The Trinitarian Controversy

This volume explores the development of the doctrine of the Trinity in the patristic church as a result of the Arian controversy: Arius -- Letter to Eusebius of Nicomedia Arius -- Letter to Alexander of Alexandria Alexander of Alexandria -- Letter to Alexander of Thessalonica The Synodal Letter of the Council of Antioch, A.D. 325 The Creed of the Synod of Nicaea (June 19, 325) The Canons of Nicaea, A.D. 325 Eusebius of Caesarea -- Letter to His Church concerning the Synod at Nicaea Arius -- Letter to the Emperor Constantine Athanasius -- Orations against the Arians, Book 1 Gregory of Nazianzus -- Third Theological Oration concerning the Son Gregory of Nyssa -- Concerning We Should Think of Saying That There Are Not Three Gods to Ablabius Augustine of Hippo -- On the Trinity, Book 9

Bringing to a new generation a resource that has been used in theology & church history courses for more than 30 years, this volume features translations of the most important primary documents, introductions to the context of each text & new supplementary materials.

This volume explores the development of the doctrine of the Trinity in the patristic church as a result of the Arian controversy: Arius -- Letter to Eusebius of Nicomedia Arius -- Letter to Alexander of Alexandria Alexander of Alexandria -- Letter to Alexander of Thessalonica The Synodal Letter of the Council of Antioch, A.D. 325 The Creed of the Synod of Nicaea (June 19, 325) The Canons of Nicaea, A.D. 325 Eusebius of Caesarea -- Letter to His Church concerning the Synod at Nicaea Arius -- Letter to the Emperor Constantine Athanasius -- Orations against the Arians, Book 1 Gregory of Nazianzus -- Third Theological Oration concerning the Son Gregory of Nyssa -- Concerning We Should Think of Saying That There Are Not Three Gods to Ablabius Augustine of Hippo -- On the Trinity, Book 9

This book offers a revisionist interpretation of the fourth-century debate between the theologians Basil of Caesarea and Eunomius of Cyzicus by situating their rival theories of names in their proper historical, philosophical, and theological context.

The first part of Nicaea and its Legacy offers a narrative of the fourth-century trinitarian controversy. It does not assume that the controversy begins with Arius, but with tensions among existing theological strategies. Lewis Ayres argues that, just as we cannot speak of one `Arian' theology, so we cannot speak of one `Nicene' theology either, in 325 or in 381. The second part of the book offers an account of the theological practices and assumptions within whichpro-Nicene theologians assumed their short formulae and creeds were to be understood. Ayres also argues that there is no fundamental division between eastern and western trinitarian theologies at the end of the fourth century. The last section of the book challenges modern post-Hegelian trinitarian theology toengage with Nicaea more deeply.

First published in 1988, The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God is still considered by many scholars to be the finest work on the Arian Controversy. Examining scholarly works on the Controversy and many original texts, Professor Hanson, provides a clear understanding of how the traditional and historic doctrine of God as the Holy Trinity reached its most mature and enduring form. The author is not primarily concerned to defend the orthodox position itself, but rather to discover and examine the formation of that orthodoxy. The history of the events - the Councils, the interventions of the Emperor, the rivalries of sees, the behaviour of bishops, the varying fortunes of the different schools of thought and their leaders - is interwoven with the progression of thought and doctrine during the sixty years of the Controversy. Professor Hanson sees the problem of the reconciliation of two concepts which were both part of the very fabric of Christianity - monotheism and the worship of Jesus Christ as divine.

Ed Siecinski examines how the Church has viewed the procession of the Holy Spirit throughout its history, beginning with the Trinitarian controversies of the early Christian centuries. The first comprehensive study of the key controversy separating the Eastern and Western churches.