Christianity

Running Head : CATHOLIC ORTHODOX THEOLOGY

Catholic Orthodox Theology

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Catholic Orthodox Theology

The process of scriptural canonization is based on the following criteria : 1 ) the scripture must have been written during the time of the apostles , 2 ) it must contain the basic tenets of orthodox Christianity 3 ) it must have been declared by chief Church leaders as `essential tools for Christian education , and 4 ) it must have been approved by the Roman pontiff himself . At the Council of Nicaea , Bishop Athanasius persuaded Emperor Constantine the Great

to issue an edict transcribing the `old ' apostolic books . Church officials catalogued books , writings and other essential documents of Christian faith . St . Augustine proposed the creation of a book of `books ' which would incorporate and consolidate the Christian faith

The Gnostic texts (even those found in the Nag Hammadi Library ) were outrightly rejected because : 1 ) they were inherently contradictory , 2 they were written after the apostolic period , and 3 ) they did not conform to the essentials of faith declared in the Council of Nicaea Followers of `Gnostic ' Christianity , as Bishop Irenaeus argued , quarrel over the essence of Christ , while formally declaring the efficacy of the Christian religion itself . This stance was quite ridiculous for early Church Fathers . If Christianity was to prosper , it must have a unified non-contradictory , and radical theological base . Indeed , it was not only politics which defined the `rejection ' of the Gnostic texts , but also orthodox theology

According to Pope Pius V , a heretic is an individual cut off...