Here are my jottings just in case they are of any interest or use:
Nicene
Creed
Lent
Course 2025 – Session 1 (12/3/25)
I haven’t listened to / looked at all of these
so this isn’t an endorsement but you might find some of this of interest or
use:
Diocesan Lent Course - https://www.chichester.anglican.org/lent/
Lent Talks Radio 4 - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0028tnv
Lord I Believe - A 12 part series
defending the Nicene Creed in its 1700th anniversary year with John Twisleton
- https://twisleton.co.uk/broadcasts/
The Society (of St Wilfrid and St Hilda) –
(traditional Anglo-Catholic group) - Year of Faith 2025 Lent Course - https://www.sswsh.com/fullposts.php?id=380
Grove Booklet – Discipleship Series – Richard
Steel, The Nicene Creed and the Bible: A Workbook for Disciples iD15
Recent Nicaea / Nicene Creed related books
Phillip Cary, The Nicene Creed: An
Introduction (Lexham Press,
2023)
Nicene Creed, The: A Scriptural, Historical, and Theological
Commentary, Jared Ortiz and Daniel A. Keating (Baker Academic) – June 2024
On
Classical Trinitarianism: Retrieving the Nicene Doctrine of the Triune God
Edited
by Matthew
Barrett (IVP Academic)
Outline
Wednesday evenings:
(1) 12/3
(2) 19/ 3
(3) 9/4
See how we go? We could maybe arrange to meet some
other time (after Easter if necessary)? Or we may feel we could have three
useful sessions and that would be okay!
The
Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is,
seen and unseen.
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,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came
down from heaven,
was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and
the Virgin Mary
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under
Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the
Father.
He will come again in glory to judge
the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the
Son,
who with the Father and the Son is
worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and
apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the
forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the
dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
Session 1 (12/3):
Bible reading: Matthew 11:25-end
What is a creed?
Latin – credo – I believe
What do you think the purposes / value of a
creed might be?
·
Saying the creed as an act of worship /
pledge of allegiance not just academic exercise
·
A summary of the teaching of the Bible
– clarifying what the Bible teaches
·
Emphasises the main / central truths
of the Bible and so helps us to see the big picture / keep the main thing the
main thing / not get distracted into other perhaps important and interesting
truths which are less central – seeing ourselves as related to the big story of
God and his purposes
·
A useful focus on God the Holy Trinity
and his saving acts
·
Promoting unity and refuting error –
excluding teaching that is beyond the bounds
·
A sense of history / continuity /
fellowship / solidarity with Christians around the world and down the centuries
– it emphasises what we have in common even if we might disagree about other
secondary matters
Cf. The Apostles’ Creed (Google is good for
historical background etc.)
The Nicene Creed
Originally written in Greek – translated in to
Latin
The Council of Nicaea 325
The Arian controversy, which provoked the
creed (more on this in session 2)
The Council of Constantinople 381
The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed!
BCP p240: “I believe” / original and Common
Worship version, “We believe…”
What are the pros and cons of “We believe” or
“I believe”?
What do you think is meant by “believe” here?
What is Christian faith?
Cf. James 2:19
More than intellectual assent (though not
less!) – also personal trust / dependence
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is,
seen and unseen.
Perhaps we take the idea of “one God” for
granted? Why do you think it matters? (What are the alternatives?)
(How might this statement have seemed in
context for the original writers of the creed?)
(Is this still relevant / necessary today?)
What does the creed tell us about the
uniqueness of God?
And his relationship to creation?
God as uncreated creator – the Creator /
creation distinction
What does it mean to call God Father?
Of whom is God the Father?
What might the bible suggest a good father
might do / be like?
What do you make of the combination of
“Father” and “Almighty”?
What does it mean to remember that God is both
the Father and the Almighty?
Gerald Bray - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/god-as-father/
The OT on God as father (or like a father) to
Israel - Isa. 63:16–17;
64:8-9
Psalm 103:13
Jer 31:20
The teaching of Jesus
“He who has seen me has seen the Father,” he
said (John
14:9).
“I and the Father are one” (John
10:30).
John 5:17
John 8:37–59
The Lord’s Prayer – Our Father…
Father – John 20:17
Paul – abba – Aramaic – Dad - Father - Gal.
4:6–7
Ephesians 3:15 see NIV footnote – God as the
original / paradigm of Fatherhood – all human fathers as derivative fallible
pictures of fatherhood (cf. Freud – God as a projection of Father)
https://marclloyd.blogspot.com/2022/07/is-god-male.html
https://www.churchsociety.org/resource/is-the-holy-spirit-to-be-referred-to-as-she/
https://www.churchsociety.org/resource/topical-tuesday-is-god-a-she/
What might a Christian say about what is
“unseen”?
What should Christian attitudes to creation
be?
How does the creed change our perspective on
life, the universe and everything?
(A big comprehensive vision which also
includes us)
The creed could be said to begin on a cosmic
scale – but also to be personal and intimate (Steel)
* * *
Session 2 (19/3):
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,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came
down from heaven,
was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and
the Virgin Mary
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under
Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the
Father.
He will come again in glory to judge
the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
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