The Nicene Creed begins with the seemingly bland statement, “I believe in one God.” This claim is so familiar to us that we have lost sight of how truly shocking, radical, and controversial this doctrine was. In the early Church, Roman authorities saw the Christian teaching about one God as a threat to the social order, and Christians had to defend their belief even, at times, to the point of death. In this talk, Jared Ortiz will explore the opening line of the Nicene Creed by situating it in its historical context. The talk draws on his forthcoming book The Nicene Creed: A Scriptural, Historical, and Theological Commentary (Baker Academic) co-authored with Daniel Keating.

Jared Ortiz joined the faculty at Hope College in 2012. He teaches Catholic theology in the Department of Religion and is founder and executive director of the Saint Benedict Institute. Dr. Ortiz teaches courses on the Incarnation, church history, Catholic Christianity, the theology of the human person, and early Christianity.