The Nicene Creed is “a medicine for our times”

The Nicene Creed: A Scripture. Historical & Theological Commentary, published recently by Baker Academic, is co-authored by two Catholic theologians and professors; Jared Ortiz and Daniel A. Keating. Dr. Ortiz, who is a contributor to CWR, is professor of religion at Hope College in Holland, MI; the cofounder and executive director of the Saint Benedict Institute for Catholic Thought, Culture, and Evangelization; and author of books on Saint Augustine and theosis/deification. Dr. Keating is professor of theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, MI, and the author or coauthor of several books, including Athanasius and His Legacy and two volumes in the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture series.

The two authors corresponded recently about their new book, discussing the purpose, meaning, history, and ongoing importance of the Nicene Creed.

CWR: You begin, in the Introduction, with a question: “Why would we bother with creeds in our day?” And then you describe creeds as “a medicine for our times”. So, why bother? What is the illness? And how do creeds heal?

Ortiz and Keating: Our times are marked by an attitude of skepticism toward the truth: either it cannot be found or, at best, what can be found is merely “my truth” and “your truth.” But with striking clarity, the Creed offers us The Truth, the truth about ultimate reality and the world and how best to understand them.

Our times are also marked by a widespread fear of commitment which is often accompanied by isolation and loneliness. But we publicly profess the Creed, together, in Church, and so communally commit ourselves to the truths we proclaim.

And, lastly, our times are marked by a loss of meaning. The Creed is a treasure chest, where every word and phrase overflows with an abundance of meaning. Our sick times find an antidote in the Church’s creed.

CWR: What was and is the purpose of a creed? Is it still—dare I say it?—relevant?

Ortiz and Keating: Very relevant! The purpose of the creed is to provide the key truths of the Christian faith in a short and summary way. In an age of short attention spans, this is very helpful! But more seriously, the Creed gives us a frame for understanding our faith and reading the scriptures. It gives us a starting point–and the confidence–for exploring the mysteries of Christianity.

The Creed also keeps us united on the essentials. It doesn’t seek to explain the doctrines it confesses (this is what the Catechism does), but places them before us for a common, united confession of faith.

CWR: How would you describe your approach in this book?

Ortiz and Keating: We wanted our readers to feel the weight of each word of the Creed. We recite it so often that it can become rather routine. But every word of the Creed was a hard-fought battle. Every word excludes other real possibilities. Some words are a declaration of war on false notions of God.

The Creed which for many of us is so formulaic is really quite dramatic! Even something as seemingly obvious as believing in “one God” becomes something truly radical in light of the polytheistic context of early Christianity and in light of the development of trinitarian theology (how does one square God being one with God being three?).

CWR: Who is your main audience?

Ortiz and Keating: Our audience is normal people! Often we scholars write for other scholars and that work is good and important. But we are teachers and we wanted to help lay people, students, seminarians, pastors, and catechists go deeper in their faith.

CWR: The opening chapter is on “belief”. What can the Nicene Creed teach about the nature of faith?

Ortiz and Keating: Christianity very much defined itself in terms of “belief,” something that we take for granted, but which was very strange in the ancient world. Other religions did not really have creeds, statements of belief that their adherents were willing to die for.

So, the mere fact of a creed (from the Latin, credo, “I believe”) is telling. For early Christians, believing healed the mind. Since we are alienated from God and our minds are clouded, it is difficult to arrive at the truth. Faith–the content of which was outlined in creeds–healed the mind by allowing it to dwell in ultimate truth (truth which otherwise it would not have access to). Faith was like sitting under the shade of a tree which allowed us to get used to the light without burning us.

CWR: The Nicene Creed was shaped and solidified during a time filled with many heresies. What were some of the most significant? And how did they inform the development of the Creed?

Ortiz and Keating: The Nicene Creed was forged during two councils, Nicaea in 325 which responded to the Arian heresy and Constantinople in 381 which confirmed the rejection of Arianism and responded to the Macedonian heresy.

Arians believed that the Son was not truly divine, but was the first and highest creation of the Father. In response, the Council of Nicaea showed that the Son is “begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.” In other words, the Son is born of the Father and therefore is the same nature or substance as the Father, meaning that he is fully and truly God.

The Macedonians believed the Son was God, but not the Holy Spirit. In response, the Council of Constantinople showed how Scripture uses the title divine “Lord” and attributes the divine power of giving life to the Holy Spirit. It also showed that the Church renders the same worship to the Holy Spirit that it does to the Father and the Son, which would make no sense if the Spirit were a creature. The first part of the Creed on one God, Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth, was forged before these councils, though the doctrines took on new meaning in light of the new controversies.

CWR: Why is it important to refer to God as “Father”? How do you respond to those who say that is unhelpful language conditioned by culture and ignorance?

Ortiz and Keating: It is important because this is the way Jesus taught us to address God. Jesus was not ignorant, nor did he adopt the prejudices of his culture. If Jesus was sexist, then he is not God and the Gospel falls apart. While “father” is a negative term for some in our “fatherless times,” it is still a positive term for others.

We should try to understand why Jesus taught us to use this name to address God. First, because it reveals his eternal relationship with the Son. Second, because it denotes the idea that he is the source of creation. Third, because this is the kind of relationship he wants to have with his people. Lastly, because when we become part of Christ’s body, we truly share in his sonship and so we can properly call God “father” just as Jesus did.

CWR: The Arian heresy and other false teachings focused on the person and life of Jesus Christ. Why was it so important that the language used in the Creed be precise and exacting regarding the Incarnation?

Ortiz and Keating: God created us to share in his divine life or, as it says in 2 Peter 1:4, “to become partakers of the divine nature.” This is what the Christian tradition calls deification or divinization. This is the goal and fulfillment of our existence.

But, if Christ is not truly God, then we cannot partake of the divine nature through him. If Christ is really just the greatest of creatures, then we can only be “creaturized” rather than divinized. But if Christ is divine then he can lead us into the heart of the Trinity. And that is what we call heaven.

CWR: Why was it that questions about the Holy Spirit were not prominent until the mid-300s? And why was it so vital to address those questions?

Ortiz and Keating: Christ was the main flash point for so many centuries that the question of the Holy Spirit never quite arose explicitly. It is somewhat humorous that in the Council of Nicaea (325) the beliefs about the Holy Spirit are articulated as, “and in the Holy Spirit.” Similarly, Hilary of Poitiers’s 400-page tome, On the Trinity, spends 397 pages on the relationship between the Father and the Son and devotes only the last three pages to the Holy Spirit.

If the Son is not divine, then the Spirit isn’t either. But once the Son is recognized as “true God from true God,” then the question of the Spirit’s divine status arises almost immediately.

CWR: Your section on the Church is titled “Life in the Trinity”. Why that heading? What is it about life in the Trinity that you hope readers to learn or better understand?

Ortiz and Keating: For early Christians, all thinking about God had a trinitarian shape. So, we wanted that reflected in the title and the way we thought about those final doctrines of the Church and last things. The Trinity can feel rather abstract and the finer points can feel rather pointless. But nothing less than the meaning of our salvation is at stake.

If Christ is not God, and the Spirit is not God, then we are not truly saved. We do not have real hope for a definitive healing and transformation.

If the Son and Spirit are not divine, then we cannot be divinized. Our hope would be for this world only, and then we are truly pitiable.

CWR: Any final thoughts?

Ortiz and Keating: God made us for a glorious end. He made us for union with himself, a union that transforms us. God wants to permeate every aspect of our being: our mind and heart and body and soul. That is real salvation. The Creed safeguards this vision of salvation.

It is easy to just tune out when reciting the Creed, but with a little study and understanding we can come to pray the Creed and enter into its mysteries. Then we will be prepared for the banquet that comes after the Creed: meeting God face to face in the Eucharist and advancing our deification.

Catholic World Report