J. Alexander Rutherford (Author of Prevenient Grace)

J. Alexander Rutherford wrote a new blog post Review of From Nicaea to Chalcedon Frances Young has provided an invaluable introduction to 4th and 5th-century theology from which both graduate students and beginners will benefit. The Read more of this blog post »
Jul 01, 2020 04:21AM · like
J. Rutherford rated a book liked it When Doctrine Divides the People of God: An Evangelical Approach to Theological Diversity by Rhyne R Putman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Having grown up without any real exposure to theological disagreement, I was in for a surprise in my first year of Bible college. Not only was I introduced to a depth of engagement with God and His Word I had never before encountered, but I was also ...more
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J. Rutherford rated a book really liked it From Nicaea to Chalcedon: A Guide to the Literature and Its Background by Frances M. Young	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
In From Nicaea to Chalcedon: A Guide to the Literature and its Background (2nd Ed, 2010), Frances Young has sought to supplement the standard histories and textbooks of the 4th – 5th century theology with an overview of the key characters and works i ...more
Jun 22, 2020 09:09PM · like · see review
J. Rutherford rated a book really liked it The Nicene Faith (Formation of Christian Thelogy) by F. John Behr	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Continuing the project begun in The Way to Nicaea, John Behr’s The Nicene Faith surveys the key figures and works surrounding the council of Nicaea and the consolidation of pro-Nicene theology in the late 4th century. Part 1 sets the stage with a his ...more
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J. Rutherford rated a book really liked it Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief by John M. Frame	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
John Frame is an insightful theologian; he ably interacts with the disciplines of Philosophy and systematic theology but does so from a thoroughly Christian and Biblical perspective. He combines faithfulness to Scripture with keen analysis and the cr ...more
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J. Rutherford rated a book really liked it Finding the Right Hills to Die on: The Case for Theological Triage by Gavin Ortlund	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
As a student in Bible College and then graduate school, I allowed my zeal in new theological discovery to overcome Christian humility and gentleness, engaging in fruitless and occasionally destructive arguments. Though I hope I have matured over the ...more
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J. Rutherford rated a book really liked it The Way to Nicaea (Formation Of Christian Theology, Vol. 1) by John Behr	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The 20th century, and the 21st century thus far, has witnessed a renewed interest in the evolution of Christian theology in the 2nd through 5th centuries (and beyond, of course). The collection of fragmented works from the orthodox and heterodox part ...more
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J. Rutherford rated a book really liked it Arius: Heresy and Tradition by Rowan Williams	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Arius: Heresy and Tradition was ground-breaking when it was first released in 1987. Since its publication, the topic of Arius and 4th century Christian theology has received considerable attention. The 2nd edition of Arius (2001) is not a thorough re ...more
Jun 01, 2020 05:38PM · like · see review
J. Rutherford rated a book it was ok One Assembly: Rethinking the Multisite and Multiservice Church Models by Jonathan Leeman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
As someone who has interned in, worked at, and served within several different multi-site and multi-service churches, I have had the opportunity to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches they have taken. As a result, I ha ...more
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Within the circles I grew up in, there was no strong doctrine of the sacraments—at least in comparison with the Reformed tradition. Since adopting the Reformed tradition (as much as a Baptist can), I have thought occasionally about the theology of th ...more
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J. Alexander Rutherford wrote a new blog post

Review of From Nicaea to Chalcedon

Frances Young has provided an invaluable introduction to 4th and 5th-century theology from which both graduate students and beginners will benefit.
The Read more of this blog post »

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When Doctrine Divides the People of God by Rhyne R Putman

When Doctrine Divides the People of God: An Evangelical Approach to Theological Diversity
by Rhyne R Putman

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Having grown up without any real exposure to theological disagreement, I was in for a surprise in my first year of Bible college. Not only was I introduced to a depth of engagement with God and His Word I had never before encountered, but I was also ...more

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From Nicaea to Chalcedon by Frances M. Young

From Nicaea to Chalcedon: A Guide to the Literature and Its Background
by Frances M. Young

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In From Nicaea to Chalcedon: A Guide to the Literature and its Background (2nd Ed, 2010), Frances Young has sought to supplement the standard histories and textbooks of the 4th – 5th century theology with an overview of the key characters and works i In From Nicaea to Chalcedon: A Guide to the Literature and its Background (2nd Ed, 2010), Frances Young has sought to supplement the standard histories and textbooks of the 4th – 5th century theology with an overview of the key characters and works in this period. From Nicaea to Chalcedon is written for both beginners and graduate students. The 1st chapter looks at Eusebius and the later Church historians, giving an overview useful for interacting with their works as sources for these centuries. The next chapters work chronologically through the centuries, beginning with Arius and Athanasius (Chapter 2), the ascetic and monastic teachers (Chapter 3), the Cappadocians (Chapter 4), several other figures in the later 4th century, including Ephrem the Syrian and John Chrysostom (Chapter 5), and then the figures surrounding the 4th Christological councils (Ephesus 1 – Chalcedon, Chapter 6).

Yong offers an even-handed evaluation of the characters; she does not, for example, fall into the trap of portraying Nestorius as the innocent victim and Cyril as a malicious manipulator. Her handling of each is sensitive the relevant literature, identifying (as much as we can from our perspective) the vices that lead to different aspects of the controversy but also giving attention to their admirable desire for truth. The account of Nestorius’ doctrine of prosopa blurs his emphasis on the single divine subject using the prosopa, so she concludes “his opponents were not altogether unfair in accusing him of teaching a ‘double Christ,’ two persons acting independently” (295). Nestorius treats the prosopa as the presentation of a thing that can either be natural (grounded in essence or nature) or accidental (grounded elsewhere). The prosopa is the proper subject of predication yet it is also the mode of self-presentation through which the single subject Christ presents Himself according to his divine or human nature. Though awkward and understandably confusing, this is Nestorius’s own account of what John Behr calls “partitive exegesis” and of the Christology affirmed at Chalcedon (Nestorius viewed Leo’s Tome, and potentially the council itself, as a vindication of his position). However, Young rightly and helpfully elucidates the contours of his thought and draws the readers attention to Nestorius’ important identification of his own beliefs with Leo’s Tome, maybe even Chalcedon itself (297). She also suggests that Athanasius was in line with Apollinaris’s Christological emphasis (249).

Young thus helpfully elucidates some of the ambiguities of the era, where many parties within a shared “Nicaean” theology arrived at different conclusions concerning how Christ’s deity was reconciled with His humanity. The graduate student will find some benefit from this work as an introductory survey; the beginner will find it invaluable. ...more

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The Nicene Faith (Formation of Christian Thelogy)
by F. John Behr

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Continuing the project begun in The Way to Nicaea, John Behr’s The Nicene Faith surveys the key figures and works surrounding the council of Nicaea and the consolidation of pro-Nicene theology in the late 4th century. Part 1 sets the stage with a his Continuing the project begun in The Way to Nicaea, John Behr’s The Nicene Faith surveys the key figures and works surrounding the council of Nicaea and the consolidation of pro-Nicene theology in the late 4th century. Part 1 sets the stage with a historical overview, a survey of Arius and Alexander of Alexandria, and then a detailed treatment of Athanasius. Part 2 focuses on the latter half of the century, specifically the three Cappadocians, Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzen, and Gregory of Nyssa. As in The Way to Nicaea, Behr’s grasp of the literature is fantastic; the reader will greatly benefit from broad exposure to recent 20th century and early 21st-century scholarship on the relevant figures. However, as in the first volume, Behr’s tradition predominates in his interpretation of the events of the century.

Summary

As an Orthodox theologian, it is not surprising that Behr sees the epitome of clarity and Nicene orthodoxy in the Cappadocians. Indeed, his focus in all these volumes is Eastern theologians. A reader looking for insights into the development of Nicene Christianity in the Western, Latin speaking world will have to look elsewhere (Hanson and Ayres, for example). The hermeneutical approach he develops in the first volume is maintained here; accordingly, Behr identifies the Father’s spiritual exegesis as continuing in the spirit of the Apostles and the New Testament. Also, his reading of Athanasius emphasises de-historicising aspects of Orthodox and Cappadocian thought. I am naturally suspicious of such an interpretation but am insufficiently familiar with Athanasius’s works to evaluate Behr’s interpretation. (His discussion here is consistent with the Cappadocian epistemology and his own evaluative comments. I do not have sufficient familiarity with Athanasius’s works to know if Athanasius would have adopted this approach. However, he does display the same ontological presuppositions as the Cappadocians, discussed below.) His presentation of Nestorius and Apollinaris is helpful and even-handed. His interpretation of Nestorius’ prosopa is accurate (426). However, I do not think his evaluation of Apollinaris on page 400-401, that Christ ends up as not fully God nor fully man, is justified by what we can identify from the existing fragments: Apollinaris insists that “τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου γεγενησθαι, οὐκ ὀνόματι ἀλλὰ ἀληθεία” ([we confess] that the son of God was born the son of man, not in name only but in truth) and “εἶναι τέλειον … αὐτόν υἱόν ἀνθρώπου” (that he is the perfect son of man) (The Faith in Detail, 27 in Loofs pg. 177). Whatever we may think of his solution, Apollinaris believed that his theology upheld the full humanity of Christ in a way that both overcame our sinful proclivities and allowed Him to be the true saviour of humanity. Behr is correct in observing that Apollinaris does not have the de-historicising soteriological focus on the “Passion” that Behr identifies it in the thought of Athanasius and Nyssa.

Evaluation

Behr follows Rowan Williams in rejecting the modern “immanent” vs “economic” distinction in contemporary Trinitarian theology. Instead, he argues for a division between theology and economy, a distinction parallel to the “partitive exegesis” employed in 4th century Christology (“Partitive exegesis” distinguished between Christ acting according to His deity and acting according to His humanity [e.g. 477]). What Behr and Williams seem to be getting at is that we cannot treat “theology” and “economy” as different degrees of the same phenomenon; Jesus acting in history is not analogous to God’s timeless being. Following Williams, he decries the contemporary and 3rd-century belief in an inter-Trinitarian history—a life of God analogous to God’s life vis-à-vis creation—as a weird mix of mythology and metaphysics. In his essay the Nicene Heritage (cited favourably by Behr), Rowan Williams argues that the enduring contribution of Nicene Christianity is to establish this distinction; what we perceive of God through His revelation is not revelatory of who God is in Himself but gives us confidence that what we see is consistent with who God must be. This understanding of revelation reinforces the apophatic stream of thought, which reaches its Nicene crescendo in the Cappadocians:
[What’s said of God] is not in tension with the apophatic. Properly speaking, it reinforces the apophatic impulse, in confronting us simultaneously with the narrative of Israel, Jesus and the Church, and with an austerely formal structure for referring to the God who gives coherence to the narrative, and of whom nothing can be said substantively but that this God is such as to give coherence to this narrative, that we meet this God thus and are constrained to organise what we say thus. (Rowan Williams, “The Nicene Heritage,” in The Christian Understanding of God Today: Theological Colloquium on the Occasion of the 400th Anniversary of the Foundation of Trinity College, Dublin, ed. James M. Byrne (Dublin: Columba Press, 1993), 47.)
In addition to the problems I identified in the last review, with Behr’s understanding of the function of Scripture within the Bible and the Fathers, I believe this theological emphasis is problematic. As I am currently arguing in my PhD thesis, the view of God developed by apophaticism and the broader epistemology for knowing God presented by Behr and meditated upon by the 4th century Fathers presupposes a view of knowledge that is incompatible with the Bible and has, fortuitously, come under severe attack with the advent of Modernity and Postmodernity. That is, the general assumption of this period is that of Essentialism, that things are fully or truly known through their essence, which is the cause of all universal properties manifest in a thing (i.e. the properties proper to a dog are caused by the dog essence or dogness). The result of such a view is that all non-essential or particularising properties (such as time, place, action, and accidental detail [colour, shape, size]) are not true objects of knowledge. Furthermore, to have true knowledge is also to have exhaustive knowledge, for knowledge of an essence is simple knowledge while exhausting all that is truly knowable about a thing. This view of knowledge rules out what some contemporary philosophers have called “personal knowledge,” the knowledge of acting subjects over against knowledge of inanimate objects. This view of knowledge also leads to the de-historicising of the content of faith, for the particularity of events cannot lead to universal truth (as Lessing put it, the contingent truths of history cannot show us the universal truths of reason). Behr’s volume is replete with these assumptions; this is where his work is at its weakest.

However, for its in-depth survey of the thought and events of the 4th century, this second volume of his series Formation of Christian Theology is an invaluable contribution to Patristic scholarship. ...more

J. Rutherford rated a book really liked it

Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief
by John M. Frame

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John Frame is an insightful theologian; he ably interacts with the disciplines of Philosophy and systematic theology but does so from a thoroughly Christian and Biblical perspective. He combines faithfulness to Scripture with keen analysis and the cr ...more

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Finding the Right Hills to Die on by Gavin Ortlund

Finding the Right Hills to Die on: The Case for Theological Triage
by Gavin Ortlund

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As a student in Bible College and then graduate school, I allowed my zeal in new theological discovery to overcome Christian humility and gentleness, engaging in fruitless and occasionally destructive arguments. Though I hope I have matured over the ...more

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The Way to Nicaea (Formation Of Christian Theology, Vol. 1)
by John Behr

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The 20th century, and the 21st century thus far, has witnessed a renewed interest in the evolution of Christian theology in the 2nd through 5th centuries (and beyond, of course). The collection of fragmented works from the orthodox and heterodox part The 20th century, and the 21st century thus far, has witnessed a renewed interest in the evolution of Christian theology in the 2nd through 5th centuries (and beyond, of course). The collection of fragmented works from the orthodox and heterodox parties in the 19th and 20th centuries have allowed a greater level of precision in this research, as have extensive studies of key figures, compilations of the acts from the Ecumenical councils and local synods, and the discovery and translation of significant works that to this point have not been extant (such as Nestorius' Bazaar of Heracleides). For these reasons, along with a generally supportive academic climate and the availability of the necessary sources, Patristic studies have flourished. One result from this flourishing of Patristic studies has been an overthrow of previously held narratives concerning the early debates, the parties involved, and—particularly—the meaning of "Orthodoxy." Into this milieu, John Behr began writing his 3-part series "Formation of Christian Theology" (2001 – 2004). (Though it promises further volumes, only two have appeared as of 2020.) In the forward to the first volume, The Way to Nicaea, Andrew Louth describes Behr as an Orthodox theologian who bridges the otherwise uneasy relationship between Orthodox theology and the critical approach characterizing contemporary theology and Biblical studies. Accordingly, this series is not conservative in the sense of passing on established narratives and dogmas but constructive, attempting to shed new light on the thinkers involved in and the contours of the early debates. Behr does so through the lens of Jesus' questions to his disciples, "Who do you think I am?"

There is great value in The Way to Nicaea. However, the paradigm through which Behr reads the Scriptures and the Fathers is problematic and inevitably will lead to the problems expressed in Rowan William's Arius and Lewis Ayres "Nicaea and Its Legacy": if Scripture is not propositionally normative in some sense and the authority of the counsels is not a given—if they are not normative by default—orthodoxy becomes a moving target at the mercy of the latest majority rule.

Read my full review on https://teleioteti.ca/?p=4139. ...more

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Arius: Heresy and Tradition
by Rowan Williams

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Arius: Heresy and Tradition was ground-breaking when it was first released in 1987. Since its publication, the topic of Arius and 4th century Christian theology has received considerable attention. The 2nd edition of Arius (2001) is not a thorough re Arius: Heresy and Tradition was ground-breaking when it was first released in 1987. Since its publication, the topic of Arius and 4th century Christian theology has received considerable attention. The 2nd edition of Arius (2001) is not a thorough revision; in addition to a new preface, two appendices are added, including a helpful survey of advances in scholarship on Arius and response to criticisms William's book received. The 2nd appendix presents the texts of several important creedal documents from the 2nd century. The book itself is difficult, not easy in style, documentation (giving quotes in several languages), nor argument.
In Arius, Rowan Williams seeks to look beyond the portrait of Arius and Arianism presented by the pro-Nicene parties, particularly Athanasius. Williams situates Arius and the documents we have that testify to his life and teaching within the events of the 4th century and the philosophical milieu of that time. As John Behr writes, "the great merit of William's work is that it examines the profile of Arius himself, rather than attempting to discern the essence of 'Arianism'" (The Nicene Faith Part 1, 134). The portrait that emerges is that of a "conservative" presbyter using the tools of contemporary philosophy to elucidate the contours of the Father-Son Trinitarian relationship as received from his theological predecessors. In the 1st appendix, Williams acknowledges that by limiting himself to theological and philosophical influences discernable in Arius' surviving writings and those concerning him, he neglects the possible influence of liturgy and popular piety. The historical reconstruction of the events of the Arian controversy and timeline are convincing and have had some staying power in the scholarship up-to and beyond the 2nd edition. However, the philosophical and theological reconstructions of Arius' thought remain, on William's own admission, speculative. Williams' interpretation of Arius's philosophical heritage has been particularly criticized, as Williams notes in the 1st appendix. In addition to the history of events, another lasting contribution of this volume is its contribution towards dismantling the idea of a concrete school of thought in the 4th century that could be called "Arianism." Arius shared similar concerns with other anti-Nicene parities but did not gain a theological following. Williams also argues against the reading that pits Arius as an Antiochene literalist and rigorous logician over-against the more spiritually-minded Alexandrians and the position that sees Arius as a simplistic heir of Origen's thought. Instead, Arius bears continuity with the thought of Origen and other significant scholars of the 3rd century but is not the heir of any one person. Williams argues that Arius, like Origen, exemplifies an "academic" or school-based approach to Christian authority, that attributes authority in spiritual accredited, charismatic teachers, over against the Catholic approach embodied in Nicaea, which places authority in the ecclesiastical hierarchy.

Read my full review here ...more

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One Assembly: Rethinking the Multisite and Multiservice Church Models
by Jonathan Leeman

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As someone who has interned in, worked at, and served within several different multi-site and multi-service churches, I have had the opportunity to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches they have taken. As a result, I ha ...more

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Truth We Can Touch: How Baptism and Communion Shape Our Lives
by Tim Chester

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Within the circles I grew up in, there was no strong doctrine of the sacraments—at least in comparison with the Reformed tradition. Since adopting the Reformed tradition (as much as a Baptist can), I have thought occasionally about the theology of th Within the circles I grew up in, there was no strong doctrine of the sacraments—at least in comparison with the Reformed tradition. Since adopting the Reformed tradition (as much as a Baptist can), I have thought occasionally about the theology of the sacraments and have come to recognize their significance. However, I have often struggled to appreciate their importance in my own life. I was eager to receive Tim Chester's new book Truth We Can Touch through the Crossway Blog Review Program for the opportunity to think through this more practical and personal side of the sacraments. In many ways, Tim delivered. The book is well written, and Tim has a way with illustrations.
Truth We Can Touch is organized into six chapters. The first four chapters consider four aspects shared by Communion and Baptism: Chester argues that these sacraments are each an enacted promise, grace, presence, and memory. The last two chapters consider the importance of baptism as conveying a status change that shapes our life, discussing the nature of a "Baptized Life" and "Baptized People."
I found Chapter 1 particularly insightful and helpful for thinking about the practical significance of Baptism and Communion. The following chapters follow a standard Reformed understanding of the sacraments, arguing that they are indeed significant and full of meaning. Addressing any view that makes the sacraments pure symbolism, Chester argues that the sacraments do not only have subjective meaning but have meaning found in what God does in and through them. They are meaningful in the context of God's overall redemptive work and the specific context of the gathered church. Thus, they are truly means of grace. The applications presented in these chapters are the practical outworking of the Reformed theology Chester presents.
However, these chapters lacked a persuasive Biblical argument for the theology underpinning their application. That is, Chester presented lots of Reformation-era evidence for his views—citing Luther, the Formula of Concord, Cranmer, Calvin, Turretin etc.—but did not show why the positions he presented are Biblical. I am not suggesting he does not use Scripture; as the Biblical index will reveal, this is far from the case. Some of the sections are quite helpful in connecting the sacraments with the Biblical witness, such as his "History of the World in Twelve Meals" (56-67).
However, when it comes to debatable issues, Chester does not give the reader good Biblical reasons to accept, for example, the Spiritual presence of Christ in communion (Chapter 3). I am not sure—generally nor after reading the book—what it means that the "signs convey the reality they signify without becoming the reality they signify" (73). That is, what does it mean for "grace," the thing signified, to be conveyed through the sacraments? If grace is a freely given gift or God's kind mercy, how is it "conveyed" but not identified with sacrament? This language found throughout the historical discussions of the sacraments, but it is not Biblical language for them (as far as I can tell). Chester does not give good Biblical reasons for viewing them in this manner.
Additionally, I am not convinced that baptism is what unites us to Christ, brings us into the New Covenant, and makes us part of the Church, for which Chester argues in the last two chapters. Chester does not draw a clear distinction between the Church universal and the church local, which muddies the waters. Further, the picture is oversimplified. In the New Testament, baptism is presented as an aspect of conversion, alongside faith/repentance and regeneration. References to baptism often encompass the whole (an instance of the literary device called a synecdoche, where a reference to the part indicates the whole). Thus, though our entrance into the Church universal happens when we believe and our belief is itself entrance into and a product of being part of the New Covenant, and though regeneration is the precondition of faith, baptism is associated with each of these.

Because theology and the Bible are my areas of study, I have drawn attention to several issues I had in these regards. However, I do not want to give the impression that Truth We Can Touch is a write-off. I enjoyed reading the book and was encouraged to think again about these gifts we call the sacraments. Read it and hear a call to recapture the enchanted world we live in and to find value in symbols. Don't settle for a "mere symbolism." Use this book as a starting point and conversation partner in turning to Scripture and hearing what Jesus and the apostles have to say about baptism and the Lord's Supper. This book has the potential to get us, Evangelicals thinking once again about these doctrines. For that, I am thankful. ...more

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	Prevenient Grace: An Investigation into Arminianism 4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2016 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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J. Alexander Rutherford

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