The True Christian Philosophy | The Metaphysics of the Ecumenical Councils

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This is part two of a three-part series examining the philosophical commitments embedded in the seven ecumenical councils of early Christianity. In this episode, Dr. Jacobs explores the metaphysical foundations of Nicene and Constantinopolitan theology, including hyalomorphism, moderate realism, the doctrine of the hypostasis, and the distinction between creation and eternal generation. He’ll walk through how the early church fathers developed sophisticated philosophical positions on the nature of God, creatures, causation, and the individual that were integral to Christian theology rather than later Greek additions.

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00:00:00 Intro 

00:02:15 The Seven Ecumenical Councils wverview 

00:04:42 No ancient divide 

00:21:42 Ancient Christians saw Christianity as philosophy 

00:29:39 Dispelling the progress narrative 

00:38:21 The Arian disput & metaphysical commitments 

00:39:16 What it means to be "created" 

00:43:12 Hylomorphism: form & matter 

00:52:24 Metaphysical realism and the law of contradiction 

01:03:07 Are creatures material? 

01:04:38 Biblical foundations for these commitments 

01:09:20 From Nicaea to Constantinople 

01:11:51 The doctrine of the hypostasis 

01:14:00 Moderate realism: Aristotle vs Plato 

01:23:10 The individual as its own reality 

01:32:15 On "Not Three Gods" 

01:42:32 The distinction of causes: begotten, not made 

01:51:27 Efficient vs formal cause 

02:00:05 Per se vs per accidens causality 

02:02:39 Eternal generation & procession