25 February 484 A.D. Vandal King, Huneric, rules in favor of Arianism.
25 February 484 A.D. Vandal King, Huneric, rules in favor of Arianism.
According to Rusten’s telling, 100s of Nicene-confessing bishops refused, lost their properties and suffered other cruelties including crimes against persons—assaults and more.
Footnotes:
Rusten, E.
Michael and Rusten, Sharon. The One Year
Christian History. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2003. http://www.amazon.com/The-Year-Christian-History-Books/dp/0842355073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393302630&sr=8-1&keywords=rusten+church+history
The backstory.
In the early 4th
century, the Alexandrian Arius, advocated his views that denied the eternality
of the Word, Jesus Christ. There was a
time when Jesus ούχ ήν, or, “was not.”
The Nicene Council met and ruled in 325 A.D. The Nicene Creed has been confessed as
Scripturally warranted in both the East and West since then. Constantine the Great called the
Council. He held up the Scriptures and
said, “Let all things be settled by this Book.”
The East and the West has, since 325 A.D., upheld the Nicene Creed.
This historic Anglican faith has
retained this 4th century Confession and Creed since then, notably,
in the service for Holy Communion. The
Nicene Creed was reaffirmed by Article VIII of the Thirty-nine Articles of
Religion, 1571 A.D.
But, in the 4th and 5th
centuries there were some Germanic tribes that embraced “Arianism” and rejected
the Nicene Creed.
In 429 A.D., King Gaiseric, a
king of Vandals, led 80,000 troops out of Spain and conquered portions of
northern Africa. In suing for peace, the Roman Empire ceded land by
treaty. In 433, Gaiseric took
Carthage. In 455, he sacked Rome,
primarily—as is usual (like the later Islamic quests)—driven by greed and
covetousness.
Gaiseric’s son, Huneric, took
power after his father’s death in 477.
Huneric, the son and new king, was an Arian. He used his power to force Nicene bishops to
adopt Arianism.
He ordered a debate on 1 Feb 483
A.D. to settle the issue and show the superior merits of Arianism. According to
Rusten’s telling, 100s of bishops from both sides appeared (112). We think this number rather large and Mr.
(Dr.) Rusten provides no sources. The
Arian bishops issued technicalities that forestalled debate.
Apparently, there was an uproar (somewhere,
but Rusten doesn’t tell us). Huneric
declared that “Catholic bishops were taking it upon themselves, with consummate
foolishness, to throw everything into confusion with seditious shouting, with
the intention of bringing it about that the debate did not take place”
(112). Huneric cancelled the debate.
Huneric decreed that non-Arian (=non-Nicene-based)
worship cease, non-Arian churches be turned over to Arian bishops, and that all
non-Arian bishops convert to Arianism by 1 Jun 484.According to Rusten’s telling, 100s of Nicene-confessing bishops refused, lost their properties and suffered other cruelties including crimes against persons—assaults and more.
Huneric died in Dec 484 A.D. His
successors did not perpetuate the persecutions.
In 533, the Vandals were defeated and Carthage was returned to the Roman
Empire.
A few questions:
·
What of
Jehovah’s Witnesses? How would you
answer them?
·
What of
the varied Trinitarian heresies amongst some Pentecostalists? T.D. Jakes?
What sayest thou Mark Driscoll?
·
What of
the “Assemblies of God” who took a vote in 1914, yeah or nay, as to whether to
adopt Trinitarian theology or not?
Americans re-inventing the wheel?
·
What of
19th-21st century theological liberals?
·
What view
does Ms. Shori (Bp. in TEC) endorse?
·
What of
reaffirmation of Article VIII of the Thirty-nine Articles?
·
What of
modern worship, very often, that knows nothing of the Nicene Creed? Modern evangelicals, what say you of the
omission of this Creed from your divine services? Rick Warren, what sayest
thou?
·
What say
you of these things?
Colossians 1.15-17:
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)
16 For by
him were all things created which are in heaven, and which are in earth, things
visible and invisible: whether they be [c]Thrones,
or Dominions, or Principalities, or Powers, all things were created by him, and
for him.
17 And he
is before all things, and in him all things consist.
Footnotes:
a. Colossians
1:15 A
lively description of the person of Christ, whereby we understand that in him
only, God showeth himself to be seen: who was begotten of the Father before
anything was made, that is, from everlasting, by whom also all things that are
made, were made without any exception, by whom also they do consist, and whose
glory they serve.
b. Colossians
1:15
Begotten before anything was made: and therefore the everlasting Son of the
everlasting Father.
c. Colossians
1:16 He
setteth forth the Angels with glorious names, that by the comparison of most
excellent spirits we may understand how far passing the excellence of Christ,
in whom only we have to content ourselves, and let go all Angels.
The Nicene Creed, including the very warrantable
double procession is as followings:
I
believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all
things visible and invisible.
And in
one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father
before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten,
not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who,
for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the
Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us
under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose
again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the
right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick
and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I
believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the
Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is
worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And I
believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for
the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the
life of the world to come. Amen
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