Today we think of orthodox Christianity as that which is described in the Nicene Creed.
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.
But is it possible that this form of Christianity was just one of many valid forms of Christianity that were floating around? Is this as simple as the winners write the history?
It is true that there were other forms of Christianity including, but not limited to, Ebionite Christianity, Gnostic Christianity and Arian Christianity. None of these are the same as orthodox Christianity, especially in their understanding of the relationship between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
While there were other options, what became orthodox Christianity had an advantage. There is a theological link from the writings we know as the New Testament to the Apostolic Fathers to the later Fathers and the Council of Nicaea.
When we look at the other movements, they were innovations from the earliest Christian writings, so much so that they had to create their own “gospels” to support their beliefs. There is much more continuity between orthodox Christianity and the New Testament.
There may have been other options, but orthodox Christianity has the best pedigree.
