Dr Paul Allen

Though Tertullian had provided the church with the formula that God is one substance, consisting in three persons, he had by no means given the world a complete understanding of the Trinity. Indeed, this doctrine has puzzled the greatest theologians. Early in the fourth century a pastor of Alexandria, Egypt — Arius —called himself a Christian. But Arius also accepted Greek theology, which taught that God is unique and unknowable .  According to such thought, He is so radically different that He cannot share His substance with anything: Only God can be God. In his book Thalia Arius proclaimed that Jesus was divine, but not God. Only God the Father , Arius said, could be immortal, so the Son had to be a created being. He was like the Father, but not truly God. Many former pagans felt comfortable with Arius’s views , because they could preserve the familiar idea of an unknowable God and see Jesus as a kind of divine superhero, not much different from the divine-human her...

Magyar: Arius (Areios) (260, Líbia - 336, Konstantinápoly) püspök, az arianizmus tanának szellemi létrehozója. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Arius is said to have been Libyan by descent, and he was probably born around 256 AD. We know little about his early days except that he studied under Lucian, the presbyter of Antioch . He later returned to Alexandria and became a presbyter there where he quickly became both prestigious and popular. Arius’ difficulties began in 318 when he clashed with Alexander, the bishop of Alexandria. Alexander believed in the co-eternality of the Word of God while Arius taught that the Word was created by God. Because Alexander understood this as a dangerous threat to the church, he publicly condemned Arius’ teaching and removed him from all church posts. However, Arius refused to accept Alexander’s judgments and appealed to the people of the city and to other eastern bishops. In this way the dispute spread and became a severe threat to church unity. Seein...

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: "To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs." (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) John 1:1–18 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God , and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (vv. 1–2). In the history of Christian doctrine, the cities of Antioch and Alexandria stand out as centers of theological development in the early church. Many of the major promoters of heresy hailed from these cities, but defenders of orthodoxy came from both cities as well. When it came to the debates over the  deity of Christ , Antioch, which is located in modern Turkey, was a c...

English: Clement of Alexandria, from book 1, folio 5 recto of Les vrais pourtraits et vies des hommes illustres grecz, latins et payens (1584) by André Thevet. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Author: Phil Vischer. We actually have very little clue as to what day Jesus was actually born. Though scientists and theologians have tried to pinpoint it, there is no way of knowing even whether or not he was born in December! We do know, however, why we celebrate Jesus on the 25th.  Gnostic Christians in Egypt first celebrated Christ ’s birth around 200 A.D.. Many church leaders identified January 6th as the day of Christ’s birth and thus celebrated Christmas then; today, we celebrate Epiphany (or the arrival of the Magi) on that day.  In the early Roman church , pagan holidays were often “Christianized” to help convert people to Christianity.  Several pagan holidays were celebrated on and around December 25th, include a day to worship the sun because of the solstice...

Salome With the Head of John the Baptist, by Caravaggio, c. 1607 (National Gallery, London). (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Herod Antipas smiled and nodded with approval. His step-daughter Salome * swayed and twirled in front of him and his birthday-party guests, her graceful figure filling them with longing. Her performance done, Herod and the guests applauded. What a dance! Inflamed by his senses and the mood of the moment, Herod cried, "Ask me what you want--up to half my kingdom--and it is yours!" And he swore a great oath to confirm his promise. As a Tetrarch (ruler of one quarter of a Roman province ) Herod was more than able to provide a handsome gift even by first century standards. Would Salome ask for a jeweled necklace? A dowry? A house? Herod and the guests waited to hear her request. The girl herself hesitated. Uncertain what to ask for, she whispered with her mother. Down in the dungeons of Herod's fortress (named Machaerus ) a man's fate was about to ...