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The apostles' creed, the god of Israel and the jew jesus of nazareth
Abstract
After some preliminary notes on the significance, use and origin of the Apostles' Creed, this paper argues that there are two significant elements lacking in the Creed: (1) The Creed moves directly from God the creator to the incarnation of his Son Jesus Christ without giving any weight to God's dealings with the nations and Israel between Genesis 3 and Matthew 1, as if these were of no significance. This raises the important question as to the role and importance of God's revelation in history prior to the incarnation of Christ. (2) The Creed is also silent on Jesus' Jewish identity and his ministry in and primarily for Israel. Both aspects are essential in the New Testament presentation of the gospel. Moreover, in view of the devastating consequences of excluding Israel and Jesus the Jew for Jewish- Christian relations in much of church history, additions are overdue. Concrete suggestions are provided.
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While the idea of God being the Father dominates New Testament studies in relation to Jesus and the followers of Jesus, the Father-God motif rooted in the Old Testament and prominent in the second temple period has received insufficient attention. The concept of God the Father is a broad category but in the Old Testament it is closely related to Israel. When God redeems Israel out of Egypt, he becomes like a Father to it and Israel becomes his son (Exodus 4:22). Thus, for Israel the fatherhood of God is linked to its redemption by God. This relationship began through God's initiative and with the purpose that they will serve and obey God - yet Israel is often unfaithful to him. God is also seen as the Father of the human kings of Israel.