The nature of the controversies of Christian doctrine

The nature of the controversies of Christian doctrine

 

 

* "From its beginnings, Christianity had been involved in theological controversies.

1) In Pauline time, between Jewish and Gentile converters

2) the crucial debates about Gnostic speculation

3) the issue of the restoration of the lapsed

4) Two important issues in the early church: Canon and Christology

 

# Major theological issues during the medieval and modern times:

 

* "The nature of the controversy was a direct result of the manner in which Christians came to think of the nature of God, thanks to the work of Justin, Clement, and Origen, and others."..."Appealing to such respected authorities, Christians argued that they believe in the supreme being of the philosophers, and this was what they meant when they spoke of God. Such an argument contributed to the acceptance of Christianity among the intelligentsia. But this was also a dangerous argument. It was possible that Christians would come to the conviction that the best way to speak of God was not that of the prophets and other biblical writers, but rather that of Plato. Many Christians came to the conclusion that such was the God of the Scripture." (159)

 

# the doctrine of logos which resolve the conflict between philosophical idea of a supreme being and the witness of scripture (160-161)

 

* After the conversion of Constantine,

"Now it was possible to invoke the authority of the state to settle a theological question.

The empire had a vested interest in the unity of the church, which Constantine hoped would become the "cement of the empire." Thus, the state soon began to use its power to force theological agreement on Christians."