Category: Christian History

A Brief History of the Unitarians 1687

imagesA Brief History of the Unitarians by Stephen Nye · 1687

[I post this because it traces long before the Socinians, the doctrines they held can be found in history prior to Nicea]

The First Letter, Concerning the Unitarians, vulgarly called Socinians.

SIR,

IN Answer to yours, demanding a brief account of the Unitarians, called also Socinians; their Doctrine concerning God (in which only they differ from other Christians, the Remonstrants, professedly agreeing with them in other points of Faith … Read the rest

The Shift from Messiah, Son of God, to Jesus as “God.”

by Sir Anthony Buzzard

downloadLee Strobel in his well known investigation of the Christian faith spoke with an evangelical professor, Ben Witherington. The conversation proceded as follows. Strobel said:

“Jesus tended to shy away from forthrightly proclaiming himself to be the Messiah or Son of God. Was that because he did not think of himself in those terms or because he had other reasons?”

Ben Witherington replied:

“No, its not because he did not think of himself in those terms. … Read the rest

The Dark Legacy of the Nicene Creed

by Carlos Xavier [source]

imagesThe Nicene Creed is an example of what happens when unbelievers (like pagan philosophers and especially politicians, like Roman emperors) get mixed up in religion.

First comes confusion, since the Creed itself is replete with ambigous and contradictory language.

For example, the creed violates the later trinitarian formula of 3 distinct hypostasis in 1 ousia or 3 Persons in 1 Being or Substance. According to the noted church historian Richard Hanson, “for at least the … Read the rest

Servetus, Jews, and Trinitarians

From “Did Calvin Murder Servetus?” by Stanford Rives,

[NOTE: This post is not to argue whether or not Calvin murdered Servetus (whojustinian was a Monotarian), but to show what has occurred in Church history when Governing Authorities dictate what Christians must believe or be treated as heretics (worthy of death in many cases, like Servetus). This has been especially true when it comes to the doctrine of “The Trinity.”

This excerpt is more about “Orthodox” anti-Semitism than it is about … Read the rest

What Did Christianity Lose when it Parted from Judaism

The article was written by well respected scholar James Dunn, and this is from an article in Explorations vol 8, Num 2, 1994. (bolds are mine for emphasis)

1. Monotheism.

The simple answer is that Christianity lost the clarity of a belief in God as one,Judaism that is, one without further qualification.

Of course, Christianity continued to claim that it is and always has been a monotheistic faith. But there is no doubt that the doctrine of the Trinity, … Read the rest

The God of Jesus in Light of Christian Dogma

FEATURED BOOK

The God of Jesus in Light of Christian Dogma by Kegan A. Chandler

ChandlerAt a very early stage in Church history, influences from the Greco-Roman world forcefully pressed the traditional God of Judaism through a system of pagan philosophy. The theological battles which followed produced serious problems for Christianity, and imperial edicts made accepting philosophical statements about God a matter of life or death.

Today, scholars are inviting us to reexamine whether these philosophies played any role … Read the rest