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“The Making of the Trinity: From Christ to Constantinople” – Apostolic Succession and Historical Continuity.

In 2022, I wrote an article on apostolic succession, particularly the rule of faith and the Old Testament's eschatological expectation of the Messiah's coming. For me, one thing was certain: even Jesus’ earliest followers clearly anticipated the coming of the Messiah—the One appointed to set things in order and usher in the new hope of God’s Kingdom. The expectation was of Someone to come, but the shape and substance of that expectation were formed by [...]

By |2026-08-17T23:55:15+02:00August 17th, 2026|Church History, Islam, Trinity|0 Comments
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“The Making of the Trinity: From Christ to Constantinople” – Looking at the Trinitarian Criteria

There is something wonderfully confident about the claim that we can simply establish a neat little checklist for determining who is—and who is not—Nicene. Five propositions. Oh, sorry, six! That little numerical wobble may seem insignificant, but it actually introduces us to the larger problem. Jake Brancatella argues in The Making of the Trinity that anyone who wishes to be regarded as Nicene must affirm a series of propositions concerning the Father, Son, and Holy [...]

By |2026-08-17T23:59:43+02:00August 13th, 2026|Church History, Creeds, Islam, Trinity|0 Comments
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“The Making of the Trinity: From Christ to Constantinople” – Critiquing the Central Thesis

There is a particular argument against the Christian doctrine of the Trinity that sounds rather impressive when delivered with enough confidence, enough footnotes, and preferably a photograph of an ancient manuscript somewhere in the background. The argument goes something like this: If Jesus taught the Trinity, and if the Bible clearly teaches the Trinity, then Christians in the first three centuries should have been Trinitarians. But we supposedly do not find Trinitarians in those first [...]

By |2026-08-18T00:01:55+02:00August 12th, 2026|Church History, Islam, Trinity|0 Comments
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“The Making of the Trinity: From Christ to Constantinople” – Problems with the Methodology and Scope

When I came across this book, I was quite excited (and still am), because as a Biblical Trinitarian, I welcome any sincere inquiry into one of the most cardinal doctrines of Christianity. So, while discussing this with some of my students in the Islamic courses I teach, three or four of us have decided to grapple together with the information we are discovering throughout this book. Needless to say, this will be a slow read, [...]

By |2026-08-17T23:58:37+02:00August 7th, 2026|Church History, Creeds, Islam, Trinity|0 Comments
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Agency or Divinity? Why the Biblical Unitarian Argument About Jesus Falls Short by Rudolph P. Boshoff

In contemporary theological debates—especially online—Biblical Unitarianism has resurfaced as a serious challenge to historic Christian doctrine. One of its most common claims is that Jesus is not God but simply God’s appointed agent. According to this view, the exalted language used about Christ in the New Testament reflects delegated authority, not divine identity. At first glance, the argument appears persuasive. After all, Scripture repeatedly states that Jesus was sent by the Father and that He [...]

By |2026-03-07T10:22:26+02:00March 7th, 2026|Christology, Church History, Unitarianism|0 Comments
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Why the Destruction of the Temple Matters for Understanding Islam by Rudolph P. Boshoff

For my upcoming debate with Molana Ismail Moosa, I had the opportunity to speak to my friend Samuel Green about the topic of discussion. Samuel, as usual, sent me a talk he gave on "The Temple and Islamic Theology," which is excellent and worth listening to. I thought to sum up some of his thoughts here in this article. My summary thought would be: “The temple is a key to understanding biblical theology—but its absence is [...]

By |2025-06-23T09:48:51+02:00June 22nd, 2025|Church History, Uncategorised|0 Comments
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Why Evangelicals Do Not Venerate Mary Like Catholics Do by Rudolph P. Boshoff

As a result of a question posed to me and several friends expressing their deep admiration for Mary, the Mother of God, I decided to write a short article explaining why evangelical Christians often struggle to understand the Catholic perspective. First, let me clarify that there is no scriptural prohibition against venerating Mary. Yet, Scripture appears to encourage prayer to Christ alone, rather than to anyone who has passed away. Furthermore, most Christians seem to [...]

By |2025-06-10T13:18:49+02:00June 10th, 2025|Church History|1 Comment
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A Quick Synopsis of the first Seven Ecumenical Church Councils.

“City (Year) Decision". 1. Nicea (325) Rejected Arianism (the Son of God was the first creation of God the Father) and affirmed that the Son of God is of the same essence (homoousion) as the Father. Wrote the Nicene Creed. 2. Constantinople (381)  Rejected the teachings of the Macedonians, who denied the deity of the Holy Spirit. Expanded the Nicene Creed. 3. Ephesus (431) Christ was affirmed to be one Person, with two full and [...]

By |2024-02-18T16:21:19+02:00February 18th, 2024|Church History, Creeds|0 Comments
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Causal Language and an Inquiry into Divine Procession of the Triune God by Rudolph P. Boshoff

Introduction: The delineation of the Divine procession concerning the Son and the Holy Spirit constitutes a nuanced subject that has engendered extensive debate and discourse over centuries within the domain of Christian theology.[1] Tertullian (c.197) declares very early on that. We have been taught that He [Christ] proceeds forth from God [the Father], and in that procession, He is generated. So that He is the Son of God and is called God from unity of [...]

By |2024-01-13T02:23:34+02:00January 13th, 2024|Church History, Trinity|0 Comments
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The Council where Jesus became God. Answering Adnan Rashid by Pastor Rudolph P. Boshoff

I have always loved history, especially the history of the Church, which is very dear to me. More happened in the first seven centuries of the Church than in the subsequent centuries. In the third century, Alton Gansky noted that. During the first few centuries, the church focused on two primary matters: spreading the gospel and staying alive.[1] John Behr writes in his excellent volume 1, Formation of Christian Theology: The Way to Nicaea, that [...]

By |2023-12-26T11:59:28+02:00December 26th, 2023|Church History, Patristics, Trinity|0 Comments
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