Chapter 11: When Theologians Rule. Interestingly, the new class of Christian theologians used the same two methods perfected by the Jewish theologians to maintain their power: one, language bullying; and two, a claim to a special status as the official interpreters of Scripture. The writings of the second-century Christians contained virtually no discussions or wrangling over the meaning of particular Greek words used in the Scriptures.
However, in the fourth century, much of the theological fighting was over the meanings of the Greek words used by the New Testament writers. It never occurred to any of the parties that perhaps some Greek words had changed their meaning in the centuries that had passed since the age of the apostles. As I've mentioned, the Nicene Creed centered on a special theological term not even found in Scripture: homoousios.
Furthermore, the fourth-century theologians began creating new, specialized definitions of Greek words used in Scripture. But what did this do to the ordinary, uneducated Greek-speaking Christians? It marginalized them. They basically had to shut up and listen to the new theologians because they were in no position to try to argue linguistics against the elite.
If the theologians marginalized and bullied ordinary Greek-speaking Christians, imagine what they did to the average Latin-speaking and Aramaic-speaking Christians. Because most of the theological battles of the fourth and fifth centuries were fought with newly formed theological Greek terms, the many Christians who couldn't speak Greek were easily cowed into submission. As it turned out, the theological battles started by Alexander and Arius were not settled by the Nicene Council.
The two sides waged war, both literally and figuratively, for more than a century after Nicaea. Eventually, the Nicene party won the battle, but they lost the war for the kingdom. By the time the Arian controversy was entirely over, Christianity bore little resemblance to the Christianity that had flourished before the controversy began. The theologians proved themselves to be blind guides, straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel.
Like the Jewish theologians before them, the new class of Christian theologians never understood that the way we most effectively honor God is through an obedient, love-faith relationship with Him. Instead, they vainly imagined that we honor God primarily through our theological views, not the fruit evident in our lives. It's interesting to note that in the centuries after Nicaea, no one was ever burned at the stake or dragged before the Inquisition because he wasn't producing kingdom fruit.
Rather, people were tortured, imprisoned, and burned at the stake for holding to heretical beliefs, real or imagined, possessing copies of Scripture, holding unauthorized Christian meetings, or preaching without a license. If a person can't see how totally despicable it is in the eyes of Christ to torture others, burn them alive, or kill them in some other way, that person is truly blind. Adding human teaching to God's Word.
When the Christian theologians came into power, they quickly started adding human teaching to God's Word, as had described in Pharisees. We discussed how the bishops at the Council of Nicaea made orthodox Christianity turn on a word not even found in Scripture. But that was only the beginning. They soon began claiming that the decision of the Nicene Council was inspired by God and stood on the same level as Scripture. Even worse, they began undermining the very teachings of Jesus himself.