Nicene Faith

The Nicene Faith represents the second volume of John Behr's ambitious project to reconstruct the formation of Christian theology in its earliest centuries. Writing as both patristic scholar and Orthodox priest, Behr addresses the widespread assumption that fourth-century theological controversies were driven by Greek philosophical categories imposed upon biblical faith. Against this narrative, he argues that the Nicene settlement emerged from sustained biblical exegesis and the church's liturgical life rather than philosophical speculation.

Behr demonstrates that the key figures of the Nicene period—Athanasius, the Cappadocian Fathers, and others—developed their theological vocabulary not by borrowing from Platonic metaphysics but by wrestling with scriptural texts about the relationship between Father and Son. He traces how terms like homoousios (of the same substance) functioned not as abstract philosophical concepts but as tools for preserving the biblical witness to Christ's divinity and the soteriological reality of redemption. The work carefully examines how these theologians understood their task as fundamentally exegetical, seeking to articulate what Scripture taught about God's triune life. Behr argues that the controversy with Arianism forced the church to develop more precise theological language while remaining faithful to the apostolic deposit.

This volume has proven influential among both Eastern Orthodox and Western scholars seeking to understand the theological method of the early church. Behr's approach challenges common assumptions about the "Hellenization" of Christianity and offers resources for contemporary theological reflection rooted in patristic wisdom. The work contributes to ongoing ecumenical dialogue by demonstrating the biblical foundations of conciliar theology. Who should read this: scholars of early Christianity, theologians interested in patristic methodology, and readers seeking to understand how the early church developed its theological vocabulary while remaining faithful to Scripture. This is not introductory material and assumes familiarity with the basic contours of fourth-century theological controversy.