Theology

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Written by: Filidex Subsilva

Created: 01 March 2025

Theology is a practical discipline.’ So says Amandus Polanus (1561-1610), a scholastic theologian of the Reformed Orthodox school with whom I have become acquainted through doing Master’s research. I imagine few of you have read much Reformed Scholasticism lately (or ever), and perhaps even fewer have heard of Polanus (let alone read anything he wrote). He was a Professor of Old Testament at Basel, and he also wrote systematic theology rather voluminously. Study of the Protestant Scholastic theologians is on trend at present in some circles, and they are not always quite as dry and logico-rational as you might imagine. Hence, I thought I might share a couple of his perspectives which I found striking, and that struck for me an existential and pastoral note.

First, Polanus argues that theology is aimed at action, so that human beings might reach the best and highest blessings possible for us. He says,

‘the purpose of theology is not bare and idle speculation or contemplation, but practice, but action. This is what humanity is fitted for by God, redeemed for by Christ, sanctified for by the Holy Spirit. This action is the glorification of God and the everlasting blessedness of humanity. […] So action is the purpose even of the most theoretical doctrines about the unity of the divine essence and the Threeness of the divine persons.’

The action at which theology is aimed is that we glorify God and are made blessed through having that faith in God that is expressed in the good works of love. He says,

‘For why does God make himself known to us unless that he be glorified by us, and that we might be made blessed by fellowship with him?’

To make the nature of this glorification and blessedness— and the way to it—more concrete, Polanus asks,

‘Now what are the means with which we strive towards this end? Are they not faith and good works? Surely we glorify God by faith and good works; by living faith effective through love, that is, which produces good works as its fruit, we obtain eternal blessedness.’

Polanus says God’s glory and our blessedness are in the actions of our knowing and believing the gospel of Jesus and the teaching of his apostles, and in living out this faith by doing the good works that spring from it. This proves that we’ve truly learned our theology. Polanus points to the Philippian jailer who, upon believing in Jesus as Lord, washed the wounds of Paul and Silas his captives (Acts 16:29-34). For Polanus, this jailer is the complete theologian, the whole package, because his theology produced action. When I encountered in Polanus this kind of simple, direct and practical analysis of the purpose and proper outcome of theological knowledge, it struck me. This was not least because Polanus took me to the earthy scene in the Phillippian jail where Paul and Silas sang songs, shared the gospel with the jailer and received his grateful ministrations. Faith taking hold of proclaimed theology, and actively expressing itself in good works is summed up in that vivid human story. Would that we were theologians like that jailer, day by day.

Next, and in this vein, Polanus has a practical, personal and pastoral take on the use of the Apostles’ Creed. When we say the Apostles’ Creed in church, service leaders sometimes introduce it by saying words like these: ‘This ancient statement of Christian faith has been said by believers for centuries. Let’s join with one another and with them in professing our common faith’. This communal use of the creed is well known. But for Polanus the creed should find a place in your individual Christian devotion as your watchword and your spiritual tonic, girding your loins for action in the everyday struggle of the Christian.

Polanus quotes and endorses a tradition that thinks of the creed as the watchword of the soldiers of Christ, the formula which identifies us as belonging to the Lord’s forces. More than that, recounting the creed to ourselves daily—and whenever we are afraid—orients and galvanises us for the spiritual war we are caught up in.

Polanus first quotes St Ambrose, who says,

‘The creed, too, especially, we should recite at the pre-dawn hour everyday as the seal of our hearts. It should be gone over in the mind, when, for instance, we dread anything. When, for instance, is the soldier in the tent, the warrior in battle, without the oath of military service?’

The soldier’s oath of military service told him who he was, to what he belonged and what his duty was. To recite it was to remind the soldier of all these things, to inscribe them on his heart and to focus him on what he must do, no matter the circumstances. Likewise, says Ambrose, the Apostles’ Creed should be used ‘at the pre-dawn hour everyday as the seal of our hearts’. It is not a mere list of orthodox beliefs, but a way of arming yourself for the spiritual battle the day will bring.

Polanus then continues, drawing inferences from Ambrose:

‘Therefore the Apostles’ Creed is to be professed and remembered everyday:

1. because it is our watchword given to us by God through Christ, with which we must be in daily and continuous warfare against Satan, the world, sin, the flesh and the Antichrist: For it is necessary that we be distinguished from our foes against whom we must fight, that it may be settled with which party we stand.
2. because it reminds us, by our examination every day, whether we are in the faith.
3. because it urges us towards fervent zeal in asking God for the growth and preservation of faith in us.
4. because it recalls into memory for us our baptism, in which we were baptised in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, in which we were bound to believe in this God and to serve him.
5. because it provides to us many consolations which we need everyday against so many temptations to which we are subject.
6. I commend this use of the Apostles’ Creed to you: It is there for you in the pre-dawn hour, and whenever you need a shot of gospel faith in the arm! ‘I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth…’

Filidex Subsilva has a mission to revive appreciation of Amandus Polanus von Polansdorf and his theology.

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Written by: Rev Canon Dr Brian Rosner

Created: 01 December 2024

 This essay was originally given as a farewell lecture at Ridley College  commemorating Brian Rosner’s time as principal of the college.

Today, as I bid farewell to my time as principal of Ridley  College, I want to tackle the purpose of Paul's Epistle to  the Romans and the hope that is found in the strength of  the Gospel.

Let's start with the purpose of Romans. There's been a  long-standing debate among scholars about why Paul  wrote this letter. Initially, during the Reformation, Romans  was read as “a compendium of Christian theology,”^[i]  often  citing Philip Melanchthon. He described it as a  compendium of doctrines such as total depravity,  justification, sanctification, election, and so on.  This view has been supplanted by the conviction that  Romans, like all Pauline letters, arose in response to  concrete historical circumstances. It is an occasional  epistle, just like 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, etc.

Read more: Strengthened by the Gospel

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Written by: Paul Barnett

Created: 01 September 2024

Evidence and Faith

My aim in this essay is to reflect on Paul as the earliest evidence for the birth of the church. His encyclical to churches in Galatia (central Türkiye) is his earliest written text and the earliest historical reference to Christianity. With less probability some argue for a date a few years later, although this doesn’t affect the force of my argument.

In this letter we have detailed accounts from his persecution of the church in c. 34 to the writing of the letter in c. 48 in Antioch in Syria. In between those dates we learn of God’s call to the persecutor to become the proclaimer of the Son of God among the Gentiles.

The former Pharisee who had attempted to destroy the church in Jerusalem became the most famous proclaimer of the Christian message, establishing churches “in an arc from Jerusalem to Illyricum.” This persecutor-becomeproclaimer is a fact of history, scarcely able to be denied.

His surviving letters are testament to his radical volte-face. 

POSTMODERNISM

For many years now western culture, our culture, has been deeply influenced by “Postmodernism.” Back in the early 1980s a Professor of English Literature told me that the postmodern way of looking at life was going to change our culture. It will be about subjectivity, she said, how I feel, how I see things. The notion of objectivity, of what is there, will give way to personal feelings as the dominant source of reality. Postmodernism reinforces the self, the “me first” mindset. It runs contrary to the idea of God-given love, a way of life that is unselfish, “otherscentred.” These were our culture’s (more or less) agreed values before the rise of Postmodernism and its child, Woke.

EVIDENCE

Evidence is fundamental to life — juries and judges determine guilt or innocence based on sworn evidence; doctors base diagnosis and prescription on blood tests and scans; engineers and architects construct buildings based on surveyors’ precise measurements; the list goes on. The objective realities of daily life challenge the core assertions of Postmodernism. It is right, however, that evidence is challenged, to bring us closer to the truth. Otherwise, politics and ideology get in the way. Freedom

of speech is important.

EVIDENCE IN GALATIANS

Dates are important for evidence. The Galatians letter is informative.

33 The year of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.
34 Paul persecuted believers in Jerusalem.
Outside Damascus God “called” him to preach his Son among the Gentiles.
36/7 He returned to Jerusalem now as a believer, lodged with Cephas, “saw” James.

Assisted by dates from Luke 3:1-2, Acts 18:1, and Galatians 2:1 we calculate that Paul launched his persecutions in the year 34, that he was in Damascus-Arabia-Damascus 34-36, that he returned to Jerusalem in 36/7, and moved to Syria-Cilicia in 37.

His Letter to the Galatians is his defence against ultraconservatively Jewish Christians in Jerusalem who sought to discredit his message of “grace” to Gentiles and overturn his influence among the Galatians.

AD 34 PAUL ATTEMPTED TO DESTROY THE CHURCH Paul was a distinguished younger scholar in Jerusalem.

I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. Galatians 1:13–14

Paul’s parents brought him as a teenager from Tarsus to Jerusalem and enrolled him in the school of Rabbi Gamaliel, the greatest scholar of that generation.

Paul, the young rabbi, was distinguished in and “zealous” for “the traditions” of the great rabbis from earlier generations. He was also a “man of zeal,” a zealous persecutor of the church, which he attempted “violently” to “destroy.”

• He had participated in (possibly led?) the stoning of Stephen for blasphemy.
• He was the high priest’s “hatchet-man” in the flogging of Christians in the synagogues in Jerusalem to drive them from the city, which he did.
• Then he was sent by the high priest to round up and extradite believers from Damascus.

PAUL, CALLED BY GOD TO PROCLAIM HIS SON AMONG THE GENTILES

Paul reminds the Galatians of the astonishing fact of his “calling” from learned young scholar and violent persecutor to an apostle spreading the message about Jesus to the nations of the world:

But when he who had set me apart before I was born and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles… Galatians 1:15–16

He re-tells his story: the astonishing volte-face of the violent young man. Outside Damascus God intervened to reveal to Paul that Jesus was not a false Messiah but the Son of God, whom Paul was now to “proclaim among the Gentiles,” that is, throughout the Roman world.

AD 34-36/7 PAUL A WANDERING FUGITIVE

He adds

I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia and returned again to Damascus. Galatians 1:16–17

Note the sequence (covering 3 years):

Jerusalem
Damascus
Arabia (i.e., Nabatea, capital Petra)
Damascus
Jerusalem (where he met with those who were “apostles before [him])”

Evidently Paul began proclaiming this message and was constantly on the move to evade capture. By referring to “apostles before me” Paul understood himself also now to be an apostle, one “sent” by God, bearing the authority of God.

AD 36/7 PAUL IN JERUSALEM

Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas [i.e., Peter] and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) Galatians 1:18–20

Chronology is critical regarding evidence. When he says, “after three years I went up to Jerusalem” we are now in the year 36/7 (counting part years as full years, as the Jews did).

So, in the year 36/7 (only 3 to 4 years after Jesus) we learn:

Cephas (Peter) was the head of the church in Jerusalem
James the Lord’s brother was there, now a believer, 2nd leader after Cephas 
And that there were “other apostles”

Notice what was in place in the year 36/7, back-to-back with Jesus, 33:

The church of God (an institution) 1:11 
Cephas the leader 1:18
James, brother of the Lord, 2nd in charge 1:19
Apostles (a group) 1:19

These are definable entities that were there in 36/7, but most likely going back to Jesus. The historical figure of Jesus was followed immediately by the birth of the church. Not years after, but immediately (50 days) after.

PAUL WITH CEPHAS AND JAMES IN JERUSALEM

Notice that Paul “stayed with” with Cephas in Jerusalem for 15 days. Paul had opportunity to learn extensively about Jesus: his disciples, his teachings, miracles, death, resurrection.

Notice, too, that in Jerusalem he “saw” James, brother of the Lord? From James, younger brother of Jesus, Paul had opportunity to know about the boyhood and early manhood of Jesus.

Thus, from James and Cephas Paul had opportunity the learn about Jesus in continuity, from boyhood, to adulthood, to his baptism, to his call of the twelve, to his miracles, teachings, his trials, the Last Supper, his crucifixion, and his resurrection.

Rudolph Bultmann, possibly the most famous New Testament scholar in the first half of last century, said that Paul only knew about Jesus as a mythical, heavenly ahistorical figure. Paul’s connections with James, brother of the Lord, and Cephas, leading disciple of the Lord tell a different story. Like many, Bultmann was controlled by his existential philosophy, not history-based evidence. It has taken decades to dislodge Bultmann’s influence, thanks mainly to his fellow-German, Martin Hengel.

We see how much “raw” history emerges from Paul’s defence to his critics? Furthermore, he must be careful since his critics will be quick to fault him.

It is likely that while in Jerusalem Paul “received” the Last Supper “tradition” that he was to “deliver” later to the churches he established.

THE CHURCHES IN JUDEA

There is more:

In 36/7, before Paul left Jerusalem for Tarsus in Syria and Cilicia he observes: Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” Galatians 1:21–26

By the year 36/7 there were now churches in the wider province of Judea. This diaspora of believers was the result of Paul’s earlier persecutions in Jerusalem. Not only were there disciples in the capital Jerusalem, but they were also scattered outside the capital. These churches had been formed by Christians in Jerusalem who had fled from Paul.

Note their words,

“He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”

In other words, in that year 34 the church’s “faith” was there as an entity to be destroyed. Paul had attempted to destroy both the church of God and its faith, its doctrine.

It so happens that Paul quotes some words that sound like a faith statement, one that Paul may have learned from Cephas, James, and other apostles in Jerusalem. This is not certain but is at least probable.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons, and because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Galatians 4:4–6

In these few words Paul makes a “faith” statement: 

• That is Trinitarian: The “Abba Father,” his Son, and the Spirit of his Son
• That is fulfilment-focused: “when the fullness of time had come”
• That is “incarnational”: God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law
• That is redemptive: to redeem those who were under the law
• That is adoptive: that we might receive adoption as sons
• That is Holy Spirit-centric: God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

It is likely that Paul’s words resembled the “faith” of the church in Jerusalem that he had attempted to destroy.

From whom did he learn it? Most likely from Cephas.

EVIDENCE FROM GALATIANS

What we have here in Galatians, this earliest of letters, is evidence.

• Of an institution, the church of God, that Paul had attempted to destroy
• Of that church’s faith, likely trinitarian, that Paul had attempted to destroy
• Of believers also in Damascus to be arrested, as inferred
• Of its leaders Cephas with whom he stayed, and James, brother of the Lord
• Of the church’s office bearers, the apostles
• Of churches scattered from Jerusalem in Judea 

This is evidence that isn’t set out to be evidence for us, but for Paul’s congregants in Galatia, but which, notwithstanding, proves to be evidence for us. It is not a “gospel,” a narrative to tell the Jesus story. That is another historical-literary genre.

PAUL HAD TO BE METICULOUS

Evidence emerges incidentally from Galatians, even accidentally. Therefore, it is almost certain factually. Paul is appealing to details that would not be open to question. All evidence is to be tested. Opposing lawyers test evidence before a judge and jury. Scientists publish papers critical of other evidence. Evidence testing is dynamic. Paul’s evidence had to be meticulous. He was painfully aware of having dedicated, informed opponents. His statements about the church of God in Jerusalem, Cephas as leader, James as 2nd leader, the fact of other apostles and, very importantly, his references to “after three years,” and later “after fourteen years.” His opponents must not be able to fault any detail, otherwise he would have been discredited.

So, those opponents are “out of screen” poised ready to point out any error. Although unseen they were “a testing” of the accuracy and integrity of his evidence. It is Paul’s carefully crafted defence of his own apostolic ministry. He dare not make a mistake or exaggerate or his opponents will discredit him.

So, this is evidence designed for another purpose: Paul’s own defence back then. For us it is “raw” evidence that has the effect of assuring us of the factual basis of the church in Jerusalem, and its Faith.

FINALLY

We need to be aware of the objective in this era of unbelieving Postmodernism. It doesn’t matter what various modern-day sceptics say, the evidence for Christian origins is there, evidence that is credible for a reasonable person to accept as the conscientious basis for Christian faith.

Bishop Paul Barnett is the former Bishop of North Sydney and has lectured at Moore College for many decades. He is the author of many books and is married to Anita.

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Written by: Dorothy Lee

Created: 01 December 2023

A strong and solid theological education for clergy is vital for the life of the church.

There are those, I know, who would disagree, arguing that skills in preaching, leading liturgy, administering the sacraments and engaging in pastoral care is all that’s required, without adding all that “irrelevant academic stuff.” These skills can be gained in all kinds of ways, surely, that don’t require the cost and sacrifice of three plus years of academic study.

There is more than one response to this argument. In the first place, the training of minds — the academic side — is not an optional extra. Jesus calls us to love God with our whole being, including our minds (Mk 12:29). Our minds need to be trained, focussed, shaped. Anti-intellectualism is dangerous and leads to people who don’t think issues through but who are led by emotions, emotions they don’t necessarily understand. Theological education is not attempting to turn students into formal academics. Instead, it’s opening up worlds that will engage, shape and broaden the mind — and also, therefore, the heart.

Secondly, the purpose of theological education is not primarily to teach skills. Its aim is the formation, and even transformation, of those who believe they have a vocation to holy orders, and other ministries. This formation has a number of crucial elements. It means being formed into a kind of leadership that is profoundly theological and spiritual which begins with the study of the Scriptures. Understanding the Bible is not simply a question of my response to individual passages and how they connect to my life. It’s far bigger than that.

The study of Scripture involves learning at least one biblical language — in most cases, this will be Greek but Hebrew is also encouraged — so that the sacred text can be read in the original languages, with awareness that every translation has its own bias. It means studying the social and religious contexts out of which the texts arise and which enable us to discern meaning for our very different contexts. It involves exploring the different genres of literature that the Bible contains (on a wide spectrum) and the literary ways in which the story or the discourse or the poetry is told, to tell the Bible story in our own diverse environments. It includes developing an awareness of the diversity of Scripture within its overarching unity, enabling it to speak to many different settings and situations today.

Equally important is knowing the development of theology in the historical life and experience of the church. Understanding the ecumenical creeds, for example, enables us to grasp the centrality of affirming God as holy Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — and also Christ as both divine and human. Learning the history of these debates in those crucial early centuries, when the church was so often under persecution, is critical for our grasp of the theology. Learning about the Reformations of the sixteenth century helps us to grasp the centrality of grace within the life.

One of the things church history teaches us is how different contexts, cultures and genders bring their own insights to bear on studying Scripture. Our Western context has often ignored the Eastern church which is every bit as old and revered as ours. We’ve also tended to assume whiteness as the norm, when in fact Christians across Africa and Asia vastly outnumber us. We’ve assumed maleness to be another norm, setting aside the insights that women bring to theology and spirituality. Theological education expands our horizons beyond the narrow bounds of Western white male structures and symbolism.

On a somewhat more practical level, theological education gives insight into spirituality, sociology, psychology, missiology and pastoral care. Students need to learn how society functions and how the human mind and emotions work. Theological education unveils the rich veins of Christian spirituality down through the ages. It teaches how mission works — how it has sometimes failed in the past by being associated with colonialism, and how it needs to become contextualised and focussed not only on individual conversion but also on social transformation and care for our endangered environment. It teaches the elements of pastoral care and the theology which should undergird it.

Yes, there are indeed skills to be learned in the process of theological education. But these skills are the outward manifestation of a profound sense of theology, an awareness of where the evangelical centre of our faith lies. That centre is a broad place that incorporates not just the individual but also the community and indeed the whole creation.

In one sense, such learning is a life-long process and not just for the formal years of theological education. Our clergy and ministers need to be aware of the need to continue their own education beyond graduation and ordination. They need to be learners all their lives. The word ‘disciple’ means a student and we never move beyond that role as followers of Jesus Christ. We need always to be open to learn, to discover new ways of understanding the faith, new insights from the Scriptures, new abilities to comprehend the world we live in. The model of Mary of Bethany sitting at the feet of Jesus to learn from him, above all other duties, is a wonderful picture of where the centre lies in discipleship and ministry (Lk 10:38-42).

It's true that life is much more complex now and the old model of ordinands living together for three or four years while they study and pray is no longer viable. The church can’t afford it and ordinands are often married with children and don’t have the same freedoms. We need to think in new and imaginative ways about how that formation can happen, without forsaking academic and theological rigour, and without abandoning the focus on learning together in community.

However we do it, in what shape or form for the future, theological education will remain essential for the vigour and well-being of the church in its God-given tasks of worship and mission.

Dorothy Lee is Stewart Research Professor of New Testament at Trinity College Theological School (Melbourne) with a particular interest in the narrative and structure of the Gospels—especially the Gospel of John—and women’s ministry in the New Testament.