Horizons of Scripture

Worship and Christian Unity in the light of Nicea

How are theology and worship connected?  What is the role of the Nicene creed in liturgy?  Can Nicea serve as a basis for Christian unity and is such unity even possible?  And what did the council decide about the Holy Spirit? In this final episode of the series that celebrates the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea Charlie talks to Dr Ainsley Griffiths, Director of Faith, Order and Unity in the Church in Wales.  Horizons of Scripture: A biblical studies podcast hosted by Elizabeth Corsar (Phd, Edinburgh) and Charlie Hadjiev (DPhil, Oxford) from St Padarn's Institute. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.stpadarns.ac.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.stpadarns.ac.uk/en/] ⁠⁠⁠⁠horizonsofscripture@stpadarns.ac.uk⁠ [horizonsofscripture@stpadarns.ac.uk]

The Bible & Nicea

What impact did the council of Nicea have on the formation of the New Testament? Did the bishops gathered there decide which books to include in the Bible? How did the canonical list of biblical books emerge? And was Nicea’s interpretation of the New Testament text correct?  The Nicean creed makes some bold assertions about the identity of Jesus, but do they represent a right reading of the biblical text? In this episode Charlie discusses these questions with Canon Professor Jeremy Duff, Principal of the St Padarn’s Institute. Horizons of Scripture: A biblical studies podcast hosted by Elizabeth Corsar (Phd, Edinburgh) and Charlie Hadjiev (DPhil, Oxford) from St Padarn's Institute. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.stpadarns.ac.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.stpadarns.ac.uk/en/] ⁠⁠⁠horizonsofscripture@stpadarns.ac.uk⁠ [horizonsofscripture@stpadarns.ac.uk]

Who was Jesus according to Nicea?

How can Jesus be ‘begotten but not made’? What does it mean that he is ‘of one Being’ with the Father? In this episode Charlie talks to Dr Jordan Hillebert, Director of Formation and Tutor in Christian Doctrine at St Padarn’s Institute about the events that led up to Nicea and the meaning of some of the creed’s key statements. The council of Nicea formulated an understanding of the identity of Jesus Christ and of the nature of God which has shaped the faith of the Christian church to the present day. This did not take place in a vacuum. Theological conversations, political events, and personality clashes influenced the outcome of the council. Horizons of Scripture: A biblical studies podcast hosted by Elizabeth Corsar (Phd, Edinburgh) and Charlie Hadjiev (DPhil, Oxford) from St Padarn's Institute. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.stpadarns.ac.uk⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.stpadarns.ac.uk/en/] ⁠⁠horizonsofscripture@stpadarns.ac.uk⁠ [horizonsofscripture@stpadarns.ac.uk]

Nicea & today's Church

Does the Nicene creed matter to ordinary people? Can tradition grow and change whilst remaining faithful to the past? Is unity more important than truth? How does the Church relate to political power? In today’s episode Charlie talks to Mary Stallard, Bishop of Llandaff about the relevance of the events at Nicea to today’s Church. The year 2025 marks the 1700 anniversary of the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church – the council of Nicea. Bishops from across the world met in modern day Turkey to debate what Scripture says about the relationship of Jesus Christ to God the Father. Their decisions have had a lasting impact on the way Christians interpret the Bible and understand the nature of God. Horizons of Scripture: A biblical studies podcast hosted by Elizabeth Corsar (Phd, Edinburgh) and Charlie Hadjiev (DPhil, Oxford) from St Padarn's Institute. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.stpadarns.ac.uk⁠⁠ [https://www.stpadarns.ac.uk/en/] ⁠horizonsofscripture@stpadarns.ac.uk⁠ [horizonsofscripture@stpadarns.ac.uk]

Humour and the Bible

Does God have a sense of humour? Is laughter an integral part of Christian ministry? Should humour be one of the spiritual disciplines? In this episode Elizabeth and Charlie speak to Manon Ceridwen James about humour, the Bible, and theology. They discuss the ways in which culture shapes our sense of humour, impacts our appreciation of it, and determines our ability to detect it in the biblical text. The human capacity for laughter is not something peripheral to faith, but plays a crucial role in Christian life and ministry. Our conversation focuses in part on Manon's forthcoming chapter "Humour, Theology, and Pastoral Care", in Future Faith Public and Practical Theologies for the Contemporary World, edited By Graeme Smith, Andrew Todd. Routledge, 2024. Horizons of Scripture: A biblical studies podcast hosted by Elizabeth Corsar (Phd, Edinburgh) and Charlie Hadjiev (DPhil, Oxford) from St Padarn's Institute. ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.stpadarns.ac.uk⁠ [https://www.stpadarns.ac.uk/en/] horizonsofscripture@stpadarns.ac.uk [horizonsofscripture@stpadarns.ac.uk]