Overview Of The Apostles Creed

“I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth…” The words of the Apostles’ Creed are familiar to many Christians. “I baptise you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” are words that every Christian has heard several times. And yet, Protestant Christians are at a loss as to how to explain the doctrine of the Trinity, or to identify the origins of the Apostles’ Creed. Professor Williams resolutely answers these questions, citing “Tradition” as their source. The post- apostolic era, Pre-Reformation theological illiteracy of Protestant Christians, particularly those belonging to the Evangelical or “Free” church, movements have caused deep divides and fragmentation, Williams argues. At the root of this issue is the inability to see past the perceived interference of the state in the church’s affairs, and an unwarranted rejection of the Tradition that the Holy Spirit worked to plant during this time.

Professor Daniel H. Williams received his doctorate in patristic literation, theology, and history of Christianity from the University of Toronto in 1991, as well as his Masters in theology at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1985. Williams has written several books, and currently teaches at Baylor University, under the title “Professor of Religion in Patristics and Historical Theology.” In the Preface, Williams states that he has always been in the Evangelical church movement as a Baptist, which makes him a rarity in his study of the church fathers and adds perspective.

Williams directly addresses this work to Protestant Christians who believe the incorporation of Christian Tradition to be insignificant, comparatively, to the study of scripture in the Church, a concept known as sola scriptura. H...

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...d define the relationship and nature of the God-head. The creeds contain biblical citations, and were clearly not written for personal political power gains. To bolster his argument, Williams names bishops who bravely countered the wills of the emperors. Martin Luther and John Calvin, widely known Protestant reformers, held these creeds, and early fathers, especially Augustine, in high esteem. In conclusion, Williams argues, “How one should think and believe in accordance with Scripture and the historical hermeneutic of interpreting the faith (that is, Tradition) is based upon a notion of evangelical catholicity” which embraces a historical faith, “regardless of the competing claims of Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, or Eastern Orthodoxy.” He calls Protestants to regain what has “been thrown out in the name of Reformation” to nourish theological impoverishment.