We Believe in the Crucified and Risen Lord

Ancient Christian Doctrine #3

by Mark J. Edwards (Editor)

The resurrection changed everything. "But for the resurrection," writes Mark J. Edwards, "there would have been no reason to argue for a union of two natures in the person of Christ, let alone for a dyad or triad in the Godhead. All that he had said and done in the course of his earthly ministry would have sat well enough with the character of a prophet who excelled such predecessors as Isaiah and John the Baptist only in power and closeness to God." That is the story that unfolds as Edwards gathers together the most salient comments from the early church on the latter half of the second article of the Nicene Creed on God the Son as the crucified and risen Lord. The deliberations of ancient Christian writers on these matters are regarded now as the nucleus of Christology. The work of Christ is customarily considered, in Western Christendom at least, as the principal object of his coming. That Christ died for our sins was an axiom of all apostolic preaching. In this Ancient Christian Doctrine volume we see that the doctrines of the Trinity and the incarnation were not the second thoughts of Christendom after its encounter with Greek philosophy. Rather they were forced on the church by its refusal to adopt the polytheism of the Greeks as a means of reconciling the sovereignty of God with the exaltation of Christ as Lord. It is ultimately in the work of Christ that the essentials of his Person are revealed. The church's early teachers ultimately combine to denounce the critical maneuvers that would persuade us that the Scriptures do not mean what they plainly say. Here, as throughout the Creed, we see how the early church rooted all its claims in Scripture. The five-volume Ancient Christian Doctrine series follows up on the acclaimed Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture to provide patristic commentary on the Nicene Creed, translating source material from the church fathers into English for unparalleled insight into early church history.

Genres: Theology, Church History, Christian, Church

194 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have to read this stuff slowly (and in the case of Edwards' introduction two-and-a-half times) to get the juice out of it. As with the earlier volumes in the series this was packed with great quotations, often well-chosen, and generally opened delicious windows onto other worlds. The mixture in the patristic writings of quite 'modern-sounding' sentiments and obviously quite alien ideas is something I expect I will never get used to, so as a stimulating resource for the history of ideas and the development of personal faith these resources are the gift that keeps on giving.

Compared to one and two, this third volume has a more obscure introduction (that definitely improved on the second reading), more eccentric and in some cases utterly inexplicable headings to the quotations, and more odd or unhelpful footnotes. Nevetheless, the rich scholarship still oozed through the slightly creaky framework and Edwards' difficult prose style.

[John Kight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following on the heels of the highly acclaimed Ancient Christian Commentary series, the Ancient Christian Doctrine series brings together a five-volume patristic exploration into the substance of what the early church believed about the Christian faith. The series presents a curated display of primary Greek, Latin, Coptic, and Syriac source material from the church fathers, translated into English and organized around the content of the Nicene Creed.

The third volume of the series, We Believe in the Crucified and Risen Lord edited by Mark J. Edwards takes the reader through the third major article of the Nicene Creed and uses it as a framework for an exploration of patristic thought concerning the doctrine of Christ—namely the death, burial, and resurrection. Each of the major section opens with the text of the Nicene Creed in Greek, Latin, and English, and the word or phrase being discussed is highlighted for the reader in bold. Before being brought into the commentary from the early church fathers, the readers will meet an introduction to the historical context of the Creed and an overview of the general content of the section. Those who are acquainted with the Ancient Christian Commentary series will be met some with familiarity here.

The comments are organized under the major section by author and each excerpt leads with a single bolded phrase to summarize the content. This makes identifying it quick and easy for the reader to find relevant information, and each excerpt is properly cited for further exploration. Additional material in the volume includes biographical sketches, a timeline of ancient Christian sources, indexes, bibliographies and keys to original language sources.

The usefulness of the Ancient Christian Doctrine series and this volume in particular, is almost bursting at the seams. The organization of the content is well-situated to immerse the reader into the writings of the early church and navigate those waters with ease, and the additional material adds to this exploration. The translations of the excerpts are articulate and easy to read—some of them being translated into English for the very first time. The book itself is beautifully built and will survive ample use for many years. That is, beauty of the content is matched with an equally stunning presentation.

The only shortcoming identifiable in this volume, and to be honest, this is a shortcoming that exists in any volume that attempts a similar task as the Ancient Christian Doctrine series is the lack of larger context for the reader. To be fair, the editors have painstakingly sought to include as much context as possible and did so under the assumption that readers could investigate the larger context for themselves. Nevertheless, a paragraph is generally surrounded by more paragraphs, and those paragraphs are generally surrounded by even more paragraphs within a broader context that may or may not be relevant to the reader’s needs.

The Ancient Christian Doctrine series is a landmark resource that will serve an interdisciplinary audience for many years. The second volume, We Believe in the Crucified and Risen Lord edited by Mark J. Edwards takes the readers on a journey through the landscape of patristic thought concerning the doctrine of Christ. It is well-organized and perfectly situated to equip the interested reader with a portrait of early Christian belief. From scholars to students, and pastors to the layman, this is a volume that should be referenced by all. It comes highly recommended!