The Nicene Creed

Dear Friends in Christ,

Over the course of 12 classes, we will engage in a close reading of the Greek, Latin, and English texts of this important fourth century statement of the faith.  We will also explore what this creed means for us today.

Today we will discuss what is at the heart of the Nicene Creed: the concept of homoousios (ὁμοούσιος) and how Jesus Christ is “one being” or “one substance” with God the Father.

This is the portion of the creed that we will be discussing:

God of God, Light of Light,
⁠very God of very God,
⁠begotten, not made,
⁠being of one substance with the Father;
⁠by whom all things were made;

Φῶς ἐκ Φωτός,
Θεὸν ἀληθινὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ ἀληθινοῦ,
γεννηθέντα οὐ ποιηθέντα,
ὁμοούσιον τῷ Πατρί,
δι’ οὗ τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο·

Preparation

There is no need to prepare anything in advance for the class.  Just come as you are!  However, if you would like to do some advance reading, you can read the Rite I and Rite II versions of the Nicene Creed from the Book of Common Prayer:

You can also check out the creed in Greek and Latin, although no knowledge of these languages is presupposed for class participants.

Recordings

We will be recording the classes, and we will post them to the STC website for on-demand viewing.  I will circulate the links to the class distribution list after they are available.  To make sure that you are on the distribution list, please sign up if you haven’t already done so.

Please contact Father Cheng if you have any questions about the class.

Blessings,

Fr. Cheng

Theologian in Residence

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