Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth. The Great Tradition represents that central core of Christian belief and practice derived from the Scriptures that runs between the time of Christ and the middle of the fifth century. We believe that most of what has proven essential and foundational to Christian theology, spirituality, and witness was articulated by the ancient-undivided Church by the fifth century in its life together, and its canon, creeds, and councils. 113 The Great Tradition The Great Tradition represents the Church’s historic understanding, articulation, and defense of the Faith, drawn from the Scriptures that tell the authoritative Story of God’s redemptive plan for the nations, to be accomplished by Christus Victor , who carries out the plan through the universal Church (God’s people throughout the world and throughout time and called to embody and proclaim the redemptive Story). Accurate interpretation of this Story is measured by the Ancient Rule of Faith (“that which has always been believed, everywhere, and by all”) and the Creeds , especially the Nicene Creed. 114 With the articulation of the Great Tradition, Christians have the final and official apostolic message from which to contextualize the gospel in all cultures, throughout time. Webber said, “Jesus Christ [is] the ultimate authority interpreted by the apostles. The Bible is authoritative because it preserves and hands down this witness. The rule of faith and the creeds enjoy a kind of authority because they remain faithful to apostolic tradition. The Holy Spirit ‘oversaw’ this process so we can speak of Scripture as the revealed and inspired Word of God and the ecumenical creeds as authoritative summaries of the biblical faith.” 115

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