ABOUT THE EPISODE

Listen in as David Schrock and Stephen Wellum interview Bryan Litfin on his Christ Over All essay: "From Nicaea to the “Nicene Creed”: Sixty Years of Confusion and Controversy"

Timestamps

• 00:48 – Intro
• 04:15 – Introducing Dr. Litfin’s Book on the Trinity
• 05:30 – What Has Helped Dr. Litfin to be a Good Storyteller?
• 07:18 – What Is
• 10:44 – Why Does the History Around the Nicene Creed Matter?
• 13:08 – Did the Council of Nicaea Anticipate the Fight that was Going to Come?
• 15:10 – The Legend of Saint Nicholas
• 17:13 – The Demise of Arius
• 19:35 – How Did Athanasius Become a Main Figure in the Fight for Orthodoxy?
• 24:38 – Athanasius’ Two Volumes Against the Arians
• 26:25 – The Different Theological Groups Around the Time of Nicaea
• 30:26 – How Athanasius Made His Arguments
• 32:20 – History of the Political Influence Between 325-381
• 34:24 – The Cappadocians
• 37:56 – Why Was There Less Participation in the Time of Theodosius?
• 39:57 – What Changes Took Place in the Statements Between 325 and 381?
• 42:38 – Why Was There Not as Much Said about the Holy Spirit?
• 48:14 – The Pneumatomachians
• 50:27 – What Conception Did They Have in Terms of the Spirit’s Saving Power?
• 53:08 – The Nicene Fathers’ Understanding of the Church and Baptism
• 56:08 – Should We Go Back to the Apostolic Fathers to Clarify Our Doctrine?
• 1:00:57 – A Trinitarian Approach to the Gospel
• 1:03:57 – The Trinity and Salvation
• 1:06:21 – Outro

Resources to Click

• “From Nicaea to the “Nicene Creed”: Sixty Years of Confusion and Controversy” – Bryan Litfin
• com – Bryan Litfin
• Rufinus of Aquileia: Historia Ecclesiastical, Book 10, chs. 1-6 (Excerpt on the First Council of Nicaea)
• Letter of Eusebius of Nicomedia and Theognis of Nicaea to a Council – Fourth Century Christianity
• The Death of Arius (Post Nicene Fathers Excerpt) – Philip Schaff
• The Dialogue Against the Luciferians – Jerome; Philip Schaff
• The Nicene Creed – Book of Common Prayer
• Theme of the Month: The Nicene Creed: 1700 Years of Homoousios
• Give to Support the Work

Books to Read

• The Story of the Trinity: Controversy, Crisis, and the Creation of the Nicene Creed – Bryan Litfin
• The Church History of Rufinus of Aquileia: books 10 and 11 – Rufinus of Aquilea trans. Philip R. Amidon
• The Theodosian Code and Novels and the Sirmondian Constitutions – Clyde Pharr