Professor Samuel Fernández, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, will talk about "Nicaea Revisited 325: Competing Theologies at the Council":

Drawing on contemporary sources, the lecture situates the so-called Arian controversy within the legacy of Origen and focus on three competing explanations of the Son’s origin: Alexander’s doctrine of eternal begetting, Eusebius of Caesarea’s assertion of the Father’s timeless priority, and Philogonius two-stage Logos theology. The analysis shows that the Council’s debates were less about affirming or denying Christ’s divinity than about clarifying the eternal relation between the Father and the Son. This interpretation sheds light on the meaning of the key disputed term of Nicaea, homoousios. 

The seminar will be followed by drinks and snacks to celebrate Christmas. Classical Antiquity and its Heritage, New Testament Studies and Centre for the Study of Antiquity and Christianity.

Organizer:
Jakob Engberg: je@cas.au.dk