Joint Catholic/Orthodox Statement Regarding the Nicene Creed

EWTN ^ | 10/31/04

[MarMema]

The paper thus recommends that Catholicism use the original text in worship

Good to see your side coming around. :-)

[narses]

Now we learn a 'new' creed? Or is it the old one was BAD?

[katnip]

The pictures are stunning. The colors, especially the blue on the ceiling and walls is beautiful. The outdoor altar area is something I have never seen before.

The school looks impressive, very small classes with just 300 students and it looks like it goes up thru high school.

A big step for this parish, monestary and school. Many years to them!

[newberger]

Now we learn a 'new' creed? Or is it the old one was BAD?

The Orthodox version (without the filioque) IS the old one.

[D-fendr]

Thanks for your reply.

So it is originality and uniqueness that counts in one's statement of religious beliefs and faith; it's important that it not be one prepared by others?

According to Paul, of course...

[D-fendr]

Don't you mean Profession of faith

I was copying and pasting from dictionary.com, but I think either word would be correct.

[Romulus]

Paul said that we should be prepared to offer a reason, but he didn't say that we should be prepared to recite a reason that was prepared by others.

Which you just did anyway.

[MarMema]

very similar to the cathedral we visited and also to the inside of Saint Basil's in Moscow. I want to paint our living room kind of like this. Put icons all over the walls. It would be like a permanent Orthodox sanctuary.

Also watched this older movie called The Sight where a hotel is painted sort of like this. I am definitely into this idea for decor.

[Destro]

It was those Apostolic Fathers that compiled the New Testament that the Protestants claim always existed in its present form. In fact the Creed is older than the New Testament.

The Church formulated the Nicene Creed before it selected certain apostolic writings, called them the New Testament, and declared them to be Holy Scripture. Another way of looking at it is that God chose the people who were bound by the Nicene Creed to affirm the contents of the New Testament, thereby endorsing the theology of the creed. The Nicene Creed is therefore a reliable test of our interpretation of the New Testament. If we are at variance with the Nicene Creed, we are in error. So whoever denies the Trinity must also deny the New Testament, and whoever upholds the New Testament as Holy Scripture must also affirm the Trinity.

In the beginning, the Church did not have a formal creed, nor did it have a formal list of the books in the New Testament. Then it formulated the Nicene Creed to express its doctrines and to serve as a test of orthodox teaching. So for a while there was a Church with the Nicene Creed but, even though it used the books of the New Testament as Holy Scripture, it had no official statement saying that they were. After the Church was bound by the Nicene Creed, it made a formal list of the books in the New Testament. Therefore, whoever attempts to reconstruct the ancient Church with an official list of New Testament books but without the Nicene Creed is reconstructing an imaginary church that never existed. This doesn’t mean their church is invalid, it just means that it isn’t a historic reconstruction, because in any part of Church history in which there was an official list of New Testament books, the Nicene Creed was the official expression of faith and the final test of orthodoxy.

[bobjam]

I agree that the Filioque Clause does not belong in the Nicene Creed. The Creed defines God as "God the Father" and that the Son is begotten of the Father and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. In that context, the Holy Spirit cannot proceed from the Son for the same reason the Son is not begotten of the Holy Spirit. St. Augustine and Western theologians defined God as "God the Trinity". Affirming the unity of the Trinity is of utmost importance. This is why they added the Filioque Clause. Because Christ said that He will send the Spirit, which comes from the Father, a case (although weak one) can be made for the Filioque. Ultimately it comes down to authority. Can a local council (Toledo)_alter the findings of the Ecumenical Councils of Nicea and Constantinople? Of course not.

[Aquinasfan]

Good point.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[maestro]

..........Ultimately it comes down to authority.........

Amen,.......Romans 10:17

Maranatha!!

(Romans 10:17)

bump!

[Salvation]

Bumping this for some folks!