Defining God
Athanasius, Nicaea and the Trinitarian Controversy of the Fourth Century
Published on 15. March 2023
245 pages
978-1-78959-269-6 (ISBN)
Description
Throughout its history, the Church has never been far from controversy and conflict, exhibiting its all-too-human nature. The greatest and most fundamental controversy was the fourth-century debate about the status of Christ and the Spirit as being fully divine: in other words, the Doctrine of the Trinity.The controversy lasted at least a hundred years, and much longer among the Goths.Defining Godtells the story of that controversy: its main protagonists, the involvement of imperial power from Constantine and his successors, its history and its theological twists and turns, and the many creeds and councils of this period, including the Nicene Creed which many Christians say week by week.As the Church continues to face controversy over human identity and how it understands the God it worships, this book, vivid in description and comprehensive in coverage, surely teaches us lessons from the past for the present.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Durham
United Kingdom
File size
2,88 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-78959-269-6 (9781789592696)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Patrick Whitworth
Defining God
Athanasius, Nicaea and the Trinitarian Controversy of the Fourth Century
Book
03/2023
Sacristy Press
€23.10
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Persons
Content
- Intro
- Foreword
- Preface
- 1. Church and state at the beginning of the fourth century
- The empire at the beginning of the fourth century
- Diocletian
- The rise of Constantine
- The Church at the start of the fourth century
- The persecution of the Church
- Notes
- 2. Alexandria
- The Jewish community
- Greek thought in Alexandria
- Christianity in Alexandria
- Clement of Alexandria and Origen
- The Alexandrian Church in the late third century
- Notes
- 3. The origins of a controversy: Personalities and terms
- Arius: background and theology
- The key terms in the debate
- The lead-up to Nicaea
- Notes
- 4. Nicaea: An imperial call to order
- The course of the council and the Nicene Creed
- Other matters
- Notes
- 5. Athanasius and the reaction to Nicaea (325-37)
- Arius and the Eusebians
- Eustathius of Antioch and Marcellus of Ancyra
- Athanasius
- Notes
- 6. Laying theological foundations: De Incarnatione
- Contra gentes
- De Incarnatione
- Orationes contra Arianos
- Notes
- 7. Humans seeking the divine (337-57)
- Antioch
- The debacle of Serdica
- Attempts at rapprochement
- Notes
- 8. The teeth of the storm
- The catalyst of Sirmium (357)
- Athanasius, De Decretis and De Synodis
- The Neo-Arians
- Notes
- 9. Bishop, exile and ascetic
- Athanasius: The exile
- Athanasius: The ascetic
- Notes
- 10. The Cappadocian Fathers
- Basil of Caesarea
- Gregory of Nazianzus (c.330-90)
- Gregory of Nyssa (335-95)
- Notes
- 11. The Holy Spirit
- Basil of Caesarea
- Gregory of Nazianzus
- Gregory of Nyssa
- Notes
- 12. Athanasius and his legacy
- Athanasius: Contra Mundum (Against the World)
- Athanasius's legacy in the west
- The east
- The legacy of Athanasius in the Church
- Notes
- Chronological Table
- Dramatis Personae
- Glossary of Terms
- The Creeds
- The Nicene Creed, as adopted in 325
- The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381
- The Athanasian Creed
- Bibliography
