Theology of Athanasius and later developments

1
Theology of Athanasius and later developments

• Athanasius of Alexandria, On the Incarnation.
• The doctrine of the Trinity according to the
  Cappadocian Fathers.
• The teaching of Apollinaris of Laodicea.
• The Second Ecumenical Council Constantinople,
  381.

2
The Doctrine of the Trinity

• Inadequate extreme positions (heresies)
• 1. Modalism
• 2. Subordinationism (Arianism)
• 3. Tritheism (three gods)
• Orthodox definition
• One essence, three persons

3
Subordinationism (Arianism)
Unity of three persons
Distinction of three persons
orthodoxy
Modalism
Tritheism
Equality of F., S. H. S.
4
Who do you say that I am?

• What is Jesus relationship to God the Father?
• What is Jesus relationship to human beings?

5
The teaching of Apollinaris of Laodicea (310-390)

• Friend of Athanasius
• Gifted exegete and apologist
• Loyal to the Nicene faith emphasized full
  divinity of Christ
• His teaching regarding humanity of Christ
  condemned at the council of Constantinople in 381
  (to be discussed during seminar)

6
Gregory of Nazianzus (325-389)

• One of the Cappadocian Fathers
• Major defender of the doctrine of the Trinity at
  the council of Constantinople
• Argued against Apollinaris That which was not
  assumed was not healed.

7
The Second Ecumenical Council

• Met in Constantinople in 381
• Condemned the teaching of Apollinaris
• Affirmed that Christ is fully human
• Defined the doctrine of the Trinity

8
Theodosius I (346-395) makes pro-Nicene orthodoxy
the only acceptable form of religion

• All the people who are ruled by the
  administration of our Clemency shall practice
  that religion which the divine Peter the Apostle
  transmitted to the Romans It is evident that
  this is the religion that is followed by the
  Pontiff Damasus and by Peter, Bishop of
  Alexandria, a man of apostolic sanctity
• We command that those persons who follow this
  rule of trinitarian faith shall embrace the
  name of Catholic Christians. The rest, however,
  whom we adjure demented and insane, shall sustain
  the infamy of heretical dogmas, their meeting
  places shall not receive the name of churches,
  and they shall be smitten first by divine
  vengeance and secondly by the retribution of our
  own initiative, which we shall assume in
  accordance with the divine judgment.

9
Seminar questions

• How does Gregory formulate the fundamental
  dilemma involved in speaking about the Father,
  Son and Holy Spirit? (p. 256)
• What is the gist of Ablabius argument? (p.
  256-7)
• What is Gregorys initial answer to the
  difficulty involved? What answer would be deemed
  satisfactory for simple Christians? (p. 257)
• What does the term Godhead refer to? (pp.
  259-260)
• What distinguishes the actions of Father, Son
  Holy Spirit from the actions of human beings?
  (pp. 261-62)
• What distinctions does Gregory admit among the
  persons of the Trinity? (p. 266)

10
Gregory of Nazianzus, Epistle 101

• Who is the recipient of the letter? (consult p.
  124-25).
• What are the main heresies about Christ that
  Gregory condemns? (pp. 217-218).
• What is Apollinaris position (p. 218, bottom)
• What is Gregorys main objection to Apollinaris?
  (p. 218, 221)
• What two difficulties did Apollinaris see in
  attributing to Christ human mind? (p. 219, 220)
• How does Gregory respond to these difficulties?
  (pp. 219 220)
• According to Gregory, how does scripture use the
  word flesh? (pp. 221-22)).