heaven and on earth; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man; He suffered, and the third day He rose again, ascended into heaven; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

And in the Holy Ghost. But those who say: "There was a time when He was not"; and "He was not before He was made" and "He was made out of nothing," or "He is of another substance" or "essence," or "The Son of God is created," or "changeable," or "alterable," will be condemned by the holy catholic and apostolic church.

I have included the Nicene Creed in this article to make this point that while this confession was threefold, it was not entirely trinitarian, because it did not state that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost were three distinct Persons. Instead, its fundamental purpose was to affirm the deity of Jesus Christ against the Arians. The words "of the essence of the Father" and "of one substance with the Father" clearly reject Arianism, and the condemnatory clause pronounces an anathema on various Arian formulations.

This Creed did not take a clear position relative to modalism, but, its key phrases allowed there to be a Sebellian interpretation. While Athanasius himself did not mean them in a Sabellian sense, many signers had reservations about the Creed mainly because it looked like Sabellian. While there was no Sabellian representative at the Council of Nicea, it is possible that some bishops who adhered to the Creed were actually modalistic in their belief. It has been noted that The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, along with the Council of Nicea did not clearly distinguish itself from modalism. But, before we go any further, what is the definition of modalism? "A belief in ancient history that Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not distinctions in God's nature or self-conscious persons but simply modes (methods, manifestations) of God's activity.

The phrase "God of God...very God of very God" may indicate two divine Persons, but it can also be understood as referring to the incarnation. From a Oneness perspective, perhaps the most questionable phrase is the anathema on those who say the Son of God is changeable or can be altered, since it implies the doctrine of the eternal Son. Modalists and Oneness believers would be in agreement that the Word or the deity of Jesus Christ is not changeable or alterable, which is the intent of the statement, but technically they would argue that "the Son" has reference to the Incarnation and so had a beginning. Since this phrase was not part of the Creed itself, and strongly affirms the deity of Jesus Christ, and since its aim was to condemn the Arian position, a modalistic believer at the Council of Nicea probably would have had very little difficulty with it.

Ironically, another phrase in the same anathema does not harmonize with modern trinitarianism. It condemns those who say the Son is of another substance or essence, using two Greek words that were basically synonymous at the time: hypostasis and ousia. But, at a later time in history, the official trinitarian formulation of the late fourth century will state: "one ousia (substance) and three hypostases (persons)." Of course, the participants at Nicea did not use these terms in their later technical sense, but if the terminology of the Nicene formula is inconsistent with modern Oneness it is also inconsistent with modern trinitarianism as well.

Article Source: http://www.christianarticledirectory.org

Hello, my name is Dr. M. Lee Miller. I am married to a beautiful woman named Elizabeth. We have four wonderful children and three fantastic grandchildren. I have a Doctorate in Theology and a Ph.D in Religion. I have been in the ministry for 31 years and a pastor for ten years. I enjoy writing christian articles centered around Biblical research. Author Link: www.docmiller06.wordpress.com

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