Category: The Early Church

Written by Dr. Marcus J. Serven

“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” Colossians 2:9

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:5

Many Christians have had the awkward experience of innocently answering a knock at their front door only to find “doorstep debaters” eager to challenge their beliefs about Jesus Christ. This is not a new situation. The well-known Christian author C. S. Lewis once said, “There are no new heresies.” This simple truth can be confirmed by searching back in Church history and finding that for every modern-day heresy there is an ancient “parent” cult. The early Christians also had to defend themselves from the aggressive tactics of cult groups. Athanasius (A.D. c.296-373) was one such defender of the full deity and full humanity of Jesus Christ. In Christian history he is often referred to as one of the “Giants” of the Early Church because he stubbornly refused to allow the Church to adopt false teachings about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Born to wealthy Egyptian parents in Alexandria, he was trained in all the disciplines of classical Greek learning. Although Athanasius was physically small, he possessed a keen intellect with an aptitude for serious study and determined debate. The Christian school in Alexandria was world-renown for its wonderful library. This unique collection of aged parchments and manuscripts was considered by many to be one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.” In this scholarly environment young Athanasius quickly showed his academic and spiritual abilities. He was also fascinated by the Christian hermits who had removed themselves from the city. These men sought solitude in the Egyptian desert so that they could totally concentrate on God. His personal conversion can be traced to the winsome evangelical influence of these devoted monks. Even as a young man, Athanasius became well-known as a respected Bible teacher. Moreover, he served as a faithful deacon in the local Church, and he was a trusted theological advisor to the Alexandrian Bishop, Alexander (A.D. c.250-326).

In the year A.D. 325 Athanasius traveled across the Mediterranean Sea to the Council of Nicea (near Constantinople) along with Bishop Alexander. Athanasius served as the Bishop’s personal secretary and aide. This council, which was called by Emperor Constantine (A.D. c.272-337), focused on resolving two nagging conflicts that raged within the Empire: (1) the disagreement between Christians about whether those who had fearfully rejected Christ during the persecutions could be forgiven (i.e. the Melitian Schism); and (2) the heterodox preaching of false teachers who denied the full deity of Jesus Christ (i.e. the Arian Heresy). This second dispute, which was far less emotionally charged than the rift concerning unforgiven brethren, was actually much more serious because of its long-range effect on the foundational doctrines of the Church. The essential question was this: “Who is Jesus Christ?” If the Ancient Church answered that question by denying the full deity of Christ, its basic understanding of many of the precious doctrines of the Bible would be distorted; specifically, the doctrine of Creation, the Trinity, the incarnation of Christ, the redemption of sinners by Christ on the Cross, and the bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Council of Nicea, therefore, was a crucial turning-point in the history of the Church. Out of its scholarly dialogue and intense debates would emerge a champion to give future leadership and direction to orthodox Christianity. The man of the hour whom God raised up was twenty-nine year old Athanasius—short, swarthy, and scholarly.

In contrast, the opponent of Athanasius was the tall, handsome, and eloquent Arius (A.D. 256-336). He served as an Elder (or Presbyter) within a local Alexandrian congregation. He was well-known in the community as a person who loved debate, and who entered into disputes about theology. One day after hearing Bishop Alexander teach at a local Synod on the reasonableness of the Trinity, Arius contentiously put forward the argument that Jesus Christ was not divine but only God’s first created creature. By teaching this view Arius declared that Jesus was not the eternally begotten Son of God, but that he was created in time like an angel or a human being. He wrote to a sympathetic friend contrasting the teaching of Bishop Alexander with his own views concerning the person of Jesus Christ. Arius contended, 

…how grievously the bishop attacks us and persecutes us, and comes full tilt against us, so that he drives us from the city as atheists because we do not concur with him when he publicly preaches, “God always, the Son always; at the same time the Father, at the same time the Son; the Son co-exists with God, un-begotten; he is ever-begotten, he is not born-by-begetting; neither by thought nor by any moment of time does God precede the Son; God always, Son always, the Son exists from God himself.” … To these impieties we cannot even listen, even though the heretics threaten us with a thousand deaths … We are persecuted because we say that the Son has a beginning, but God is without beginning. For that reason we are persecuted, and because we say that he is from what is not. And this we say because he is neither part of God nor derived from any substance. For this we are persecuted; the rest you know.

Bettenson, Documents of the Christian Church, “The Letter of Arius to Eusebius, Bishop of Nicomedia,” 41-42) 

Thus, the Arians came to believe that Jesus Christ was “a little god” not having the same essential nature, or substance, as God the Father. In this way they denied the deity of Christ and greatly disturbed the Church. The Emperor, Constantine, was not happy with the bitter controversy that ensued and he found it necessary to call an ecumenical council of the whole Church which convened on May 20, 325 at Nicea (near Constantinople in Asia Minor).

Many leaders within the Ancient Church followed Arius because of the close connection that his teachings had with Greek philosophy and religion. Within the Greek pantheon there were many “lesser gods” who did the bidding of the “highest God.” Also, in Greek thought it was assumed that all flesh is evil and all that is spiritual is holy. Therefore, the Arians reasoned that Jesus Christ could not be fully human and fully divine at the same time. Since he was only a created being he could not possibly be called the Creator, nor could he fully satisfy God’s divine justice when he died on the Cross, neither could he experience a bodily resurrection on the third day. In order to promote his “false gospel” amongst the common people Arius rewrote many popular songs from the taverns and seaports by altering their words. He used the same tunes, but changed the lyrics. This strategy was highly successful and many orthodox Christians leaders despaired that the whole Christian world was becoming followers of Arius.

When the Council of Nicea finally met in A.D. 325 the outcome was far from certain. Three hundred Bishops and a large number of Church representatives attended from all across the Empire. Among the delegates were followers of Bishop Alexander (Trinitarians), semi-Arians (who held to a middle view of the subordination of the Son to the Father), and a small but vocal group of Arians (with Arius also present). After Emperor Constantine began the proceedings extensive debate followed with Eusebius of Caesarea (a semi-Arian) putting forth a creedal statement as a basis for compromise. After several changes and refinements the Council overwhelmingly concluded that Jesus Christ was of the “same nature” as God the Father (homoousias), rather than being of a “like nature” to God the Father (homoiousias). The Nicene Creed that was forged out of this rigorous debate affirmed that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, was coequal, consubstantial, and coeternal with the Father. Although Arianism was officially rebuked at the Council of Nicea, and Arius was exiled, this smooth-talking heretic continued to find willing adherents within the Church for many years to come.

A short time after Athanasius returned from Nicea he was thrust into leadership as the new Bishop of Alexandria. His long-time mentor and close friend, Bishop Alexander, died an untimely death in A.D. 326 and the thirty year old Athanasius became his successor. When no one else was willing to defend the deity of Christ, Athanasius resolutely held fast to the Nicene formulation. His friends referred to his dogged defense by coining the phrase, Athanasius: Contra Mundum (or, “Athanasius: Against the World”). He was severely put to the test in the 330’s when Arius treacherously signed the Nicene Creed, after making a few private additions to it (e.g. he changed homoousias to homoiousias). As a result, Emperor Constantine ordered Athanasius to readmit Arius to the Lord’s Table. But, Athanasius stubbornly refused! For this he was condemned at the Synod of Tyre (A.D. 335) and exiled to the desert. For the next thirty years Athanasius was restored and exiled four different times! It was during one of these forced exiles in the wilderness that Athanasius befriended the reclusive monk, Anthony (A.D. 251-356). He became widely known for writing the compelling biography, The Life of Saint Anthony, which details the victories and challenges of the spiritual life of the reclusive desert hermit. 

Finally, Athanasius brought some level of resolution to the controversy focused on the deity of Christ with his brilliant treatise The Incarnation of the Word. He wrote, 

We were the cause of his becoming flesh. For our salvation he loved us so much as to appear and be born in a human body … No one else but the Savior himself, who in the beginning made everything out of nothing, could bring the corrupted to incorruption; no one else but the Image of the Father could recreate men in God’s image; no one else but our Lord Jesus Christ, who is Life itself, could make the mortal immortal; no one else but the Word, who orders everything and is alone the true and only-begotten Son of the Father, could teach men about the Father and destroy idolatry. Since the debt owed by all had to be paid (for all men had to die), he came among us. After he had demonstrated his deity by his works, he offered his sacrifice on behalf of all and surrendered his temple [i.e. his body] to death in the place of all men. He did this to free men from the guilt of the first sin and to prove himself more powerful than death, showing his own body incorruptible, as a first-fruit of the resurrection of all … Two miracles happened at once: the death of all men was accomplished in the Lord’s body, and death and corruption were destroyed because of the Word who was united with it. By death immortality has reached all and by the Word becoming man the universal providence and its creator and leader, the very Word of God, has been made known. For he became human that we might become divine; he revealed himself in a body that we might understand the unseen Father; he endured men’s insults that we might inherit immortality.

Athanasius, The Incarnation of the Word 4.20.54

This powerful tract and several others brought Athanasius into better favor with the Emperor and gave a clear set of arguments with which to combat Arianism. It was, however, not until after Athanasius’s death (A.D. 373) that Arianism was finally defeated at the Council of Constantinople (A.D. 381). It was here that the followers of Athanasius formulated the doctrine of the hypostasis which is based on Hebrews 1:3 and the Greek word hypostasis meaning “substance,” “nature,” and “being.” Therefore, the orthodox position regarding the doctrine of the Trinity is the following—“one essence in three hypostases” (mia ousia, treis hypostaseis).

At a subsequent ecumenical gathering, the Council of Chalcedon in A.D. 451, it was further affirmed that the two natures of Jesus Christ are understood as a Hypostatic Union. In other words, Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man at the same time (cf. John 1:1-3, 14, 18; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:1-8). The final summary of the teachings of Athanasius are to be found in the Athanasian Creed which was not actually written by Athanasius, but by one who followed his teachings in the sixth century. As a result of his efforts the error of Arianism was finally defeated, but unfortunately it was not totally eradicated. To this day the erroneous teachings of the heretic Arius are embodied in the beliefs of the modern-day Jehovah’s Witnesses and various other individuals who have departed from the truth. 

Louis Berkhof, the well-regarded Reformed systematic theologian, gives us the following summary of the doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ. He carefully explains, 

The Council of Nicea declared the Son to be co-essential with the Father (A.D. 325), while the Council of Constantinople (381 A.D.) asserted the deity of the Holy Spirit, though not with the same precision. As to the interrelation of the three it was officially professed that the Son is generated by the Father, and that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son…In this one Divine Being there are three Persons or individual substances, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is proved by the various passages referred to as substantiating the doctrine of the Trinity. To denote these distinctions in the Godhead, Greek writers generally employed the term hupostasis, while Latin authors used persona, and sometimes substantia…Consequently many preferred to speak of three hypostases in God, three different modes, not of manifestation as Sabellius taught, but of existence or subsistence…The whole undivided essence of God belongs equally to each of the three persons. This means that the divine essence is not divided among the three persons, but is wholly with all its perfection in each one of the persons, so that they have numerical unity of essence…There are certain personal attributes by which the three persons are distinguished…Though they are all works of the three persons jointly, creation is ascribed primarily to the Father, redemption to the Son, and sanctification to the Holy Spirit. This order of the divine operations points back to the essential order in God and forms the basis for what is known as the economic Trinity.”

Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 82-83, 87-89

Summary statements regarding the doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ can be found in the great ecumenical creeds as well as in creeds from the time of the Reformation. For example, the Nicene Creed (A.D. 325), the Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451), the Athanasian Creed (A.D. c.500), and the Westminster Confession of Faith (A.D. 1647) all contain statements supporting the full deity and humanity of Jesus Christ. Sections from each of these historic creeds can be found in the Appendices that follow.   

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Appendix A  

The Nicene Creed

(Adopted in A.D. 325 and revised in A.D. 381)

We believe in one God, the Father All-sovereign, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible; 

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten [monogene] Son of God, Begotten of the Father before all the ages, God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father [homoousian to patri], through whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was made flesh of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and became man, and was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures, and ascended into the heavens, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father, and cometh again with glory to judge the living and the dead,  of whose kingdom there shall be no end: 

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Life-giver, that proceedeth from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is worshipped together and glorified together, who spake by the prophets: 

In one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church: we acknowledge one baptism unto remission of sins. We look for a resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come. 

(Source: Henry Bettenson, Documents of the Christian Church, 27-28)

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Appendix B

The Council of Chalcedon

(Adopted in A.D. 451)

Therefore, following the holy Fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance [homoousios] with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance [homoousios] with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer [Theotokos]; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten [monogene], recognized in two natures [en duo phusesin; i.e. The Hypostatic Union], without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person [prosopon] and subsistence [hypostasis], not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the Fathers has handed down to us.

(Source: Henry Bettenson, Documents of the Christian Church, 54-55)

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Appendix C 

The Athanasian Creed

(Written by followers of Athanasius’ teachings in A.D. c.500)

1. Whosoever will be saved: before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith. 
2. Which Faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled: without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. 
3. And the Catholic Faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; 
4. Neither confounding the Persons: nor dividing the Substance [Essence].
5. For there is one Person of the Father: another of the Son: and another of the Holy Ghost. 
6. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one: the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. 
7. Such as the Father is; such is the Son: and such is the Holy Ghost.
8. The Father uncreated: the Son uncreated: and the Holy Ghost uncreated. 
9. The Father incomprehensible [unlimited]: the Son incomprehensible [unlimited]: and the Holy Ghost incomprehensible [unlimited, or infinite]. 
10. The Father eternal: the Son eternal: and the Holy Ghost eternal. 
11. And yet they are not three eternals, but one eternal. 
12. As also there are not three uncreated: nor three incomprehensible [infinites], but one uncreated: and one incomprehensible [infinite]. 
13. So likewise the Father is Almighty: the Son Almighty: and the Holy Ghost almighty. 
14. And yet they are not three Almighties: but one Almighty. 
15. So the Father is God: the Son is God: and the Holy Ghost is God.
16. And yet they are not three Gods: but one God.
17. So likewise the Father is Lord: the Son Lord: and the Holy Ghost Lord.
18. And yet not three Lords: but one Lord. 
19. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity: to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord:
20. So are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion: to say, There be [are] three Gods, or three Lords.
21. The Father is made of none: neither created, nor begotten. 
22. The Son is of the Father alone: not made, nor created: but begotten. 
23. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son: neither make, nor created, nor begotten: but proceeding.
24. So there is one Father, not three Fathers: one Son, not three Sons: one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. 
25. And in this Trinity none is afore, or after another: none is greater, or less than another [there is nothing before, or after: nothing greater or less]. 
26. But the whole three Persons are coeternal, and coequal.
27. So that is all things, as aforesaid: the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped.
28. He therefore that will be saved, must [let him] thus think of the Trinity.   

 (Source: Philip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom, Vol. 2, 66-68)

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Appendix D

The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647)

Regarding the Doctrine of the Trinity: 

Chapter 2, “Of God, and of the Holy Trinity”  

Article 3. In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost: the Father is of none, neither begotten, nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son. 

Regarding the Person of Jesus Christ: 

Chapter 8, “Of Christ the Mediator”

Article 1. The Son of God, the second person in the Trinity, being very and eternal God, of one substance and equal with the Father, did, when the fullness of time was come, take upon Him man’s nature, with all the essential properties and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin: being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the virgin Mary, of her substance. So that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, the Godhead and manhood, were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion. Which person is very God, and very man, yet one Christ, the only Mediator between God and man. 

Article 2. The Lord Jesus, in His human nature thus united to the divine, was sanctified and anointed with the Holy Spirit, above measure, having in Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; in whom it pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell; to the end that, being holy, harmless, and undefiled, full of grace and truth, He might be thoroughly furnished to execute the office of a mediator and surety. Which office He took not unto Himself, but was thereunto called by His Father, who put all power and judgment into His hand, and gave Him commandment to execute the same.

(Source: Orthodox Presbyterian Church, “Westminster Confession of Faith,” 12, 34-37)

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Dr. Marcus J. Serven, ThM and DMin

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