September - October
year XXX
THE CREED
interpretation 2
Rev. Dr. Doru Costache
The second article of the Creed
speaks about the eternal identity of
our Lord Christ. It addresses those
opinions concerning whether Jesus
was in fact the Son of God and
truly God. The Church
nevertheless affirmed that Christ
prior to anything else was true
God. This affirmation was based Jesus Christ – It is interesting that
upon the divine revelation and the the fathers of the Church who
experience of the Church.
The text in the Creed which reads:
“And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the
only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of the Father before all
ages, light from light, true God
from true God, begotten not made,
of one essence with the Father;
through him all things were
made,” may be analysed as
follows:
One Lord – The first point
regarding Jesus’ identity confirms providence. In Hebrew, Ieshua,
that he is our Lord and Master.
This qualification announces
indirectly the full affirmation of
his divine identity. Of course from Christos (Christ) translates the
respect we call people ‘lord’ or
‘master,’ but it is obvious that the anointed’ and ‘the one chosen’ by
only true Lord and Master is
Christ. Many of our services
contain the call to worship (‘let us eternal identity (the Lord) and
worship and bow’) Christ, ‘our
king and God.’ Eventually, even
respecting the secular authorities
and praying for their peace, the
only one worthy of worship is
God.
Testifying of Christ’s lordship is
in full accord with the beginning
of the Creed, which states there is
only one God. Speaking of the
only one God, and by this
designating the Father, also
speaking of the only one Lord, and
by this designating the Son, we are
not confronted by a disaccord, the
Father and the Son being ‘one,’ a
unity of being, life and honour (cf.
John 10:30).
composed the Creed did not start
11th hour
Anomalogue
speaking of the second person in
http://www.livejournal.com/
the Holy Trinity from his divine
users/anomalogue/
eternal name, but from his human USA
name, as it was assumed in
People feel quite comfortable con-
history. This indicates that our
demning the intelligent, who have
faith never delivers new teachings,
to work for years to arrive where
preferring to refer and to correctly
simple people easily stroll.
characterise persons and facts
already known. We came to know So, what’s the point of intelli-
the Son of God under his human gence? The simple person says
name, Jesus Christ. This name was there is none, that the wise have
symbolically chosen by divine been made fools, and that the first
will be last and the last will be
transliterated in Greek by Iēsous first.
(Jesus), means ‘the Lord who
saves.’ Similarly, the Greek term That is fine. Let the simple have
what is theirs – the right to injus-
Hebrew Mashiah, meaning ‘the tice.
The first will be last – all the way
God. By this association of the to the eleventh
two names (Jesus Christ), his hour, at which
time the house is
mission (the Saviour, the Chosen) rebuilt, and this
page 3 time on the most
solid rock.
pag. 2

Media Release - National Council of Churches in Australia (7 October 2005)
PEAK AUSTRALIAN INTERFAITH BODY
CONDEMNS TERRORISM AND FANATICISM
While all Australians are
engaged in debates on the
balance between civil liber-
ties and the necessity to
properly protect all of us
from the threat of terrorism,
Australia’s Christians,
Muslims and Jews have the
opportunity and responsi-
bility to work together to
strengthen the ethical foun-
dations of Australia, par-
ticipants in a recent meet-
ing of the Australian Na-
tional Dialogue of Chris-
tians, Muslims & Jews
(ANDCMJ) concluded.
The ANDCMJ expressed
strong support for the
"Peace and Harmony Con-
ference", organized by the
Australian Federation of
Islamic Councils last week-
end and its aim of strength-
ening essential moral and
social tenets of Australian
society.
At the meeting at the Great
Synagogue, Sydney, the
representatives of the Aus-
tralian Federation of Is-
lamic Councils (AFIC), the
National Council of
Churches in Australia
(NCCA) and The Executive
Council of Australian
Jewry (ECAJ), offered their
support to all serious initia-
tives to breakdown racial
and religious stereotypes
and to strengthen Austra-
lian defenses against terror-
ism and religious fanati-
cism.
The Dialogue paid particu-
lar attention to the way in
which Islam, Judaism and
Christianity understand the
term ‘martyr’.
“All true religion teaches
you how to live well. That
can include learning how to
die well, in the cause of the
basic tenets of faith, but it
does not include planning
to kill others especially in-
nocent persons by killing
oneself. Religion gives no
mandate to that. There can
be no justification for such
actions and any attempt at
this is the warped outcome
of twisted reasoning, and
although some try to justify
it through circumstances, it
is never right”, Amjad Me-
hboob, leader of the AFIC
delegation stressed.
John Henderson, General
Secretary of the NCCA
added, “The history of reli-
gious martyrs is a long and
honoured one, but it re-
mains controver-
sial. Martyrs are inspira-
tional examples of people
who live out what they be-
lieve whatever the personal
cost. Their emphasis is on
living, not dy-
ing. Martyrdom is not a
cult of death, and it does
not support the view that
somehow killing oneself,
and taking others with you,
is a short cut to para-
dise. When people take
such a step they separate
themselves from their faith,
and the effect is the oppo-
site of what they intend”.
On behalf of the ECAJ
representatives, Jeremy
Jones concluded, “Genuine
martyrs do not choose mar-
tyrdom. Martyrs are peo-
ple who, by living out what
they believe, suffer conse-
quences at the hands of
others which can include
their own death. They do
not choose death as a
means of justice, revenge,
or as a weapon to destroy
others”.
The dialogue partners
identified the following
important principles:
■ Accountability to God
for all our actions
■ The centrality and truth
of religious teaching in per-
sonal and community life
■ The necessity for believ-
ers to live by what they
believe
■ That true religion empha-
sises good living and re-
sponsible, caring relation-
ships among family,
friends, community, and
the world at large
Further, there was unani-
mous agreement that all
Faiths must condemn :
■ The use of the methods
of terror by any side in a
dispute
■ So-called ‘suicide’
bombings as legitimate acts
■ The use of violence to
overcome violence
Objectives of the
ANDCMJ are:
■ To be a model of how
different faiths can live har-
moniously together in Aus-
tralia
■ To build understanding,
good will and a sense of
community between people
of different faiths
■ To explore and learn
about each other and our
faith traditions
■ To share our knowledge
and insights with others
■ To work together to
achieve common goals in
Australia
■ To support each other in
times of difficulty
Further information:
John Henderson, General
Secretary of the National
Council of Churches in Aus-
tralia: 0419 224 935 or secre-
tariat@ncca.org.au
Amjad Mehboob, CEO of the
Australian Federation of Is-
lamic Councils: 0408 234 434
or amehboob@afic.com.au
Jeremy Jones, Spokesperson,
Executive Council of Austra-
lian Jewry: 0411 536 436 or
ecaj@tig.com.au

No? Perhaps you haven’t died, yet. I’m nobody, nobody is perfect,
It is always
Jokes

You don’t think you can be born
the Apocalypse again without dying first, do you?
Anomalogue It has always been the Apocalypse.
http://
www.livejournal.com/users/ Have you seen the New Jerusalem
anomalogue/ hanging from Heaven like an over-
USA ripe fruit, about to fall – any minute
now?
Have you seen the New Jerusalem No? Perhaps you should die again.
hanging from Heaven like an over- You don’t think you can be born
ripe fruit, about to fall – any minute again without dying first, do you?
now? It is always the Apocalypse.
and therefore I’m perfect.
If I save time, when do I get it
back?
Take my advice, I don’t use it
anyway.
War doesn’t determine who’s right.
War determines who’s left.
Living on Earth may be expen-
sive...but it includes an annual free
trip around the Sun.
Your future depends on your dreams.
So go to sleep!

Parochial Life | september - october 2005 |

 pag. 3

The creed page 1 past, but it is an eternal Through him all things were made
relationship: the Father is giving – The Creed begins to speak of the
are therefore indirectly asserted.
birth to the Son now and ever, and Son’s action in the world.
Son of God – The human name of the Son is born now and ever from Suggesting John 1:3 and
the Saviour is followed by the the Father. The Creed’s affirmation Colossians 1:15-18, the syntagm
explicit affirmation of his divine intends only to point out to the fact asserts that being uncreated the
identity. Christ is not only human, that this relationship cannot be Son is (together with the Father)
but before everything a God. considered under the temporal the creator of the whole seen and
According to our faith concerning species, like in the case of created unseen world.
the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ is the things.
In Christian theology, beginning
human name, assumed after the
Light from light, true God from with the prologue of the Gospel of
incarnation, of the second divine
true God – Coming eternally from St John, the name of the Son
person. Being a true God, he could
the Father, the Son is truly God, involved in the action of creating
not be confused with the Father
like the one from whom he the universe is Logos (Reason,
and the Holy Spirit; the name Son
originates. The Creed makes Principle, Word or Meaning). The
reveals his personal difference.
appeal to an analogy in order to Creed does not mention this name
Although we cannot know in what
express in an articulate way the because during the fourth century
manner this difference consists of,
manner the Son comes from the there developed serious
we understand that this name
Father: when one lights a candle philosophical controversies
indicates his origin in the Father
from another candle, neither the regarding the identity of the Logos.
and his relation with the Father.
light of the first diminishes nor the
The only-begotten – This term light of the second is weaker. Seeing a tree
confirms Jesus’ characteristic as Anomalogue (USA)
Begotten not made – The Creed
the eternal Son: he really is the http://
comes back to the issue of the
Son, involved with the Father in a www.livejournal.com/
manner that the Son comes from
relationship called begetting users/anomalogue/
the Father, drawing our attention to
(whose content we do not know).
the difference between the eternal
The statement is confirmed and A looks at a tree and says “I see
birth of the Son and the way the
developed by the words begotten this tree.”
worldly things come into being by B says “It isn’t the tree you see,
not made (see below).
creation. Originating eternally by but light reflecting from the tree.
Simultaneously the term alludes to birth from the Father, the Son has The tree itself is never seen.”
the faithful who are graced by God no similarity and natural relation A insists, “No. I see this tree
in becoming ‘sons of God’ (cf. with creation (the world). when I see its light.”
John 1:12-13; the text is read B says “Sight is a paradox – an
Of one essence with the Father – illusion of consciousness.”
during the liturgy of the Pascha).
The previous expression, true God, C agrees with A. “Man, by his Na-
We are not sons of God in the way
is confirmed: the Son is really by ture, sees the tree itself as he
Jesus is; we are adopted by God
through the very fact that his Son
nature what the Father is, though sees its light.”
this does not mean that the Son A insists, “No. I see its light when
descended to us and sent us the
could be confused as the person of I see this tree.”
Holy Spirit, the Spirit of sonship, D agrees with A. “Man, by his Na-
the Father. Furthermore, given the
who teaches us to call our God ture, sees only his senses.”
fact the Son is together with the
Father. A insists, “No. I see this tree
Father truly God, this does not
Begotten of the Father before all when I see its light.”
means they are two Gods. It is only
***
ages – Against those believing that one God, the divine persons
A points at a tree and says “I
the Son is not eternally with the (including the Holy Spirit) sharing know something about this tree...”
Father and created by the Father, the same divine nature. We could
the Creed clearly testifies that the approach this mystery by means of editor:
Son has no other origin than being an analogy with humanity: there Rev. Doru Costache, PhD
begotten from the Father. The are many human persons, but only layout design:
Son’s birth is an ‘event’ occurring one human nature. The difference Ion Nedelcu (Bucharest)
before time, the universe and address:
consists in the fact that whereas the 64 Linthorn Ave,
history. In fact, the relation divine persons are living together Croydon Park,
between the Father and the Son is their common nature (in NSW 2133.
not something consumed and communion) people are living their phone: (02) 9642 02 60
reserved as something from the human nature individually. www.geocities.com/
sfmaria_sydney
Parochial Life | september - october 2005 |