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Summary: The origins of Orthodox Christian theology
Review: Although not a riveting read, this book gives an accurate and in-depth portrayal of the development of Orthodox Christian Ideology, as seen through the creeds of the churches. Too many people in the church today do not know the basis of their beliefs, where they came from, or what they are grounded upon. This book starts from the earliest known creeds, starting with the Rules of Faith from about the year 200, and goes all the way up through the 1970's. The most significant portion of the book would be the first few pages, in which we get the Rules of Faith, the Apostle's Creed, the Creed of Nicea, The Constantinopolitan Creed, and the Definition of Chalcedon. These seminal statements of faith were constructed by different church fathers and ecumenical councils at the church's most vulnerable period. Not only was it trying to establish itself against the pagan religions that were already established within the Roman Empire, but it was also combatting heretical forces within, especially the Arian heresy. To see how these creeds help establish the church as it is now is truly fascinating, and this book would be great for anyone who is interested how their beliefs transformed from the teachings of Christ to the Nicene creed. The translator also provides in-depth introductions to each creed, mentioning both the history of the creed and the effects of it. This book would be a great addition to any Christian library.
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Summary: A True Guard from Doctrinal Divergence!
Review: I highly recommend this work! No Christian library is complete without this book. One of the main problems that is present with believers in the contemporary church is that they have no grasp at why they believe what they believe. Too often they just rely on Christian self-help novels and supposed daily devotional books to help them with their Christian understanding. This I believe is a great tragedy. How can we accurately understand and communicate our beliefs if we can only convey the fuzzy feeling that we have inside our heart? We need to go much deeper. I recommend this book very highly because it cleary maps out the ways in which Christianity has matured throughout the centuries. Christians throughout time have had differing opinions about what the inherent Word of God says. Often times some believers have been completely wrong and tragically formulated heresies with their ideas. Leaders of the church have been present to confront the innacurate thesis. The Creeds of The Churches lays out the what the church of those times truly believed in order that there would be no argument as to what the church stood for.
Purchasing this book is truly a great investment, one that will indeed bring you to a closer understanding of the beliefs which men before us believed. Beliefs which soldify what we believe today.
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