Christianity Changes in the Nicene Creed to Combat Heresies

Christianity is a very unique religion. It, unlike many of the worlds major religions, places a great emphasis on having the correct beliefs and interpretations of religious doctrines. Being a much more societal religion than many others, Christianity in its early years found that it was important to have every follower have the same understanding of the cardinal beliefs that it preaches. The story of the bible is a very complex one, as compared to other religions. The statement of beliefs of the other Abrahamic religions are all relatively short. They do not rely so heavily on scripture as Christianity does, and therefore there s no need for a comprehensive statement of belief that covers all major events and definitions (Johnson 9).†¦show more content†¦One of the major heresies that was put to rest by the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD was Sebellianism, or more commonly known as Moadalism. The movement of Sebellianism was brought on by Sabellius, a theologian and priest from the third century. Sabellius most likely taught in Rome around the time he first started writing about Moadalism, and little did he know, his questioning of the true nature, or mode, of God would be one of the most common forms of theological errors in the entire Christian faith. In a very basic sense, Moadalism is a denial of the Holy Trinity. Moadalism states that God is a single person, who has revealed himself in three different forms throughout early Christian history. During the time of the Old Testament, God revealed himself as the Father, and was the subject of most of the Old Testament stories. God revealed himself as the Son at the time of the incarnation, and as the Holy Spirit after the ascension of Jesus. The Moadalistic belief continues to state that none of these forms can exist at the same time. They occurred continuously and seamlessly without overlap (Lang 60). Moadalism denies a major pillar of Christianity by completely rejecting the Trinitarian belief that G od is one being that is the Father, the Son, and the HolyShow MoreRelatedThe Nicene Creed Essay1645 Words   |  7 PagesThe Nicene Creed is the creed or profession of faith that was adopted in the city of Nicaea by the first ecumenical council, which met there in the year 325. At that time, the text ended after the words We believe in the Holy Spirit, after which an anathema was added. The doctrine of the Trinity is commonly expressed as: One God, three Persons†, but this word Trinity does not appear in the Bible. So the doctrine is formally defined in the Nicene Creed, which declares Jesus to be: God of GodRead MoreThe, The Roman Empire, And Councils Of The Early Church1925 Words   |  8 PagesArius, the Roman Empire, and Councils of the Early Church Christianity came to a crossroads during the fourth century. Previously, there had been gaps in Church teaching, and so some people began to fill those gaps. One of those people was Arius. Arius was born in 256 A.D. in Libya, but moved to Alexandria, Egypt and became a presbyter there. He began to teach about Jesus as a creature created by God the Father, and so therefore not God. This was seen by many early Christians as a possibilityRead MoreThe Rise Of The Century King Cyrus And Emperor Constantine1302 Words   |  6 PagesKing Cyrus and Emperor Constantine you will discover that these to historical leaders dramatically influenced the change of direction for Judaism and Christianity. There are some scholars who would argue that these to ruler’s conversion to god was not sincere and they were just political masterminds. Either way Cyrus and Constantine are two central figures in Judaism and Christianity, two of the world’s major organized religions. Cyrus and C onstantine took over many lands and built their huge empiresRead MoreThe Rise Of The Century King Cyrus And Emperor Constantine1305 Words   |  6 PagesKing Cyrus and Emperor Constantine you will discover that these two historical leaders dramatically influenced the change of direction for Judaism and Christianity. There are some scholars who would argue that these two ruler’s conversions to god was not sincere and they were just political masterminds. Either way Cyrus and Constantine are two central figures in Judaism and Christianity, two of the world’s major organized religions. Cyrus and Constantine took over many lands and built their huge empires