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CHRISTIAN COMMENTS by Reg Block
It is often said that the New Testament was brought together at the Council of
Nicaea in 325 AD. The general assertion is that certain writings were wrongfully
barred and eliminated from the cannon. Today this is a popular belief that has
been voiced by many.
To better understand how the New Testament cannon became what it is today, one
must first acknowledge the vast amount of scholarly effort and historicity that
binds scripture together into an internally consistent document. It may be reasonable
to insist that various bishops and synods, over time, fixed the cannon, but it
would be absurd to say they were polemic regarding what constitutes essential
tenets and doctrines of the faith.
There is enough evidence to surmise that the New Testament cannon was virtually
complete by 70 AD (John Robinson, Relating the New Testament). Failing this, there
can be no doubt that the cannon was in place by 150 AD or, at latest, by the end
of that century. We know this to be true from references in writings by Marcion
(c. 144 AD), a scholar who erroneously attempted to remove all Jewish tendencies
from the cannon. Additionally, around the same time Tatian of Syria, in his work
Diatessaron, endeavoured to harmonize the first four books of the gospel. By c.
200 AD Iranaeus and Tertullian commonly refer to the New Testament, indicating
the cannon was clearly recognized well before 325 AD.
Why then all the fuss about the Council of Nicaea? To answer that question, first
it is necessary to understand that the Council of Nicaea was not a singular, contrived
event. It was one of many similar gatherings (before and after 325AD) of learned
men who were well acquainted with the historical progress of Christianity and
the scriptures. This understanding was further modulated by the fact that Christian
churches of the time agreed that the New Testament was an exposition or interpretation
of Old Testament scriptures and any attempt to infuse contradictory writings into
the cannon was out of the question. The early Christians initially studied the
Old Testament to develop and comprehend doctrines of Christology. The subsequent
writings of the Apostles, in harmony with the direct teaching of Jesus established
the foundation for Biblical interpretation (hermeneutics).
The Council of Nicaea in 325 AD did not presume any need to ponder what belonged
in the New Testament, but rather it discriminated against false scriptures that
had begun to appear more abundantly. These writings had no historical records
to verify authorship.
Sorting out these fraudulent documents was not the greatest problem for the best
scholarly minds of that time. The real challenge faced by the Council of Nicaea,
its predecessors and successors was Arianism and its inherent ontological debate.
Was Christ eternally subordinate or eternally begotten of the Father? The teachings
of Arius insist that the Son of God is inferior to God the Father. Fundamentally,
Arius was not disputing the veracity of the cannon of scripture but rather its
interpretation. The church, in response, was forced to thoroughly examine its
beliefs and how it would succinctly voice them without allowing semantics to get
in the way.
The various church councils eventually produced statements of faith or creeds,
among them the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed. These creeds, seeking to affirm
the essential tenets stated and implied in the scriptures, stress Trinitarian
doctrine, creation, the virgin birth, the incarnation, Christ’s death and
resurrection, salvation and judgment. Although certain councils and creeds did
not serve to immediately expunge Arianism from the church, they brought clarity
to the terms hypostasis (substance, person) and ousia (essence), two Greek words
at the crux of the debate. However, by 380 AD, Emperor Theodosius issued an edict
stating the following, "the deity of the Father and the Son and the Holy
Spirit of equal majesty in a Holy Trinity." The next year a council convened
at Constantinople where the Nicene formula was confirmed and Arianism was declared
false, thus bringing to a head the real point of the Council of Nicaea.
Reg Block is an apologist for the historic Christian faith. Your comments and
questions are welcome reg@commonground.ca
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