.instructions

**You must watch “Christianity II – The Development of Christian Orthodoxy” prior to completing this exercise. Make yourself a copy and resubmit your copy with your answer to the question below at the end of the document.

Imagine you are a bishop at the various councils you have learned about, and you need to decide whether or not certain theological positions exhibit orthodoxy or heresy. Below you will find various scripture selections recognized by Christian traditions to support Trinitarian monotheism. Complete the following two tasks.

1. Read the following passages from the scriptures of the Christian tradition and make the following annotations for specific words:

• BOLD= God / Father / LORD (all caps)
• ITALICIZE = Son / Word / Jesus Christ / Lord (Small caps)
• UNDERLINE = Spirit

1. Look at your analysis, and what you have bolded, italicized, and underlined. Based on your understanding of the context surrounding the ecumenical councils, as well as your own reading of the scriptures, answer the following questions in a short paragraph at the end of the document.

• Given that the 27 books of the canon were already accepted as authoritative scripture by the fourth century, is there sufficient textual evidence to condemn Arius, Apollinaris, Nestorius, and monophysite theologies? Why or why not? Be sure to explain their position in your answer. If you are unsure, explain why.

Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) (RSV)

Gen 1:1-2:4

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

Deuteronomy 6:4

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD;

Psalm 110

The LORD says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool.”

Isaiah 44:6

Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.

New Testament (RSV)

1 Corinthians 8:6

“yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”

2 Corinthians 13:14

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Mark 1:9-11

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.”

Matthew 28:19

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Luke 1:35

And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.

John 1:1-19

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being….. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. …  grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

PROMPT: Look at your analysis, and what you have bolded, italicized, and underlined. Based on your understanding of the context surrounding the ecumenical councils, as well as your own reading of the scriptures, answer the following questions in a short paragraph at the end of the document. Be sure to refer to the slides in our course content section if needed.

• Given that the 27 books of the canon were already accepted as authoritative scripture by the fourth century, is there sufficient textual evidence to condemn Arius, Apollinaris, Nestorius, and monophyte theologies? Why or why not? Be sure to explain their position in your answer. If you are unsure, explain why.