The concept ‘light from light’ in the Nicene creed: Is the metaphor still appropriate for Christian ethics today?

From a classic Reformed theological perspective,1 two questions arise when reflecting on the metaphor ‘light from light’ in the homoousios formulas of the Nicaeno-Constantinopolitanum of AD 381, especially within the domain of theological ethics. Firstly, what was the main classic interpretation of...

Celý popis

Uloženo v:
Podrobná bibliografie
Vydáno v:In die skriflig : tydskrif van die Gereformeerde Teologiese Vereniging Ročník 60; číslo 2
Hlavní autor: Vorster, Jacobus M.
Médium: Journal Article
Jazyk:angličtina
Vydáno: 30.06.2026
ISSN:1018-6441, 2305-0853
On-line přístup:Získat plný text
Tagy: Přidat tag
Žádné tagy, Buďte první, kdo vytvoří štítek k tomuto záznamu!
Abstract From a classic Reformed theological perspective,1 two questions arise when reflecting on the metaphor ‘light from light’ in the homoousios formulas of the Nicaeno-Constantinopolitanum of AD 381, especially within the domain of theological ethics. Firstly, what was the main classic interpretation of this metaphor; and secondly, is the metaphor still appropriate today considering the modern trend of ‘low’ Christologies as the key approach to Christian ethics? In these modern ‘low Christologies’, the divinity of Jesus and its relevance for theological ethics are questioned from the perspective of the ethics of immanent liberation rooted in the historical Jesus. In this article, the author reflects on these two questions. The central theoretical argument is that the classical understanding of the metaphor can enrich modern theological social ethics and broaden the concept of liberation into an all-encompassing vision of true humanity. To this end, the Greek and Latin texts of the Nicaeno-Constantinopolitanum are first presented with a modern English translation, followed by a brief explanation of the historical context of the Council of Nicaea. Contribution: The subsequent sections examine, with the Gnostic and Neo-Platonist roots of the metaphor, the biblical perspectives on Christ as the light of the world, and the relation between ‘low Christology’ and liberation ethics. In conclusion, the author ventures to indicate a way toward true humanity and moral agency flowing from the classic interpretation of the metaphor of the Son as ‘light from light’.
AbstractList From a classic Reformed theological perspective,1 two questions arise when reflecting on the metaphor ‘light from light’ in the homoousios formulas of the Nicaeno-Constantinopolitanum of AD 381, especially within the domain of theological ethics. Firstly, what was the main classic interpretation of this metaphor; and secondly, is the metaphor still appropriate today considering the modern trend of ‘low’ Christologies as the key approach to Christian ethics? In these modern ‘low Christologies’, the divinity of Jesus and its relevance for theological ethics are questioned from the perspective of the ethics of immanent liberation rooted in the historical Jesus. In this article, the author reflects on these two questions. The central theoretical argument is that the classical understanding of the metaphor can enrich modern theological social ethics and broaden the concept of liberation into an all-encompassing vision of true humanity. To this end, the Greek and Latin texts of the Nicaeno-Constantinopolitanum are first presented with a modern English translation, followed by a brief explanation of the historical context of the Council of Nicaea. Contribution: The subsequent sections examine, with the Gnostic and Neo-Platonist roots of the metaphor, the biblical perspectives on Christ as the light of the world, and the relation between ‘low Christology’ and liberation ethics. In conclusion, the author ventures to indicate a way toward true humanity and moral agency flowing from the classic interpretation of the metaphor of the Son as ‘light from light’.
Author Vorster, Jacobus M.
Author_xml – sequence: 1
  givenname: Jacobus M.
  orcidid: 0000-0003-4529-5343
  surname: Vorster
  fullname: Vorster, Jacobus M.
BookMark eNotkE1OwzAQhS1UJNrClrUvkOCfJrbZIFQoVKpgQfeR446JURpHjkHqrseA6_UkuIXVG715M3r6JmjU-Q4QuqYkn1HCbpYPb_lXSRzLOVXiDI0ZJ0VGZMFHaEwJlVk5m9ELNBmGD0IYk5KN0ee6AWx8Z6CP-LD_bt17E7ENfotP42H_g12HY0q9OANdCgeAzS1eDidzC1H3jQ94iK5tse774PvgdARskztvgksb3WGIjTPpxm_07u4SnVvdDnD1r1O0Xjyu58_Z6vVpOb9fZUYokRUajDU1qaWxSkrFQRzFGgK2liCYFEyrjeFElkrUUkurhClYWVJpibB8ivK_tyb4YQhgq1Rtq8OuoqQ6MqsSs-rErDoy47_QHWUm
Cites_doi 10.24018/theology.2022.2.4.71
10.4102/ve.v29i2.45
10.1163/187251609X12559402787155
10.1111/erev.12787
10.1093/jts/XXIX.1.20
10.1163/15697312-12341313
10.1353/tho.1987.0032
ContentType Journal Article
DBID AAYXX
CITATION
DOI 10.4102/IDS.v60i2.3197
DatabaseName CrossRef
DatabaseTitle CrossRef
DatabaseTitleList CrossRef
DeliveryMethod fulltext_linktorsrc
Discipline Religion
EISSN 2305-0853
ExternalDocumentID 10_4102_IDS_v60i2_3197
GroupedDBID 1RH
5VS
AAFWJ
AAYXX
ABDBF
ABUWG
ABXHO
ACUHS
AFFHD
AFKRA
AFPKN
ALMA_UNASSIGNED_HOLDINGS
ANHLU
AZQEC
BAIFH
BBTPI
BENPR
BPHCQ
CCPQU
CITATION
CWDGH
DWQXO
GNUQQ
GROUPED_DOAJ
IAO
ITC
KQ8
M2N
OK1
PGAAH
PHGZM
PHGZT
PIMPY
PQQKQ
PROAC
PV9
RFP
RNS
RZL
SCD
SCSAF
SCVUT
X4Q
ID FETCH-LOGICAL-c797-5aecfcb0b8cf98893e79889fc0efb8e72872a9dc308697b8a8f97c526618f07f3
ISSN 1018-6441
IngestDate Thu Nov 27 01:03:39 EST 2025
IsDoiOpenAccess false
IsOpenAccess true
IsPeerReviewed true
IsScholarly true
Issue 2
Language English
LinkModel OpenURL
MergedId FETCHMERGED-LOGICAL-c797-5aecfcb0b8cf98893e79889fc0efb8e72872a9dc308697b8a8f97c526618f07f3
ORCID 0000-0003-4529-5343
OpenAccessLink https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v60i2.3197
ParticipantIDs crossref_primary_10_4102_IDS_v60i2_3197
PublicationCentury 2000
PublicationDate 2026-06-30
PublicationDateYYYYMMDD 2026-06-30
PublicationDate_xml – month: 06
  year: 2026
  text: 2026-06-30
  day: 30
PublicationDecade 2020
PublicationTitle In die skriflig : tydskrif van die Gereformeerde Teologiese Vereniging
PublicationYear 2026
References ref13
ref35
ref12
ref34
ref15
ref37
ref14
ref36
ref31
ref30
ref11
ref33
ref10
ref32
ref0
ref2
ref1
ref17
ref39
ref16
ref38
ref19
ref18
ref24
ref46
ref23
ref45
ref26
ref25
ref20
ref42
ref41
ref22
ref44
ref21
ref43
ref28
ref27
ref29
ref8
ref7
ref9
ref4
ref3
ref6
ref5
ref40
References_xml – ident: ref37
– ident: ref1
– ident: ref3
– ident: ref7
– ident: ref20
– ident: ref45
– ident: ref29
– ident: ref41
– ident: ref24
– ident: ref33
  doi: 10.24018/theology.2022.2.4.71
– ident: ref22
– ident: ref25
– ident: ref43
  doi: 10.4102/ve.v29i2.45
– ident: ref27
– ident: ref9
– ident: ref19
– ident: ref32
– ident: ref30
  doi: 10.1163/187251609X12559402787155
– ident: ref11
– ident: ref17
– ident: ref34
– ident: ref15
– ident: ref5
  doi: 10.1111/erev.12787
– ident: ref13
– ident: ref4
– ident: ref36
– ident: ref2
– ident: ref38
– ident: ref6
– ident: ref39
  doi: 10.1093/jts/XXIX.1.20
– ident: ref46
– ident: ref28
– ident: ref42
– ident: ref40
– ident: ref44
  doi: 10.1163/15697312-12341313
– ident: ref23
– ident: ref26
– ident: ref21
  doi: 10.1353/tho.1987.0032
– ident: ref8
– ident: ref18
– ident: ref0
– ident: ref16
– ident: ref10
– ident: ref35
– ident: ref12
– ident: ref14
– ident: ref31
SSID ssj0022882
Score 2.3304777
Snippet From a classic Reformed theological perspective,1 two questions arise when reflecting on the metaphor ‘light from light’ in the homoousios formulas of the...
SourceID crossref
SourceType Index Database
Title The concept ‘light from light’ in the Nicene creed: Is the metaphor still appropriate for Christian ethics today?
Volume 60
hasFullText 1
inHoldings 1
isFullTextHit
isPrint
journalDatabaseRights – providerCode: PRVAON
  databaseName: DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals
  customDbUrl:
  eissn: 2305-0853
  dateEnd: 99991231
  omitProxy: false
  ssIdentifier: ssj0022882
  issn: 1018-6441
  databaseCode: DOA
  dateStart: 20120101
  isFulltext: true
  titleUrlDefault: https://www.doaj.org/
  providerName: Directory of Open Access Journals
– providerCode: PRVPQU
  databaseName: Middle East & Africa Database
  customDbUrl:
  eissn: 2305-0853
  dateEnd: 99991231
  omitProxy: false
  ssIdentifier: ssj0022882
  issn: 1018-6441
  databaseCode: CWDGH
  dateStart: 20120101
  isFulltext: true
  titleUrlDefault: https://search.proquest.com/middleeastafrica
  providerName: ProQuest
– providerCode: PRVPQU
  databaseName: ProQuest Central
  customDbUrl:
  eissn: 2305-0853
  dateEnd: 99991231
  omitProxy: false
  ssIdentifier: ssj0022882
  issn: 1018-6441
  databaseCode: BENPR
  dateStart: 20120101
  isFulltext: true
  titleUrlDefault: https://www.proquest.com/central
  providerName: ProQuest
– providerCode: PRVPQU
  databaseName: Publicly Available Content Database
  customDbUrl:
  eissn: 2305-0853
  dateEnd: 99991231
  omitProxy: false
  ssIdentifier: ssj0022882
  issn: 1018-6441
  databaseCode: PIMPY
  dateStart: 20120101
  isFulltext: true
  titleUrlDefault: http://search.proquest.com/publiccontent
  providerName: ProQuest
– providerCode: PRVPQU
  databaseName: Religion Database
  customDbUrl:
  eissn: 2305-0853
  dateEnd: 99991231
  omitProxy: false
  ssIdentifier: ssj0022882
  issn: 1018-6441
  databaseCode: M2N
  dateStart: 20120101
  isFulltext: true
  titleUrlDefault: https://search.proquest.com/religion
  providerName: ProQuest
link http://cvtisr.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/link/0/eLvHCXMwtV1bb9MwFLbKhtBeEFcxLpMfkHiIUtLcbPOCENcgNlWimsZTlcsxRJS0StJqe9vPGH9vv4RjO87CtIfxgFRFrlO7ac-X4-8450LI8zhlDGQUuVk0id2Qp-DyOCjcyMsymfFcBFJXLfnCDg740ZGYjkZnNhZms2BVxY-Pxeq_ihr7UNgqdPYfxN1Pih3YRqHjEcWOx2sLPjfBiI51ZeALZYObWBLdtCdE7-eICgP5JnJI0FWfk0Z3_4I2Xf1Y1g5qgsXCZCBf4Y9oTa5wk5pA6QjQfvPIZIv05JKzYFI5RQlO87MuJX653oRoTwr9XpcNVmc_Ai7VyJ8B6gKcma43rBJYOIcqHlEV7_pusXG4rG05kc-oz7N14-yPh7sXfmxd7XqF6024qziZWY90H1pFkYtUMBhq6dgboNG_SvmHE51MNnn3dbyJvdIfo3ZhF8ucfbR_afXrfRLRGlIzzHH8XI-fq_E3yLbPIoEqf3ua7E-_9ca8z7l5kt5dv0kIqmZ4-fcVDAjPgLnM7pDbnclB3xio3CUjqO6RW9YX_T5ZI2Johxh6fnqmAUIVVqhunp_-pmVFEQ7UoIRqlLyiSaM7LUaoxggdYISiRGmPEWowQjVGXj8gsw_vZ28_uV01DjdngrlRCrnMMw_vXyk4slxQme6EzD3AexoYWt5-Koo8QBtZsIynXAqWR4r_cekxGTwkW9WygkeEhhDEMRoqEPE8zELIQhbi3IF6IaMKd8kL-4_NVybnyvxq6Ty-9iefkJ0L-D0lW229hmfkZr5py6be0zsxe52I_wD9bHz3
linkProvider ProQuest
openUrl ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=The+concept+%E2%80%98light+from+light%E2%80%99+in+the+Nicene+creed%3A+Is+the+metaphor+still+appropriate+for+Christian+ethics+today%3F&rft.jtitle=In+die+skriflig+%3A+tydskrif+van+die+Gereformeerde+Teologiese+Vereniging&rft.au=Vorster%2C+Jacobus+M.&rft.date=2026-06-30&rft.issn=1018-6441&rft.eissn=2305-0853&rft.volume=60&rft.issue=2&rft_id=info:doi/10.4102%2FIDS.v60i2.3197&rft.externalDBID=n%2Fa&rft.externalDocID=10_4102_IDS_v60i2_3197
thumbnail_l http://covers-cdn.summon.serialssolutions.com/index.aspx?isbn=/lc.gif&issn=1018-6441&client=summon
thumbnail_m http://covers-cdn.summon.serialssolutions.com/index.aspx?isbn=/mc.gif&issn=1018-6441&client=summon
thumbnail_s http://covers-cdn.summon.serialssolutions.com/index.aspx?isbn=/sc.gif&issn=1018-6441&client=summon