"As they passed the rows of houses they saw through the open doors that men were sweeping and dusting and washing dishes, while the women sat around in groups, gossiping and laughing.
"What has happened?" the Scarecrow asked a sad-looking man with a bushy beard, who wore an apron and was wheeling a baby-carriage along the sidewalk.
"Why, we've had a revolution, your Majesty -- as you ought to know very well," replied the man; "and since you went away the women have been running things to suit themselves. I'm glad you have decided to come back and restore order, for doing housework and minding the children is wearing out the strength of every man in the Emerald City."
"Hm!" said the Scarecrow, thoughtfully. "If it is such hard work as you say, how did the women manage it so easily?"
"I really do not know," replied the man, with a deep sigh. "Perhaps the women are made of cast-iron.""
- L. Frank Baum, "The Land of Oz"
Friday, May 22, 2009
The Nicene Creed was born this day in 325. One of the oldest and most widely used confessions of the universal Christian faith, the Nicene Creed was formulated at a time when the heresy of Arianism threatened orthodox Christianity with the denial of Jesus' deity. Thus the strong Christology in the creed.
I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only begotten Son of God,
begotten of his Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father;
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost
of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried;
and the third day he rose again
according to the Scriptures,
and ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of the Father;
and he shall come again, with glory,
to judge both the quick and the dead;
whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord, and Giver of Life,
who proceedeth from the Father [and the Son];
who with the Father and the Son together
is worshipped and glorified;
who spake by the Prophets.
And I believe one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church;
I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins;
and I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. AMEN.
Element's statement of faith credits the affirmations of the Nicene Creed.
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Comments on "Happy Birthday, Nicene Creed":
2. bif
- 05/22/2009 7:01 pm CDT
I love the creed! Happy Birthday. I grew up in the church, left the church, and now I'm back in church. It is really sad that I never heard the creed until about 20 years ago.
An early version of the creed pronounced an anathema on those who denied the deity of Christ.
3. The Ancient Mariner
- 05/22/2009 9:47 pm CDT
"Born" in what sense? IIRC, the Council of Nicaea opened in late May, and it was several weeks on before the first version of this statement was approved (what we have as the Nicene Creed is a later version courtesy of the Council of Constantinople, iirc; the original statement lacked most of the last section). If you're going by date of approval, I think that would be in mid-June or thereabouts.
5. Shrode
- 05/23/2009 7:00 am CDT
Of course, if you are a moderate Baptist, you have to hate creeds. I think it's a rule or something. For a few years, I kept hearing things like "We are not a creedal people" and "No creed but the Bible" and "A confession is not a creed."
Most of you will have no idea what I'm talking about, and that's OK. :) Baptists really are a peculiar people.
6. Bird
- 05/23/2009 9:32 am CDT
I always thought the Baptist animosity toward creeds was odd, especially since they can affirm every point of the Nicene Creed ... and they wrote a long, drawn-out creed of their own called The Baptist Faith and Message. :-)
7. Shrode
- 05/24/2009 6:57 am CDT
They feel like creeds take on the same authority as Scripture, which is wrong because they are man-made.
They are careful to point out that the Baptist Faith and Message is not a creed, but a confession. They'll say the difference is that a creed is what you make other people measure up to, and a confession is just saying what you believe.
This is why Texas Baptists (and other moderates) rebelled when Southern Baptist missionaries were required to sign the new Baptist Faith and Message (2000). They felt like it was elevating the B F&M from a confession to a creed, and was being used to exclude people.
I actually didn't agree with that either btw. :)
Though creeds don't bother me. I don't know that there is a lot of difference between a creed and a confession, except maybe in length and in how it is used. But both are intended to be concise statements of Scriptural teachings on essential doctrines.
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The creed is the classic litmus test for orthodoxy. Happy Birthday, indeed!