Early Christian Creeds and Hymns

by Tony Costa

Publisher:

Hesed & Emet

, 2021

Overview

Throughout the history of the Church, Christians have expressed their faith in word and song. Among the ways they confessed what they believed was through creeds. The term “creed,” which comes from the Latin credo (“I believe”), has played a central role in the identity of the Church and expressing her core beliefs. Some of the more famous creeds are the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed. While these creeds developed in the first few centuries of the Church, the earliest creeds are embedded within the New Testament text itself. The singing of hymns, which are closely associated with creeds, has also been part of the Church’s ancient heritage. These credal hymns were adopted from the synagogues and have continued to be an integral expression of worship today. The New Testament contains many of the hymns that the early Christians sang. Since these hymns are confessional in nature, we can state that hymns were creed-like, confessing in song what the earliest Christians believed. This book examines the ancient creeds and hymns found in the New Testament, shedding light on what the earliest Christians held to be central, definitional, and foundational to their faith.

Key Features

• Examines the ancient creeds and hymns found in the New Testament
• Sheds light on what the earliest Christians held to be central, definitional, and foundational to their faith
• Serves as a great resource for apologists, theologians, and New Testament scholars

Contents

Part 1: The creeds

• What are creeds?
• The Old Testament as the forerunner of Christian creeds
• Creeds in the New Testament
• The earliest Christian creed: 1 Corinthians 15:3–4
• The shortest creed: “Jesus is Lord”
• Jesus is the Christ
• Jesus is the Son of God
• The Christian Shema: 1 Corinthians 8:6

Part 2: Hymns

• What are hymns?
• Hymns edify the Church: 1 Corinthians 14:26
• Hymns sung to the Lord Jesus and God the Father
• .The Carmen Christi: Philippians 2:6–11
• The great confession in a hymn: 1 Timothy 3:16
• The wake-up hymn: Ephesians 5:14
• The hymn of the suffering Messiah: 1 Peter 2:22–24
• A Jewish hymn: Hebrews 1:2b–4
• The longest Christian hymn found in a gospel: John 1:1–18
• The grand finale hymn: Colossians 1:15–20

Praise for

Historically, Biblical Christianity is a credal or confessional faith. By examining in detail the evidence of the New Testament about this area of church life in the first century AD, this new study by Tony Costa convincingly demonstrates this to be a vital aspect of the Christian Faith. The idea that Christianity is simply about love is thus shown to be a patent misreading of Apostolic Christianity. Our Faith is grounded on both love and truth. A very helpful book: ideal for personal or group study.

Michael A.G. Haykin, Th.D, FRHistS, Chair and Professor of Church History & Director of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

If someone says ‘I believe the Bible,’ is that sufficient to really tell you what he or she believes? Throughout Church History, Christians have rightly felt the need to clarify their belief in God's Word by summarizing its core teachings in creeds and confessions. And, because ‘the hymnbook is the theology text of the church,’ we can also learn much about what Christians actually believed and valued by studying the hymns of the church. In this fascinating and wellwritten book, Dr. Tony Costa, points us back to the earliest confessions and hymns found within the Scriptures themselves.”

Robert L. Plummer, Ph.D., Collin and Eveyln Aikman Professor of Biblical Studies, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

In this clearly argued, well-researched, groundbreaking work, Dr. Tony Costa demonstrates that all the core beliefs associated with ‘Christian orthodoxy’ were already laid out in the New Testament documents themselves, in particular in their creedal and hymnic statements about Jesus. This will be a great resource for apologists, theologians, and New Testament scholars. Highly recommended!

Michael L. Brown, Ph.D., Author of Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus (5 vols); Adjunct Professor, Southern Evangelical Seminary, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (Charlotte), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Product Details

• Title: Early Christian Creeds & Hymns
• Author: Tony Costa
• Publisher: Hesed & Emet
• Print Publication Date: 2021
• Pages: 254
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• ISBNs: 9781774840139, 1774840138
• Resource ID: LLS:RLYCHRSTNCHYMNS
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-09-19T22:38:45Z

About Tony Costa