(no subject)
Elaine Pagels, Beyond Belief (2003):
[S]ince the fourth century, most churches have required those who would join such communion to profess a complex set of beliefs about God and Jesus--beliefs formulated by fourth-century bishops into the ancient Christian creeds. Some, of course, have had no difficulty doing so. Many others, myself included, have had to reflect on what the creeds mean, as well as on what we believe (what does it mean to say that Jesus is the "only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father," or that "we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church?"). Anyone with an ear for poetry can hear this creed as a sonorous tone poem in praise of God and Jesus. Certainly, as a historian, I can recognize how these creeds came to be part of tradition, and can appreciate how Constantine, the first Christian emperor, became convinced that making--and enforcing--such creeds helped to unify and standardize rival groups and leaders during the turmoil of the fourth century. Yet how do such demands for belief look today, in light of what we now know about the origin of the Christian movement?
. . . Justin Martyr the philosopher, now regarded as one of the "fathers of the church," cared about belief, of course--above all, that the pagan gods were false, and that one should acknowledge only the one true God, along with "Jesus Christ, his son"--but what mattered most was to share--and practice--the values of "God's people." So, Justin says, "we baptize those" who not only accept Jesus' teaching but "undertake to be able to live accordingly."
[S]ince the fourth century, most churches have required those who would join such communion to profess a complex set of beliefs about God and Jesus--beliefs formulated by fourth-century bishops into the ancient Christian creeds. Some, of course, have had no difficulty doing so. Many others, myself included, have had to reflect on what the creeds mean, as well as on what we believe (what does it mean to say that Jesus is the "only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father," or that "we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church?"). Anyone with an ear for poetry can hear this creed as a sonorous tone poem in praise of God and Jesus. Certainly, as a historian, I can recognize how these creeds came to be part of tradition, and can appreciate how Constantine, the first Christian emperor, became convinced that making--and enforcing--such creeds helped to unify and standardize rival groups and leaders during the turmoil of the fourth century. Yet how do such demands for belief look today, in light of what we now know about the origin of the Christian movement?
. . . Justin Martyr the philosopher, now regarded as one of the "fathers of the church," cared about belief, of course--above all, that the pagan gods were false, and that one should acknowledge only the one true God, along with "Jesus Christ, his son"--but what mattered most was to share--and practice--the values of "God's people." So, Justin says, "we baptize those" who not only accept Jesus' teaching but "undertake to be able to live accordingly."