Credimus in unum deum

1
Credimus in unum deum.

• THE CREED
• COUNCIL OF NICAEA I
• COUNCIL OF CONSTANTINOPLE I

2
WHY CONSIDER DEVELOPMENT?

• MOVEMENT Go forth from the land and you will
  be a blessing to all the familiesGen 12/1-3
• GROWTH The kingdom of heaven/reign of god is
  like a mustard seed. MT 1331
• The kingdom of heaven is like yeast.MT 1333
• ADAPTATION we ought to stop troubling the
  Gentiles who turn to God Acts 1519

3
KATAHOLIKE

• Although founded on the rock of Peter, the
  church of the (New testament) was diverse and
  pluralistic in character. Despite many
  differences from place to place, however, certain
  common elements of belief and practice existed
  faith in Jesus as Messiah and Lord, the practice
  of baptism and the celebration of the Eucharist,
  the apostolic preaching and instruction, the
  practice of communal love, and the expectation of
  the coming reign of God. There was freedom in all
  other matters. R. McBrien. HCEC 243.

4
WHY THE CREED?

• SOME IMPORTANT FACTORS
• ISSUES IN POST-APOSTOLIC WORLD
• TRANSITION FROM JUDAIC TO GREEK ROMAN CULTURE
• DEVELOPMENT OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
• KERYGMA-CATECHESIS-THEOLOGY
• PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS
• GROWTH OF CHRISTIAN POPULATION

5
WHY THE CREED?

• IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH (d. c. 107) points to the
  importance of kataholikos
• KEEPING CONNECTED DESPITE DISTANCES
• DEVELOPING LITURGICAL TRADITIONS
• CONSOLIDATION OF THE NT CANON
• IMPACT OF NEW CHALLENGES AND DIVERSE APPROACHES
  IN TEACHING AND PRACTICE
• SYNCRETISM, ADAPTATION, AUTHORITY

6
Table 1.1Christian Growth Projected at 40
Percent per Decade

• Year Number of Christians Percent of
  Populationa

• 
  1,000 0.0017
• 1,400
  0.0023
  
• 100
  7,530
  0.0126
• 40,496
  0.07
• 217,795
  0.36
• 250 1,171,356
  1.9
• 300 6,299,832
  10.5
• 33,882.008
  56.5
• __________________________________________________
  ___________________________________
• a Based on an estimated population of 60 million

7
(No Transcript)
8
SOURCES OF THE CREED

• Scripture
• Liturgical and Sacramental Formulae (esp.
  baptismal)
• Regional and Local Creeds
• Episcopal Catechesis
• Theological Works

9
PISTIS,PISTEUOMEN

• BELIEVE
• BE-LOEF (Anglo-Saxon, English)
• beloved, to hold dear
• Akin to German belieben, prefer, give
  Allegiance to

10
CREDO-CREDIMUS-CREDERE

• I give my heart to,
• We give our hearts to,
• to give ones heart to
• Cor, cordis heart
• (cf. ac-cord, con-cord)

11
FIDES, FIDERE

• French Fei, faith
• No English verb derived from fidere
• Came into English between 1300s and 1600s
• Implies trust, confidence, fundamental acceptance
• Ordered to person rather than thing

12
Nicaea I 325Constantinople I 381

• PROFESSION OF FAITH OF THE 300 FATHERS
• KERYGMA PROCLAMATION
• CATECHESIS INSTRUCTION
• THEOLOGY Fides quarens intellectum(Faith
  seeking understanding.)

13
A THOUGHT TO CONSIDER

• WHAT SORTS OF DEVELOPMENTS WILL COME ABOUT IN THE
  NEW GLOBALIZING ENVIRONMENT?

14
Table 1.1Christian Growth Projected at 40
Percent per Decade

• Year Number of Christians Percent of
  Populationa

• 
  1,000 0.0017
• 1,400
  0.0023
  
• 100
  7,530
  0.0126
• 40,496
  0.07
• 217,795
  0.36
• 250 1,171,356
  1.9
• 300 6,299,832
  10.5
• 33,882.008
  56.5
• __________________________________________________
  ___________________________________
• a Based on an estimated population of 60 million

15
(No Transcript)
16
A FEW STATS

• Christianity 2.1 billion
• Islam 1.5 billion
• Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist 1.1
  billion
• Hinduism 900 million
• Chinese traditional religion 394 million
• Buddhism 376 million
• primal-indigenous 300 million

17
GLOBAL CHRISTIAN STATS

• Catholic Christian- 1.2 billion
• Latin Catholic - 1,149.6 million
• Eastern Catholic - 16.1 million
• Protestant Christian- 670 million
• Orthodox Christian- 230 million
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_den
  ominations_by_number_of_members

18
THEN AND NOW

• 1ST TO 4TH CENTURY ROMAN EMPIRE
• 60, 000, 000
• CURENT WORLD POPULATION
• MORE THAN 1000 TIMES THAT