Master of Religion Course from Universal Life Church

Lesson12

How was the convening of ecumenical councils to settle theological rows beneficial to both church and state?

 

The Nicene Council is considered by all as the first Ecumenical Council of the Church (Roman Catholic Church). It was occasioned by the Arian heresy which in effect denied the divinity of Jesus Christ. The major product of this council was the Creed, the "Nicene Creed"; but it also addressed the date of Easter, and the place of the Patriarch of Alexandria

Many changes to the religion of Christianity were about to take place at that council, including:

Formulation for wording concerning the Trinity .

 

·        Changing Verses of Bible

·        Eliminating certain verses and books from the Bible

·        Declaring Arian's "unitarian" (belief in the Unity of God) as heresy

·        Changing the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday

·        Changing the date of Jesus' birthday to December 25th

·        Introduction of Easter (pagan worship called "Feast of Ishtar")

·        Church of Roman "officially" became the "Universal Church of the Holy Roman Empire" (the word 'Catholic' means 'universal'

By bringing changes the church would be united and could get on with the tasks fitting its work.

 

2. What were the rows over the Trinity and the natures of Christ and how were they settled?

 

The disputes over the Trinity were almost at a crescendo pitying east and west against each other by emperor Constantine exercising his authority and calling a meeting of the bishops in 325 at Nicea .By doing this and overseeing the meeting Constantine was setting the tone this debate continued. The debate was again tackled in 681 with a conclusion Jesus was both divine and human.

 

The council of Nicea dealt primarily with the issue of the deity of Christ. Over a century earlier the use of the term "Trinity" could be found in the writings of Origen (185-254) and Tertullian (160-220), and a general notion of a "divine three", in some sense, was expressed in the second century writings of Polycarp, Ignatius, and Justin Martyr. But the doctrine in a more full-fledged form was not formulated until the Council of Constantinople in 360 AD

 

3. How did the theological row between Augustine and Pelagius illustrate the practical approach of the Western church thinkers as opposed to the Eastern church thinkers? What impact do the views of Pelagius and Augustine still have on the Christian church today?

 

Pelagius (ca. AD 354 – ca. AD 420/440) was an ascetic who denied the need for divine aid in performing good works. Pelagius was declared a heretic by the Council of CarthageRecent analysis of his thinking suggests that it was, in fact, highly orthodox, following in the tradition established by the early fathers and in keeping with the teaching of the church in both the East and the West. ... From what we are able to piece together from the few sources available... it seems that the Celtic monk held to an orthodox view of the prevenience of God's grace, and did not assert that individuals could achieve salvation purely by their own efforts.

. Augustine wrote four letters specifically on Pelagianism, "De peccatorum meritis et remissione libri III" (Three Books on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins) in 412, "De spiritu et litera" (On the Spirit and the Letter) and "Definitiones Caelestii" (Caelestius's Definitions) in 414, and "De natura et gratia" (On Nature and Grace) in 415. In these he strongly affirmed the existence of original sin, the need for infant baptism, the impossibility of a sinless life without Christ, and the necessity of Christ's grace. Augustine's works are intended in part for the common people and thus do not address Pelagius or his disciple Caelestius.

               The views of both Pelagius and Augustine still resound throughout the churches today with many denominations being based upon different interpretations of the issue of justification.