An essential guide for understanding early Christian doctrineThe history of Christian theology is often presented as a series of conflicts between orthodox believers and heretics. But such an approach can be reductive, especially if the conflicts are presented primarily as contests for power. J. Warren Smith's Early Christian Theology offers a more nuanced account of these theological disputes. Smith explains the development of Christian theology in terms ...

In his writings and his career Gregory of Nyssa assumes many roles. He is a Christian Platonist, a spiritual guide for ascetics and those seeking the vision of God, as well as one of those who shaped the Trinitarian doctrine of God espoused at Constantinople in 381. But he is also a popular preacher and, paradoxically, someone unafraid of deeper speculations regarding the meaning of the Christian ideal. The translations in Part One illustrate these various concerns, but are not a sufficien...

We have all had the experience of being at church and hearing the pastor say, "And now with the confidence of children we are bold to pray, 'Our Father . . .'" but before we know it we are saying "for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen." In the very moment of intimacy when we are given the privilege of entering the presence of our heavenly Father, our minds have drifted off. We speak the words of the prayer, not from our hearts, but from the autopilot of memo...

From Nicaea to now: rediscovering how the Triune God shapes faithful ministry in a modern world.In this illuminating collection marking the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, distinguished scholars and ministry practitioners from Duke Divinity School explore how Trinitarian faith continues to transform Christian identity and practice. Moving beyond abstract formulations, this volume demonstrates the enduring power of Nicene confession to shape faithful wi...

Since Aristotle, the concept of the magnanimous or great-souled man was employed by philosophers of antiquity to describe individuals who attained the highest degree of virtue. Greatness of soul (magnitudo animi or magnanimitas) was part of the language of Classical and Hellenistic virtue theory central to the education of Ambrose and Augustine. Yet as bishops they were conscious of fundamental differences between Christian and pagan visions of virtue. Greatness of soul could not be approp...