The Decay of Christian Theology

The Decay of Christian Theology

As Christianity spread in its earliest days, tensions arose as early Christians rejected Roman pagan practices and the worship of Roman deities. Early Christians were persecuted for alleged crimes, including ‘introducing a foreign cult’, and ‘treason’. The first major persecution occurred under Emperor Nero, around 64CE and subsequent waves took place under Emperors Marcus Aurelius, Decius, and Valerian.

During this time, the followers of Christ refrained from attending pagan festivals and engaging in occupations connected to the polytheistic culture of Rome. The Romans often blamed Christians for public calamities, resulting in calls for their persecution. The Diocletianic persecution (by Emperor Diocletian) was the final widespread persecution of the followers of Christ, lasting until the issuance of the Edict of Milan in 313CE by Constantine and Licinius. This edict brought a degree of religious toleration, allowing all religions, including Christianity, to be practiced openly.

The Council of Nicaea in 325AD marked another crucial development in early Christianity. Emperor Constantine’s participation, a pagan politician at the time, provided a ‘political middle-ground’ between his Christian and Pagan subjects by effectively clothing Greco-Roman mythology with Semitic Christian names.

The expression ‘Son of God’ replaced the mythological demigod or God-Emperor. The ‘Church’ became the vehicle of

the state to preside over religion and faith and secular rulers began exerting extraordinary influence over religious (or ‘Ecclesiastical’) affairs. This pattern continued for many centuries, resulting in the politicisation of religious institutions and the erosion of checks and balances between the state and religious leadership. The main aim of the council was to establish Christian ‘Orthodoxy’ following the spread of large theological differences in the Christian community concerning the nature of Christ.

Arius’ Objection to Christian Paganism

In the Council of Nicaea, Arius of Alexandria (d. 336CE) and his followers (the Arians) asserted that Christ was a created being, brought into existence by God. His creation was God’s initial act before all ages, implying that there was a period when He did not exist. Arius also posited that the ‘son’, Jesus, possessed the ability to exercise free will and discern right from wrong. He contended that if the son were truly a begotten son, he would have come into being subsequent to the Father, thus indicating that there was a time when he was non-existent and therefore limited in nature.95

Supporting this position, the Arians referred to scriptural passages, such as John 14:28, where Jesus declares that, “the Father is greater than I.”

On the other hand, Alexander of Alexandria (d. 326AD) and the Nicene fathers, argued for the eternal existence and equality of the son with the Father, though making no mention of the Holy Spirit, the divinity of whom was a concoction reserved for later decades.

The council ultimately rejected Arianism, burnt the books of Arius, labelled the creed a heresy and adopted the Pauline doctrine that deified Christ. This was far more apt with pre-existing Hellenistic concepts, separated from the Judaic, monotheistic creed of Jesus and Moses and shaping the future of Christianity as an independent theology. Constantine I who was a pagan throughout almost all of his life and rule, heavily influenced what constitutes the canonised or ‘Orthodox’ scriptures of today, deeming the rest as ‘heresies’ or burning them altogether.

Ironically, historians suggest that Eusebius of Nicomedia, an Arian priest and a fervent supporter of Arius baptised Constantine I on his deathbed in 337AD.96 Other narratives claim that Constantine I received an ‘Orthodox’ baptism (Orthodox meaning the Nicene Creed), but scholars have

dismissed these latter claims as intentional historical forgeries to conveniently “amend the memory of the Arian baptism.”97

Constantine I’s son, Constantius II was so influenced by Eusebius that he heeded his advice in attempting to convert the entire Roman Empire into Arianism, 98 despite his father previously relegating it to heresy.

Rubber Stamping the Nicene Creed

After some years, Emperor Theodosius I, a staunch advocate of Nicene (Pagan) Christianity, reigning from 379CE to 395CE, initiated a series of actions to quell Arianism and advance the Nicene Creed across the Roman Empire. His undertakings were geared towards forging religious uniformity and consolidating the status of Orthodox Christianity.

Key measures taken by Theodosius included the issuing of the Edict of Thessalonica, which declared Nicene Christianity as the state religion and branded Arianism as heretical.99 He actively persecuted Arian clergy, closed Arian churches, and forbade Arian assemblies in an attempt to suppress the spread of Arian beliefs. Theodosius also confiscated Arian property, imposed the death penalty for its practices, and banished its prominent leaders. These actions helped

consolidate the dominance of Nicene Christianity and marked a significant chapter in the history of early Christian orthodoxy.100

Early Christian theologians, such as Athanasius and the Cappadocian Fathers (early to late 4th Century), played key roles in developing the Duality into the doctrine of the Trinity. By adding the ‘Holy Spirit’ into the group, they forged the idea of equality and co-eternality between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, further stigmatising what remained of Arianism after Nicaea.

In May 381CE, Emperor Theodosius convened a council of bishops in Constantinople. By this time, all dissenting views had been declared illegal, and only those who adhered to the Nicene Creed were allowed to participate in the ‘ecumenical’ council.

Unsurprisingly, the council that outlawed the participation of Arians confirmed the Nicene Creed and ‘promoted’ the Holy Spirit to the divine triune, alongside the Father and the son. Unmistakably, the decision on what will constitute Orthodoxy was a matter decided, even before any council had been convened. The only ones invited to express their views are those who were already in agreement with the state.

The Pneumatomachians, also known as the Macedonians who believed that the Holy Spirit was a created being, distinct

Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). “Theodosius I” . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York:

from the Father and son were also denied access to the council due to their refusal to accept the Nicene creed.

Subsequent Ecumenical Councils, convening numerous scholars, bishops, and clergymen from the empire, were mainly held to define varying ‘degrees’ of divinity to Jesus. These councils persistently denounced and excommunicated opposing viewpoints.

Within the developed spectrum, lower Christology reflected those who adopted the demigod model, depicting the ascent of humanity to divinity. Conversely, those who adopted higher Christology aligned themselves with the Avatar concept, portraying Jesus Christ as the embodiment of God. But those who held the truth about Christ, a human Prophet of God sent to guide man back to His Creator were largely absent.

The Fragmentation of the Church

The progressive fall and fragmentation of the Christian Church into splinter denominations continued for centuries, and some of the most pivotal events are briefly mentioned below:

1054AD: The Schism of Christian Europe into Eastern Orthodox and Western Orthodox (Roman Catholic)

This schism is little to do with theology, but whether the sacrament (sacred rituals) should be in Greek or Latin and to what extent the authority of the bishop (Patriarch) of Rome (the Pope) extends over all other Bishops (Patriarchs). The

Eastern Orthodox wanted the liturgy in Greek and felt all the Patriarchs (Archbishops) were equal, with the Patriarch of Rome being ‘First among Equals’, whereas the Western Orthodox wanted the liturgy in Latin and the Patriarch of Rome to have authority over all other Patriarchs.

1095AD: Pope Urban II declares the Crusades against the Muslims (to unite the Christians)

Although this episode is not particularly theological, it came very soon after the East-West schism of European Christianity and provided as a futile attempt by the Roman Patriarch to re-establish his authority over the Eastern Church. Ironically, it actually exacerbated the division when western Crusaders looted churches, monasteries, and homes during the Fourth Crusade (1202-1204), massacring civilians — including priests, monks, and nuns belonging to the Eastern Orthodox Church without distinction.

The Crusades remain to this very day a blot on the history of political Christianity, and serve to many secular thinkers as proof for the need to separate the church from the state. Secularist philosopher David Hume famously described this era as:

“The most signal and most durable monument of human folly, that has yet appeared in any age or nation. The storming

of Jerusalem, 5 July 1099, was attended by a wholesale massacre of Muslims and Jews (chapter 6)…”101

The famed Hagia Sophia, the most important church in the Orthodox world, was desecrated, with soldiers looting relics, melting down gold, and even mockingly placing a prostitute on the patriarch’s throne. This event reinforced the East-West division, as Orthodox Christians saw it as a clear sign of Latin aggression and betrayal.

1300-1400AD: Beginning of Renaissance Thinking – Rebirth of the Idea of Human Greatness

The Hellenistic fallacies first introduced by Paul within the Christian creed were re-ignited in this era and immersed the Christian world, flooding it with Greco-Roman idolatry and fantasy in the name of ‘Art’.

Although there appeared a period of co-existence between Christianity and the Greco-Roman rebirth, the latter was effectively the death knell of the former, as Christian thought was brought into the realm of human conception and depiction. The Renaissance seed would subsequently bring birth to the Age of Discovery (Colonisation) in 1434AD, the Industrial Revolution (1760AD), the Theory of Evolution (1860AD) and secularisation (a form of modern polytheism through the deification of man), discussed later.

1453AD: Muslim opening of Constantinople

The Conquest of the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church by the Muslims effectively relegated the Eastern Church to a supporter of the Church of Rome (Western Church). It must be emphasised that despite Muslim armies conquering Christian lands, Eastern Orthodox Christians lived in peace and safety under the Ottoman Muslims and were able to administer limited authority over the Christian community within the Ottoman Empire.

1492AD: Fall of Muslim Spain and the European (re)discovery of the Americas

The Fall of Muslim Grenada to the Christian kings in their Reconquista not just signified the expulsion of Muslims in Western Europe, but the ascension and power of military kings over the Pope. The capitulation of the Pope to secular, worldly power subsequently undermined his authority and led to the ‘Reformation’.

1517AD: The Protestant Reformation

Martin Luther submitted 95 theses to the Roman Catholic Church, challenging its errors, abuses and corruptions. In 1521, the Edict of Worms declared Martin Luther a heretic, at which point he established his own church (Lutherans) and opened the door for John Calvin (Calvinism) and Henry VIII (Anglicanism) to do the same.

Essentially, the authority of the Pope was removed, and the liturgy and scripture were translated into the native language of their communities. This made scriptures readily accessible to everyone, regardless of scholarship and invited more self-determination and independence from the Church structure, ultimately encouraging the laity to read biblical passages into the prevailing theologies of the time. Baptists, emphasising on Divine Grace and Methodists, emphasising on good actions were later offshoots of this schism.

Modern Renderings or Remnants of Arianism

Most remnants of Arianism within the East diminished after the advent of Islām and were enveloped within the truth of the Final Message. Three new flowerings occurred within Western Europe: Unitarianism appeared shortly after the Protestant Reformation and had many signatories including Isaac Newton. Ironically, contemporary commentators consider both Newton and the more contemporary, John Milton (English poet and intellectual) as “Arian heretics” who both asserted “the createdness of the Son of God”, despite such a creed existing in the foremost Christian communities.102 Although in Unitarianism, the sacrament was still in Christian form, based

John Rogers, Newton’s Arian Epistemology and the Cosmogony of Paradise Lost.

upon the Bible, the creed has major overlaps with the Muslim view of Jesus and the Islamic understanding of Monotheism.

Jehovah’s Witnesses (1870AD) assigned Jesus as a created angelic figure who came to this world as a perfect human and saviour to mankind. He has the position of mediator and intercessor between God and man. They do not recognise the person of the Holy Spirit.

The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (1830AD) instead believe in a social trinitarianism, with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three deities of single purpose and will. The Father being the Supreme pre-eminent Deity from which the Son and Holy Spirit emanate and are subordinate to.

God Redeems the Fallen Man through the Final Message

The seven ecumenical councils concluded the present-day definition of Jesus Christ among most Christian denominations with the Nicene Creed and the Chalcedonian Definition.103 As such, practically all present-day Christian denominations find their creed rooted in the seven councils.

Following the First councils of Nicaea and Constantinople, many of the alternative narratives and Gospels (15-20 in number) were eradicated. The subsequent schisms within Christianity resulted from the authority of the Church, the

method and language of the sacrament (sacred rituals), access to and interpretation of the scriptures and the paradox between pious actions and Divine Grace.

Within this period of cataclysmic spiritual turmoil, God sent his Final Messenger, Muhammad ﷺto renew His Covenant, revive what had been lost and salvage humanity as a whole from the calamitous decay of Christian (and Jewish) theology. The Qur’ān would serve as God’s Final Testament to clarify and to preside over all that had been revealed before, while confirming the fragmentary truths that continued to exist, and becoming the only faith system capable of dealing with the predicaments of the modern world.

Unlike the previous scriptures, He promised that it would spread, command, and be divinely preserved until the end of time:

“O People of the Book! Now Our Messenger has come to you, revealing much of what you have hidden of the Scriptures and disregarding much. There certainly has come to you from Allāh a light and a clear Book. through which Allāh guides those who seek His pleasure to the ways of peace, brings

them out of darkness and into light by His Will, and guides them to the Straight Path.” 104