That's Just Your Opinion / What Is Aramaic? / Nicaea 2025 / Resurrection on Saturday

Author

Douglas Jacoby
April 24, 2024

Hello from Lancashire! Here in England spring has arrived—temperatures in the 50s (10º+ C), budding trees and bushes, frolicking ponies and lambs, days growing long and lavender in the air.

It’s been a great week so far, with visits from friends in Manchester and London, church in our apartment, discussions with neighbors and fellowship with fellow Christians. My brother and his wife are in the air, landing tomorrow morning. After visiting us in here in England, I’ll travel by rail with them to Scotland. After a few days they’ll head to Germany to see friends, with a stopover in Poland to visit Auschwitz. A traveling family 🙂.

Travel is good. We invite you to “travel” through this newsletter from California (Greg Koukl) to North Carolina (Clinton J. Moyer) to Georgia (Mike Licona) to England (G. K. Chesterton) to Nicaea (the Roman emperor Constantine).

THAT’S JUST YOUR OPINION!

Stand to Reason is an apologetics ministry with many solid resources. I have met the founder and dynamo of the ministry, Greg Koukl, many times, and believe you will find most things STR has produced to be highly valuable.

What makes our beliefs more than opinion without foundation?

In this four-minute video, Koukl responds to both relativist and materialist objections to Christianity. It’s well worth watching.

WHAT IS ARAMAIC?

The three languages of the Bible are Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. About 1% of the Old Testament is written in Aramaic.

A primary challenge to the study of this language is that it has so many historical phases and regional variations. Clinton J. Moyer explores the rich legacy of the Aramaic language.

NICAEA 2025!

1700 years ago history was made in the Bithynian city of Nicaea, modern İznik. There the emperor Constantine gathered hundreds of bishops and their assistants from the Eastern and Western parts of the empire. Why? To resolve a controversy raging in the church. Arius, a presbyter in Alexandria, was teaching that Jesus was created and not equal in essence with the Father. Constantine realized that this matter needed resolution to bring unity to his empire. In 325 the council decided that the teaching of Arius was incompatible with the teaching of Scripture, hence heretical. The bishops then issued a confession of faith today known as the Nicene Creed. Christians are gathering in Nicaea in 2025 to remember this historic moment and its ongoing spiritual significance for the global church.

The other six ecumenical councils also took place in Turkey, so our visit will include not only Nicaea, where the 7th council took place as well, but also Constantinople and Chalcedon (İstanbul) where four other councils were held. Lectures by historians and theologians will explain the background of each council and its importance in church history. Join us for this once-in-a-century event! — Prof. Mark Wilson, Seven Churches Network
LEARN MORE 

QUOTABLE

More insightful words from G. K. Chesterton:

  • Bigotry is an incapacity to conceive seriously the alternative to a proposition. – “The Bigot,” Lunacy and Letters

  • It is not bigotry to be certain we are right, but it is bigotry to be unable to imagine how we might possibly have gone wrong. – The Catholic Church and Conversion

  • Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions. –  Illustrated London News, April 19, 1930

Mike Licona on the Resurrection!

On Saturday 27 April, 9:30am-1:00pm ET the Athens Institute is hosting a special session with author, speaker, apologist, professor, and expert on the Resurrection of Jesus Mike Licona. You don’t want to miss this! It’s such a special opportunity that non-students may attend for only $29.

Note: If you’re new to AIM and do not already have an account in our course system, you will be asked to create an account. Then you can complete registration. Once you’re registered, you’ll receive the Zoom link.

UNTIL NEXT WEEK…

We hope you were encouraged by something in this week’s newsletter. Travel well!

Have a great final week of April! And we hope to see you on the 27th for the special event with Mike Licona. — Douglas