Forgiveness Poem

Forgiveness

He’s wronged my sensibilities

His skin is green emerald scales like the armor of Chrysophylax

I cannot pierce the steel plating with my soft maxims

I cannot pierce the steel plating with a one-ton axe

“Relax” he says to me, “you are too serious,”

Yet his words are hate filled venom poisoning my eccentricities,

“Calm down” he quietly chants, “too deep” he frets,

 lest my meager words rip through his emerald green scales, 

lest I slay the dragon with a soft epithet

His burnt red wings spread majestically slicing the air to flee my plea of repair,

My arms sprout tiny steel plates becoming iron sheets and I leap… then heat.

Fire is in my throat, my eyes gleam red, and I no longer have fingers or toes,

I pursue my friend flying in the pink sunset sky, high above the cloud shaped moats.

He drops upon a blue-ridged precipice far beyond the crimson sunset,

His eyes drip dragon tears large as buckets freezing blue on the white crest,

The sturdy creature turns round with bloodhound eyes, entranced with pity,

His long neck twists as I hover on high; I await his thunderous roar from the ground

My wings flap thin air and the mountain trembles beneath their forceful thrusts,

I long for even lust, for forgiveness between us, between our dragon’s breath.

For years I fly to visit him upon his perch, he has become a stone statue set

in diamond, as the ice droplets glisten upon his armor, but beneath a red breast.

For decades I land beside my friend wrapping a winged appendage across his spiked back, 

I rest my leathered chin atop his diamond cap, and puff a sigh of regret,

Then my dragon tears drip upon his lap and I weep for forgiveness,

Heat brims in the pits of my deep dragon wrath and fire comes out my throat

The flames melt his diamond coat and lava forms beneath our clawed toes,

The sunrays pour from out my mouth until the mountaintop is ablaze with light,

I hold him tight feeling his armor begin to soften as we’re wrapped in burning snow,

With surprise I feel my fingers and toes, his warm flesh against my bearded neck,

His white fangs retreat to glistening teeth and his spiked back becomes smooth,

My massive wings move into muscular arms and I feel warm and he does too,

We hold each other atop this mountain’s peak and he raises green eyes to speak,

“I’m so sorry,” he belays downcast in my arms. “I forgive you,” I say. And we weep.

Poem about my Grandfather

My Grandpa Said

I remember his pregnant rotund belly as he glared through contented eyes upon his progeny and he grunted with reply, “You know boy, it took a lot of money to put this here.” My grandpa said.

His rough deep voice with an Italian hum lingering on my contentment because his safety is that I am fed, laced with wine, clothed, loved and one day wed. “Wait on the corner, and a girl will come around every fifteen minutes.” My grandpa said.

He plumbed for life and yes from out his pants fell his bum as he sweated pipe; never letting us touch the light because false safety lent to contentment. He had my forty five year old Father teach me to solder. “Just you watch me do it.” My grandpa said.

He spoke an autonomous language of slurred Italian mixed with self-delusion that my father translated with fluid disposition and my grandmother felt a charade. Too many sweets caused diabetes so through self made linguistics to abscond more nut roll he bade, “Your grandmother wants some cake.” My grandpa said.  

We laughed around chuck roast on spaghetti listening to his beautiful stories, his self-carved epitaphs and we asked too deep a question. He slipped brown eyes over his glasses staring intently with fluffy white curly hair and opined, “I’ll tell you when you’re older.” My grandpa said.

With bacchanalian eyes I gazed drunk on his sawdust tables with bear claw blades that made salmon scars on his thigh. He crafted a porch swing engraving his name in the thick polyurethaned oak slats so we could smoke late into the night. “(When you handle tools) you gotta hit the hole.” My grandpa said.

We hunted together in forest green woods with ferns laid as hand stitched quilts,  leaning against a mossy oak holding his 300 savage as we rested, apathetic if I saw a deer because I was near my grandpa “Whose going to get my guns when I die?” My grandpa said.

I watched him linger, his titanium knees, his scars covering his spinal column, his thighs, and his head. I sit with him in smoky silence puffing on cigars since I was fifteen. He took up smoking for me. “It’s hard getting old, old buddy.” My grandpa said.

“Don’t cut the poop”

“I always shoot three times, even if I don’t have to.”

Poem on... Hair around the House

My Little Reminders

By Joseph J. Bianco

I awoke to peaceful rays through windows bright in the morning light, yawning as I wiped eyes and rubbed bearded chin. To my surprise and your chagrin I pulled from the whiskers a long rich strand of hair so delicately thin.

I attended class and listened intently and became lost in lectures evidently until I glanced upon my lapel. At the strike of the bell I saw you there falling down toward the ground, gliding so slowly and resting as if you had planned to meet me therein.

Then at the pleasant lunch bower between pickles sour and smoked turkey on rye,

I chewed and munched and felt the slight crunch as I pulled a long strand from betwixt my teeth and bid your dear hair a goodbye.

“Well three is a lot” to myself I had thought, “So many a hair before the noon time ends” and as I pondered in air and into nothing did stare, I was interrupted to share my thinking space there with a rich dark black, beautiful hair.

How long and fair and dark was this hair as my eyes glared on it floating without a care and how I wished in that space to erase all the waste that bogs one into the sloughs of despair.

Through long-winded pondering and my mind lost in wondering I looked out the window at the sun’s setting gleam. Darkness was draping the earth in black casing and then I felt lonely and lost in a dream.

And as the last of the sun set gently thereon the edge of the window, her last liquid beam; in her light kinder, shown my little reminder and my heart grew with love it did seem. I no longer felt lonely and smiled as if only you sat there and shared this moment with me. 

So now I do hope to find a little black rope in the corner or under a book or in beard. They remind me of time with you reading through rhyme as my fingers did climb and stroked your black hair. But my dear please believe me as I say this uneasy, I have more than enough to share.  

"The Tear Watered Tree"

“The Tear Watered Tree”

The subtleness of the air bled into the soft chill of the wind

I felt it on bearded chin amongst the muriatic snow flakes toppling

Down, down, down, upon the speckled pittsburgh ground

Some trust me for no reason and some with apathy or with season

So tears fall inside my throat and into my stomach do float

Creating a dell inside my belly, welling in uncomfortable fits

You know the feeling because we all experience it

That deep pit, like the second chamber inside a black wal-nut,

You push to pop out fleshy meat and plant a tree in your gut

And I think the only change from sad snow-melted rain

Comes with faith because our beliefs shape our destinies

So to trace time past with an eraser won’t create more space

Now you know that feeling too; down, down, down, inside

Where butterflies hide on happier days and sometimes rain,
To water the seed so from it can grow a beautiful tree

Gender in the Creeds

Modernity has taken and molded our understanding of hermeneutics to make texts devoid of meaning by separating the definition of a word from the language of the word. An example of this is the word “Father” as it is used to define one of the three persons of the trinity. The person arguing for the removal of the word “Father” from the creeds would say that the aspects of what a Father is can be kept, but the fact that a Father is male has no place in the definition of God. Issues of gender exclusivity and inclusivity are hot topics in the linguistic world of post-modernity and post enlightenment America[1]. I specifically name America because issues of gender in language do affect some cultures, but many languages use male dominated pronouns with the understanding of inclusive language. Language and its use is an integrally important facet of the construction of the creeds during the main councils that came to shape and form the main creeds from the council of Nicaea in 325 to the council of Chalcedon in 451. Language is under attack in America and we are seeing the affects of progressivism in the way that a reader understands a text, attempting to make the text mean whatever the reader desires. In order to understand what the church fathers meant in their writing of the creeds, namely the Nicene-Constantinopolitan creed, we must read the text through the eyes of the church fathers, seeking to understand how they would have read the creeds formed through the councils. This however, on a large scale would be too great a scope for the parameters of this paper, so we will follow the same conceptual idea with the focus of gender and sexuality in the creeds.

            Roberta C. Bondi, in her article, “Some issues relevant to a modern interpretation of the language of the Nicene creed, with special reference to ‘sexist language’” writes with the intention of gender neutralizing the Nicene Creed. She makes several convincing arguments that center around hermeneutical principles, the mystery of God’s nature, the formation of the Nicene Creed with respect to baptism, the use of biblical language in non-biblical texts, negative attitudes towards women in scripture, and the race for gender equality in the modern church. These arguments need to be addressed especially if the church Fathers were truly guilty of the accusations that Roberta claims for the Nicene Creed.

            More importantly than addressing Roberta C. Bondi[2], we must look for ourselves at the main creeds of the church, taking a larger pool than merely the Nicene Creed, but also considering the Apostles creed, and the Chalcedonian definition of faith. How did the church fathers use the gender language of the creeds? What did they intend by including this language? Is this language inclusive or exclusive language? How do we understand the formation of the creeds in light of sex and gender?

            In this paper I will show that the language of the Nicene, Chalcedonian, and Apostles creed was intentionally used to combat the heresies of its time, while being centered primarily on scripture in order to teach and catechize the church and to denounce heretical claims while remaining entirely gender inclusive primarily due to the context in which the creeds were written. Yet a question may be posed: How does contemporary society affect the way we use creeds in the church today and how should our language reflect our culture? To address these points I will need to briefly look at the intention of how and why creeds were formed and then move to commonly held objections to traditional uses of the creeds, which will include articles from Roberta Bondi[3], Melanie May[4], T.M. Berger[5], and S. Mark Heim[6]. After answering liberal objection to the creeds I will then offer suggestions to how the creeds are to be correctly interpreted through the lens of gender and lastly suggest how one can best use the creeds in modern liturgy.

The use and formation of the Creeds:

            In general a council is the, “Gathering of clergy to decide questions of doctrine and discipline in the church; synods.”[7] The first council for the purposes of this paper is the council of Nicaea in 325. The council of Nicaea was formed and presided over by Constantine[8] with the main achievement being the condemnation of Arianism. This led mainly to the formation of the Nicene Creed. The Nicene Creed distinguished the trinity emphasizing the oneness of God.[9] The second main council is the council of Constantinople in 381, which dealt with issues of rivalries between Rome and part of Jerusalem as well as tackling Apollinarianism. The famous line by Gregory of Nazianzus, “What was not assumed was not healed”[10] helped to nail down the final argument against Apollinarianism. The Council of Constantinople emphasized the threeness of God. The next main council was the council of Ephesus in 431. Nestorianism was anathematized and Cyril of Alexandria was recognized by the council as orthodox and Cyril’s theology helped to deal with the heresy of Nestorianism.[11] There was a further council at Ephesus in 449, which was not considered ecumenical by the larger church. The council of Ephesus dealt primarily with the oneness of Christ. Lastly the council of Chalcedon took place in 451 and was interested in the twoness of Christ, or that Christ is both human and divine but these two natures are not separate. The council condemned the Monophysite heresy, which says that Christ has only one nature. Pope Leo the first gave honor to the five great sees of the church being Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem.[12]

            Creeds were not necessarily handed down verbatim, but the early church fathers were mostly interested in the substance of the creed than the particular wording. This is not to say the wording was not carefully considered, actually the wording was highly important, but the value of the creed was found in what the creed communicated especially in relationship to the particular heresy of the time[13]. The Creeds from the 325-451 were created to confirm a particular teaching or doctrine of the church as well as coincide often with a particular council. The creeds could be polemical in nature, but also positive in bringing unity to established beliefs of the church at large. Two of the most notable creeds are the Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed[14]. The Apostles Creed was first found c.390[15] and was surrounded by a history that the twelve apostles had created this creed.  It is thought that the Apostles Creed developed from an older creed called the Old Roman Creed[16] which stems from Matthew 28:19 and was also thought to come from the Rules of Faith during the 3^rd century. The Nicene Creed came out of the Council of Nicaea in 325 and offers a polemic to Arianism as well as defining the trinity by including the word homoousious, being of the same substance. It was probably based on the Baptismal Creed of Jerusalem[17].  This creed in some way is better considered the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed because since the time of Chalcedon it has been regarded as the creed of the council of Constantinople.

            So we see that the creeds between 325-481 were not primarily written concerning gender, rather they were written with concern of positively stating what the visible church affirms concerning the main platitudes of scripture. The reality is that gender per se was not in the minds of the church fathers, yet as we will see, liberal theologians have anachronistically placed gender concerns in the minds of the patriarchs, labeling them as misogynistic, sexist, and unconcerned with women.  Let us now look at some of these objections.

Liberal Objections to Gender in the Creeds

            Bondi[18], Heim[19], Berger[20] and May[21] all take issue with one central word that occurs in the Apostles, Nicene-Constantinopolitan, and Chalcedonian creed, which is the use of the word “Father.” They all make convincing arguments which center on hermeneutics, linguistics, historicity, equality, baptism, culture, patriarchy, and the use of the modern church. Essentially each of their arguments, as do all arguments, come down to an issue of linguistics and how we are to read and interpret the creeds. The reason for this is that every person comes to the creeds reading through a particular lens, but as I have previously expounded, the very intention of coming to the creeds through the lens of gender is to misread the creeds because it was not the intention of the church fathers. Rather their intention was focused on addressing the heresies of their time and also in teaching the laity what concepts of Christianity are central to

the faith[22]. Linguistically the argument for the liberal scholar truly comes down to their understanding and lens through which they read the Bible.

            The reason many liberal scholars take issue with gender in the creeds is because they don’t view the creeds as truth coming from scripture, rather they understand the creeds to be a double interpretation of a dubious book (read Bible) written thousands of years ago by misogynist men. Now consider the conservative view of the creeds from someone reading the creed through the lens of scriptural inerrancy.  Clearly the issue then becomes one of linguistics rather than gender. If it is the case that scripture has no authority and is not the inerrant word of God, then by all means we must remove our understanding of God as Father from the creeds and make God whatever we would like him to be, but if Holy Scripture informs our understanding of who God himself claims to be, then we must allow the creeds to reflect the truth of Scripture. Essentially this means keeping the use of “Father” because that is how Scripture will often speak of God’s character. There have been attempts like in Heim’s article to separate the idea of Father from its gender, but again this is to misconstrue how Scripture defines “Father.” There is however, much I want to affirm in these four liberal articles concerning gender in the creeds.

            Bondi brings up good points in addressing other aspects of the creeds in relation to gender that others in prior centuries have never discussed. For example Bondi, May and Heim all discuss the use of feminine imagery of God in scripture[23][24] (Is. 49:14-18, Mk. 4:30-32, Deut. 32:11-12,18, Is. 66:13, Is. 42:14, Mt. 23:37, Hos. 13:8, Jer. 44:25). Their point is that the church should see that God is neither male nor female, but Spirit, and while this is true, feminine imagery is the vast minority of ways in which God describes himself. Also God never once refers directly to himself as female, rather he uses feminine imagery to help describe his character. What is true and good from their observation of these passages is that God does use feminine imagery to describe himself and that we as the church should recognize these aspects of God. Another good point they address is how we are to use creeds in modern liturgy, but this will wait for the last section of this paper.

How to read the creeds:

            So then how is it that we should read the creeds? First we must read the creeds within their historical context and in light of their historical culture[25]. Klager gives an example in regard to the heresies of the time when he writes, “However, the particular components of the Rules seemed intent on combating heresies whose syncretistic belief systems threatened this ethico-soteriological nucleus of Christianity, this life in Christ”.[26] Essentially Klager remarks that the heresies played a huge part in why the creeds are written which is part of the historical context. Regarding feminine imagery, the church Fathers seemed concerned not with being culturally sensitive, rather they sought to combat heresy and affirm scripture. Parsenios[27] makes the point that because the word “Father” is mentioned so few times in the creed, that this word wasn’t a central thought in the writing of the creed, so consequently feminine imagery never made it into the discussion. How else should one read the creeds?   

John McTavish makes a great point when he writes, “I believe in, credo in, means that I am not alone.”[28] Part of reading a creed is a reminder that the reader is part of a greater belief and structure, something that many people believe in and affirm; so then we ought to read the creeds corporately. Why this matters is due to aspect; rather than reading the creeds anthropocentrically, we read them theocentrically as one body proclaiming who and what it is we worship. A creed also should be read as light to illuminate our understanding of scripture.  Parsenios writes, “I would argue that the Bible and the Creed are inherently connected at many different levels.”[29] He goes onto explain their intricate levels of connectedness and why they are so intertwined. Creeds always derive primarily from scripture, and as it is helpful to read commentators on a Biblical text, so it is helpful to use the creeds to grasp the overall story of scripture[30]. So how then can we use creeds in light of the feminist movement, modern liturgy, and to truly be sensitive to those offended by the gender imagery in the creeds?

Modern Creedal Development:

            I was surprised when finishing my research on this topic that my modern understanding of the liturgical use of creeds has changed since beginning this project. Originally I was obstinate against changing anything in the creeds, but since reading my liberal counterparts I have realized that the importance of the creeds lies in their ability to communicate the truth of scripture, so here are the conclusions of my research of how to handle gender sensitive issues in the creeds:

1.     The creeds are designed to convey truth but must be changed over time to accommodate the way that language changes over time so the meaning of the creeds can be best understood. Bierma[31] writes about the Heidelberg Catechism and lays out reasons to change and modify the catechism so that modern readers can understand what is being written.  The overall point of his article is that language and syntax must make sense to the contemporary reader, so for example I find it appropriate in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan creed to change “for us men” to “for humanity” because it is conveying the meaning of men in a way that is sensitive to both the men and women of the church while retaining meaning.

2.     We cannot change “Father” from any of the creeds, the reason being consistent with my first point; “Father” is how the scriptures describe God, so it is not a word that can be altered or even parts of the meaning extracted and separated. This is because “Father,” is not merely a word that conveys aspects of begetting, rather “Father” as used in scripture can convey the love of a father, which every person will consent to being different than the love of a mother. There is in fact a masculine personality to our God.    

3.     That being said, although “Father” is not negotiable to be changed, I believe it would be helpful to go through the current Creeds and make the meaning semantically clear as possible. Reynolds[32] makes this point in his article concerning the word “Again in Creeds and the Bible” where he takes the stance that our modern understanding of “again” would better be replaced with a word such as “up” i.e. “He rose up.”

4.     If we then should use scripture as the support and protection for the creeds, then what about scripture that depicts the feminine imagery of God? I would suggest incorporating this into the liturgy of the service as is appropriate for the context of the congregation. I do believe that Mary as the Theotokos is very appropriate in the creeds and should give some support to the positive scriptural position of women. I also am convinced that feminine imagery should ideally be used in proportion to any other imagery that describes God. For example if say the Bible discuses God as fatherly 80% of its occurrences and God as motherly 20% of its occurrences then we should reflect scripture in giving an accurate portrayal of the characteristics of God proportionately.

Conclusion:

To summarize this discussion, we have introduced the issue that is raised by liberal scholars of appropriating gender in the creeds to fit a modern context. We have discussed the intention of the creeds and their formation as well as the intention of the original creators of the creeds in conveying meaning and purpose. We then gave observation, critique, and praise to the liberal scholars on the subject of gender in the creeds while evaluating their articles in light of the historicity of the creeds. Then we discussed how creeds should be read as is befitting a theology of scriptural inerrancy and concluded several points that elevates and necessitates the use of creeds in modern liturgy. Lastly we gave particular ways in which the creeds can be modified while still retaining, if not improving, meaning while also being sensitive to the gender oriented discussion.

Again I am surprised in the way that my own opinion of how to use the creeds in modern society has changed, but I am also thankful that my understanding and appreciation of the creeds has grown. If one day I am to pastor a church, I will use and incorporate the creeds into the liturgy, inculcating them upon the hearts of the congregants. Even the ancient Jewish people have spoken the great creed from Deuteronomy 26:5-9 reminded them of God’s great work in redeeming them and bringing them to the promised land. We are a forgetful people, so let us use the creeds to remind, teach, and remember that we are not alone. 

               

Bibliography

Berger, Teresa. Gender differences and the making of liturgical history: lifting a veil on liturgy's past. Farnham; Burlington, Vt: Ashgate, 2011.

Berardino, Angelo Di, ed. Encyclopedia of the Early Church. 2 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 1992.

Bierma, Lyle D. "A critique of the CRC's new translation of the Heidelberg Catechism." Calvin Theological Journal 43, no. 1 (April 1, 2008): 111-122.

Bondi, Roberta C. “Some Issues Relevant to a Modern Interpretation of the Language of the Nicene Creed, with Special Reference to ‘sexist Language’.” Union Seminary Quarterly review (1985).

Cody, Aelred. "Little historical creed" or "little historical anamnesis"?." Catholic Biblical Quarterly 68, no. 1 (January 1, 2006): 1-10.

Cross, F. L., and E. A. Livingstone, eds. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA, 2005.

Ferguson, Everett, ed. Encyclopedia of Early Christianity. 2nd ed. 2 vols. Philadelphia: Routledge, 1997.

Ferguson, Everett. Church History. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2005.

Heim, S Mark. "Gender and creed : confessing a common faith." Christian Century 102, no. 13 (April 17, 1985): 379-381.

Editor: Jerald C. Brauer. Associate editors: Brian Gerrish [and. The Westminster Dictionary of Church History. Philadelphia: Westminster John Knox Pr, 1971.

Klager, Andrew P. "St. Gregory of Nyssa, Anabaptism, and the creeds." Conrad Grebel Review 26, no. 3 (September 1, 2008): 42-71.

Ludlow, Morwenna. "The Apostles Creed: the Apostles Creed and its early Christian context." Modern Believing 52, no. 1 (January 1, 2011): 82-83.

Mankowski, Paul V. “A Fig Leaf for the Creed.” Touchstone 7.2 (1992).

May, Melanie A. "Conversations on language and the imagery of God : occasioned by the community of women and men in the church study." Union Seminary Quarterly Review 40, no. 3 (January 1, 1985): 11-20.

McTavish, John. "Karl Barth and the importance of creeds." Touchstone 29, no. 3 (September 1, 2011): 30-37.

Parsenios, George L. "The Creed: The Symbol of the Faith." Theology Today 67, no. 4 (January 2011): 391-404.

Pickstock, Catherine. "Asyndeton, Syntax and Insanity : A Study of the Revision of the Nicene Creed." Modern Theology 10, no. 4 (October 1, 1994): 321-340.

Reynolds, Stephen M. "The word "again" in creeds and Bible." Westminster Theological Journal 35, no. 1 (September 1, 1972): 28-35.

Reuther, Rosemary Radford "Misogynism and Virginal Feminism in the Fathers of the Church.” In Religion and Sexism. Images of Woman in the Jewish and Christian Traditions. Ed. Rosemary Radford, New York Simon and Schuster

1974 150-183

West, Charles C. "Max L Stackhouse : Creeds, society and human rights: a study in three cultures." Occasional Papers On Religion In Eastern Europe 5, no. 4 (August 1, 1985): 19-24.

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[1] Mankowski, Paul V. “A Fig Leaf for the Creed.” Touchstone 7.2 (1992).

[2] Bondi, Roberta C. “Some Issues Relevant to a Modern Interpretation of the Language of the Nicene Creed, with Special Reference to ‘sexist Language’.” Union Seminary Quarterly review (1985).

[3] Ibid

[4] May, Melanie A. "Conversations on language and the imagery of God : occasioned by the community of women and men in the church study." Union Seminary Quarterly Review 40, no. 3 (January 1, 1985): 11-20.

[5] Berger, Teresa. Gender differences and the making of liturgical history: lifting a veil on liturgy's past. Farnham; Burlington, Vt: Ashgate, 2011.

[6] Heim, S Mark. "Gender and creed : confessing a common faith." Christian Century 102, no. 13 (April 17, 1985): 379-381.

[7] Ferguson, Everett, ed. Encyclopedia of Early Christianity. 2nd ed. 2 vols. Philadelphia: Routledge, 1997 page. 296

[8] Editor: Jerald C. Brauer. Associate editors: Brian Gerrish [and others], The Westminster Dictionary of Church History. (Philadelphia: Westminster John Knox Pr, 1971), page. 239

[9] Everett Ferguson, Church History (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2005), page. 255

[10] Everett Ferguson, Church History (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2005), page. 258

[11] Editor: Jerald C. Brauer. Associate editors: Brian Gerrish [and others], The Westminster Dictionary of Church History. (Philadelphia: Westminster John Knox Pr, 1971), page.. 253

[12] Ibid p. 239

[13] Berardino, Angelo Di, ed. Encyclopedia of the Early Church. 2 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 1992, page 207

[14] F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone, eds., The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA, 2005), page 434.

[15] Ibid p. 90

[16] Ibid p. 1188

[17] Ibid p. 1152-1153

[18] Bondi, Roberta C. “Some Issues Relevant to a Modern Interpretation of the Language of the Nicene Creed, with Special Reference to ‘sexist Language’.” Union Seminary Quarterly review (1985).

[19] Heim, S Mark. "Gender and creed : confessing a common faith." Christian Century 102, no. 13 (April 17, 1985): 379-381.

[20] Berger, Teresa. Gender differences and the making of liturgical history: lifting a veil on liturgy's past. Farnham; Burlington, Vt: Ashgate, 2011.

[21] May, Melanie A. "Conversations on language and the imagery of God : occasioned by the community of women and men in the church study." Union Seminary Quarterly Review 40, no. 3 (January 1, 1985): 11-20.

[22] Klager, Andrew P. "St. Gregory of Nyssa, Anabaptism, and the creeds." Conrad Grebel Review 26, no. 3 (September 1, 2008): p. 45

[23] Bondi, Roberta C. “Some Issues Relevant to a Modern Interpretation of the Language of the Nicene Creed, with Special Reference to ‘sexist Language’.” Union Seminary Quarterly review (1985) p. 28.

[24] Heim, S Mark. "Gender and creed : confessing a common faith." Christian Century 102, no. 13 (April 17, 1985): p. 381.

[25] Ludlow, Morwenna. "The Apostles Creed: the Apostles Creed and its early Christian context." Modern Believing 52, no. 1 (January 1, 2011): 82-83.

[26] Klager, Andrew P. "St. Gregory of Nyssa, Anabaptism, and the creeds." Conrad Grebel Review 26, no. 3 (September 1, 2008): p. 45-46

[27] Parsenios, George L. "The Creed: The Symbol of the Faith." Theology Today 67, no. 4 (January 2011): 396.

[28] McTavish, John. "Karl Barth and the importance of creeds." Touchstone 29, no. 3 (September 1, 2011): 32.

[29] Parsenios, George L. "The Creed: The Symbol of the Faith." Theology Today 67, no. 4 (January 2011): 391-404.

[30] Pickstock, Catherine. "Asyndeton, Syntax and Insanity : A Study of the Revision of the Nicene Creed." Modern Theology 10, no. 4 (October 1, 1994): 321-340.

[31] Bierma, Lyle D. "A critique of the CRC's new translation of the Heidelberg Catechism." Calvin Theological Journal 43, no. 1 (April 1, 2008): 111-122.

[32] Reynolds, Stephen M. "The word "again" in creeds and Bible." Westminster Theological Journal 35, no. 1 (September 1, 1972): 28-35.