Should We Change The Nicene Creed In the LCMS ? 

Part 3

By: Rev. Jack Cascione
The LCMS Commission on worship is proposing that the Nicene Creed be changed to read, "who for us human beings and our salvation" to replace the current "who for us men and our salvation."

The following is a reply to John Dorsch's third of three written questions. (The first question and second answer were published on Reclaim News on January 22, and 26, 2003.)

Dorsch disagrees with me and is in favor of changing the Nicene Creed to read, "who for us human beings and our salvation," instead of what we currently confess, "who for us men and our salvation."

Dear John Dorsch:

Your third second question is:



Dear John Dorsch:

Your third question followed by an additional comment is as follows:

"3. Finally, you offered a lengthy list of the word's use in the NT and discovered that it did refer to men and women. Why did you not also look at the LXX? For instance, could you tell me how you would translate Gen 1:27 which reads, kai epoihsen o qeoV tou anqrwpou kata eikona qeou epoihsen autou arsen kai qhlu epoihsen autouV. Who does the "anthropou" refer to? Does the verse help explain whom the Holy Spirit meant? "

"BTW, the word "catholic" was not invented by the early church fathers, rather it was used by them to describe the universal Church. The word was used by, among others, Hippocrates (Int., 26) and was the title of a work by Zeno."

My reply is that in all 508 cases of "man" (anthropos) in the New Testament, not one case refers directly to a "woman."  In those cases where women are also to be included such as in Romans 5:12, "Wherefore, as by one man (anthropos) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men (anthropos), for that all have sinned:" we see that when men are addressed they women and children are also included.  Biblically, the sons and daughters of Adam are all understood to be included under the title "men" because Adam, the father of all people, including Eve, is a man.

Thus the translation should read, "men" not "people," "humanity," or "mankind."  The Bible says the fall of Adam includes the fall of Adam, Eve, and everyone else.  The Bible doesn't use "anthropos" (man) in the sense of "all humanity," "people," or "mankind."  These kinds of translations of "anthropos" are simply reading contemporary, politically correct, feminist and humanist presuppositions back into the Biblical text.

There is no question that there are examples of "anthropos" signifying the whole human race, but in every place we find "anthropos" signifying all men. "Men" are understood to include women and children.  Examples include:

Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men (anthropos).

John 6:10 And Jesus said, Make the men (anthropos) sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men (aner) sat down, in number about five thousand.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men (anthropos), whereby we must be saved.

Acts 4:17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straightly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man (anthropos) in this name.

Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men (anthropos).

1 Corinthians 11:28 But let a man (anthropos) examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

1 Timothy 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men (anthropos), specially of those that believe.

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, (anthropos)

Clearly, God wants to address all people in the male gender.  Like a ship is called "she," the human race in the Bible is called "he" not a gender neutral, "it."  Everyone came from Adam including Eve.  It appears that many in the LCMS are now opposed to addressing all people with the male gender and want to make these references gender neutral so that women will not be offended.

Adam stands in the place of Eve.  If Christ dies as the new Adam, then He must necessarily also be dying for Eve.  However, if Christ dies as the new Eve, He would not be dying for Adam.   Therefore, if Christ dies for "all men" He must necessarily be dying for women and children as well.

The old Baptist argument is that no children were baptized on Pentecost, because Peter was only addressing the men.  The Baptists don't believe that "men" in the Bible stand for women and children.  We read in Acts 2:29 "Men (aner) and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day."  The Bible makes "aner" (man) and "anthropos" (man) interchangeable nouns in the same context.  It is as equally absurd to say that "men" don't stand for women in the Creed as to suggest that no babies or women were baptized on Pentecost because Peter was only addressing men (aner).

The Nicene Creed states: "Who for us men and for our salvation."  If they actually intended to address "humanity" instead of "men" they would have written, "who for the salvation of men," or "who for us,"  However, the Creed places special emphasis on the word "men" by saying, "who for us men and our salvation."

I deeply appreciate your raising a question about Gen 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."  The Septuagint translation into Greek is not the major concern here, but the original Hebrew should be followed.  The Hebrew actually reads, "So God created THE man in his own image. . ."  The Septuagint is correct here but the King James and nearly every English translation are not correct when they translate, "So God created man in his own image. . . ."  The Hebrew and Septuagint both include the article, "the."

Your quotation from the Septuagint was incorrect.  The Greek is "ton anthropon" not "tou anthropou."

The definite article means that God is speaking about Adam in the beginning of Gen. 1:27 and Luther agrees when he writes: "In the remaining creatures God is recognized as by His footprints; but in the human being, especially in Adam, He is truly recognized, because in him there is such wisdom, justice, and knowledge of all things that he may rightly be called a world in miniature." LWI:68.

Obviously women also have the image of God, that is, a "spirit."  However, "Adam" also has the male gender and supremacy.  Christ came as a man, not as a woman.

I did not say that the Greek Church fathers invented the word, "Catholic." Kelly, in "Early Christian Creeds" points out that St. Ignatius was the first to use the word "Catholic" in relationship to the Church in order to explain the difference between the "universal Church" and "the local churches."


I'll get to your additional questions later.

February 3 , 2003