From Embodied Practice to Doctrinal Language? A Practical Theological Approach to the Nicene Creed in the light of Pre-Nicene Christian Practice

Historians have studied the relationship between the Early Christian Creeds and Christian Doctrine. Yet before doctrinal language, there was embodied practice. Practices of prayer, singing, care and preaching preceded the accepted credal formularies. The paper discusses the relationship between creed and practice from a practical theological perspective. It departs from an analysis of baptismal practice in the Early Church and its relation to the doctrinal language in the creed. The analysis applies the approach of the ‘four voices of theology’ and it is argued that normative theology as expressed in creeds is preceded by operant theology in practices. Next, this is explored more broadly in relation to other religious practices, such as singing, preaching and care. The closing section explores the complex relationship between beliefs and practices and suggests further research in the areas of historical analysis and normativity in theology.