DEITY OF CHRIST. The clearest and fullest expression of the deity of Christ is found in the Nicene Creed which was originally presented at the Council of Nicaea, a.d. 325. In the Eng. Book of Common Prayer the tr. appears as follows: “…one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very […]
Disciple, Discipleship During Jesus’ earthly ministry, and during the days of the early church, the term that was used most frequently to designate one of Jesus’ followers was “disciple” (mathetes [maqhthv”], 262 times). Hence, discipleship is a central theological theme of the Gospels and Acts. The situation is different in the Old Testament and in the […]
Dead Sea Scrolls Name given to over eight hundred ancient Jewish manuscripts recovered from eleven caves along the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. The first cave, containing seven scrolls, was discovered accidentally in early 1947 by a young Bedouin shepherd. Between 1952 and 1956 ten more caves containing manuscripts and related material were found. […]
Daniel, Theology of Daniel is one of the most controversial books of the Bible, yet its message is clear and unmistakable. While Bible scholars debate issues like when it was written and whether it is historically accurate, the Book of Daniel consistently calls God’s people of every generation to faithfulness. Daniel is the only Old […]
CANON OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, THE. The twenty-seven books comprising the NT section of the Bible and which are regarded by the Christian Church as inspired and authoritative for doctrine and life. Outline I. The importance of the subject. The Christian Church has preserved a collection of twenty-seven books which form the NT section of […]
CANON OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. The acceptance and collection of the inspired books of the OT canon includes the history of the acceptance of the OT books, the reasons why they were accepted and collected, and the divisions of the books, and also why other books called Apoc. were not accepted into the canon. Outline […]
Cross, Crucifixion The importance of the cross as a theological motif in the New Testament is impossible to overestimate. It stands as the center of the New Testament theology of salvation and is the starting point for not only soteriology, but all of Christian theology. It is the means by which we finally and fully […]
Chronicles, Theology of Chronicles’ Perspective on Israel’s Past. Chronicles re-presents the historical traditions of Israel from a different perspective and for different purposes than those found in Samuel-Kings. Samuel-Kings looks at the past from the perspective of the nation’s exile in Babylon (586-538 b.c.), a time when the very existence of Israel seemed to have […]
Call, Calling This prominent biblical term is used with particular theological significance in three ways: in connection with worship, with election, and with vocation. Worship. To “call on” God or the Lord is a frequent biblical expression: it occurs fifty-six times in total (Old Testament, 45; New Testament, 11); on four occasions it is applied […]
Command, Commandment The term “commandment” in the Bible (mainly Heb. miswa [h”w.xim]; Gk. entole [ejntolhv]) refers to orders or adjurations given by authorities. The plural predominantly refers to Mosaic laws. The commandments were for Israel’s good ( Deut 10:13 ) since God’s covenant love was lasting for those who kept them ( Exod 20:6 ; Deut 7:9 ). Obedience would result in prosperity, security, God’s […]