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The Nicene Creed And The Council Of Chalcedon

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During the fourth and fifth centuries, the perspective of Christology was discussed and transformed theology by the Ecumenical Councils. The Ecumenical Councils include the Council of Nicea (325 A.D.), Council of Constantinople (381 A.D.), and the Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D.). The theology developed by these council furthered Christology by focusing on the person, role, and nature of Jesus Christ.
The first Ecumenical Council held was the Council of Nicaea to combat the heresy teachings of Arius and discussed the nature of Christ. He “believed that the Father is greater than the Son, who in turn is greater than the Holy Spirit” (Lane 2006, 28). Thus, Arius denied the oneness of God the Son, Christ, with God the Father and thus Christ was …show more content…

The first two councils provided for the very essence of Christ and produced the Nicene Creed. The Nicene Creed gave the understanding of Christ is the begotten Son, not just part of creation and inferior to God, but one in the same. However, the Nicene Creed did leave room for debating the nature of Christ. To counter such heresies, the Council of Chalcedon provided the Chalcedonian Definition. The “resulting statement of faith would stand for centuries as the ultimate creedal formulation” of Christianity (Nestlehutt 1998, 175). The description gave the boundaries for which to express who Christ is. The two natures, divine and human, undivided with no confusion. The definition provided by the Council of Chalcedon provides for a greater unity within the church and that the Logos is incapable of suffering and is absolute. By producing such a strong united profession of faith, the Chalcedonian Definition has and continues to bring together those that are …show more content…

There may not be much talk about the creeds of the past or even discussions about doctrines in general; the church still follows the defined boundaries set forth by the Councils of Nicea and Chalcedon. The belief and teaching that Jesus is the Christ, being both fully human and divine undivided as one person is still used today. In addition to the utilization of the Chalcedonian Definition, the church blinds in the teaching of the Trinity, or a three in one, one in three doctrine of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The blending of the Trinity and the council’s creeds, definition, and the belief in them have become part of the cornerstone of necessity for salvation in today’s church. For too often the church forgets that these are our guidelines and that the Bible is what provides God’s guidance for us all. “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9,

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