Let’s Take Nicea Apart, Part II

We were in the process of dissecting the Nicene Creed.  Here is the second sentence.  Our version follows the Roman Catholic version.

“We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father.  Through him all things were made.”  (http://www.beginningcatholic.com/catholic-nicene-creed.html)

“And [we believe] in One Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages, Light of Light, True God of True God, begotten, not made, being of one essence with the Father; through Whom all things were made.”

Once again, we have not found any significant differences:

·         “We believe” does not exist in the Greek text, but the word, “and,” is there and carries the subject and verb from the first to the second sentence.  Without, “We believe,” the second sentence has no subject or verb, cannot stand alone, and makes no sense.  The “And” was sufficient to carry the subject and verb forward in Greek, and we automatically understand the same thing in English.  Still, we really like the idea that somebody had the courage to say it right out loud.

·         “Eternally begotten” vs. “only-begotten” is not earth shattering; yet it is important, but not because it looks different.  Both ways translate a name, “Monogené.”  Whichever way we translate, “Monogené” means that the Son is the legally designated family Head, the primary Heir.  Because this word is an adjective in use, it’s a little difficult to make a smooth sentence.  The Greek text repeats the idea with a verb, “begotten.”  They didn’t want us to miss the point.  Point One: The Son is, was forever, and always will be the primary Heir.  Point Two: No normal human process formed the Son.  God did not have a child.  The Father begot the Son by an eternal begetting; not be breeding.  This is what “eternally” and “before all ages” both convey with equal force.

·         Nicea (325 AD) always was a living document.  It expresses the thorough Bible study and faith of 318 pastors who were defending the Church.  When Constantinople I (381 AD) ratified Nicea, the Greeks dropped “God from God,” but the Latins did not.  So, it’s not in the Greek text.  We could all get on the same page if everybody dropped it.  It’s unnecessarily repetitious.  Frankly, it sounds too much like, “idol from idols.”  Jesus Christ is Light begotten from Light, and True God begotten from True God.

·         Just in case we were sleeping, “begotten, not made,” says it one more time.  In the Eastern mindset, repetition is always emphatic.  These pastors are yelling.  They write in all capital letters.  THE SON IS NOT A CREATURE!  BREEDING ACTIVITY DID NOT FORM THE SON!  THE SON IS GOD ETERNAL, JUST AS THE FATHER IS GOD ETERNAL!  Ouch, my ears are wringing from all that yelling.  Stop yelling.  We get it.

·         Yes, the Son was active in creation, “through Him/Whom all things were made.”  That’s what the Bible teaches in several places.

Oh sure, there are folks who think that Jesus matured to become God the Son.  However, that’s not Christianity, and you can’t believe this, and still be a Christian.

We covered all the easy points, but we skipped over one really big point.  So, let’s save it for tomorrow, and spend a whole day on it.