The English word ‘creed’ arises from Latin statements of belief, which typically begin with the Latin word ‘credo,’ which means ‘I believe.’ A statement of belief will then list a set of claims which people are committing to when they say ‘I believe.’
The ancient word for a Creed was ‘Symbolon’ or symbol, which in the ancient world referred to a password used by sentries. In its most basic sense, a creed is the spiritual password to salvation, as it was the expression of the belief (faith) which a person must hold in order to achieve salvation.
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The Nicene Creed Explained
Breaking In The Habit. Where the Nicene Creed comes from, what it means, and why Christians still profess it.
EWTN Bookmark - The Creed: Professing The Faith Through The Ages
Scott Hahn on the history of the Christian creed, and the ways it has unsettled established social orders since the early Church.
The importance of the Christian creeds
Fr Stephen Wang on the Apostles’ Creed, taking the oldest surviving manuscript of the Nicene Creed as his object.
Why “No Creed But the Bible” Doesn’t Work
Gavin Ortlund on why treating scripture as the sole guide for faith does not settle much.
Creeds in the New Testament
“Jesus is Lord”
We can see examples of creedal formulas in the New Testament. Perhaps one of the earliest such statements is ‘Jesus is Lord,’ which St Paul references on five occasions (1 Corinthians 12:3, 1 Corinthians 15:3-7, Romans 10:9-13, Romans 1:3-4, Philippians 2:11). But the main Creeds were defined by Church Councils in response to confusion about points of faith, for example, the doctrine of the Trinity.
Nicene and Apostles’ Creed
One of the most famous Creeds in Christianity is the Creed of the Council of Nicaea (325AD). Some 56 years later, the Council of Constantinople (381AD) was to add a few words to that creed, thus producing the ‘Nicene Creed’ (or ‘Nicene-Constantinople Creed’) which Christians have used in their Liturgical Celebrations ever since and still in the present day.
The Apostles’ Creed (Symbolum Apostolorum, or Symbolum Apostolicum) is around half the length of the Nicene Creed. The origins of the Nicene Creed are clear. The origins of the Apostles’ Creed are less so. Its origins are sometimes attributed to a possibly Second Century Old Roman Creed (Vetus Symbolum Romanum) which around the year 400 was referenced by Rufinus in his Commentary on the Apostles’ Creed. Whether, or to what extent, the Apostles’ Creed is a more ancient Creed, is a much discussed question. The earliest manuscript evidence we have of the Apostles’ Creed, as we know it today, are to be found in Eighth Century Manuscripts.
The two creeds largely cover the same ideas, as can be seen in the table below:
The two Creeds side by side
Nicene Creed
ICEL 2010 translation
Apostles’ Creed
ICEL 2010 translation
Nicene Creed
I believe in one God,the Father almighty,maker of heaven and earth,of all things visible and invisible.
Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God,the Father almighty,Creator of heaven and earth,
Nicene Creed
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,the Only Begotten Son of God,born of the Father before all ages.God from God, Light from Light,true God from true God,begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;through him all things were made.
Apostles’ Creed
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
Nicene Creed
For us men and for our salvationhe came down from heaven,and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,and became man.
Apostles’ Creed
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,
Nicene Creed
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,he suffered death and was buried,and rose again on the third dayin accordance with the Scriptures.
Apostles’ Creed
suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died and was buried;he descended into hell;on the third day he rose again from the dead;
Nicene Creed
He ascended into heavenand is seated at the right hand of the Father.He will come again in gloryto judge the living and the deadand his kingdom will have no end.
Apostles’ Creed
he ascended into heaven,and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
Nicene Creed
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,who proceeds from the Father and the Son,who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,who has spoken through the prophets.
Apostles’ Creed
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
Nicene Creed
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sinsand I look forward to the resurrection of the deadand the life of the world to come. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed
the holy catholic Church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and life everlasting.Amen.
Non-creedalism
Until the Reformation, both Eastern and Western Christianity accepted and used Creeds, and they were a regular feature in Christian worship.
One of the perspectives to emerge at the Reformation were the Anabaptists, who rejected the formalism and structures of organised religion. It sought a simpler, more personal kind of religion, claiming that it did not need Creeds when it had the Bible - treating scripture as the sole guide for faith. Many other Protestant groups also take this view, including Mennonites and Quakers. These groups are non-creedalists, because they think that Creeds are either unnecessary or that they are positively destructive or undermining of Christianity.
Weighing it up
What non-creedalism gets right
- It challenges the clericalism, bureaucracy and institutionalisation that can weigh Churches down and distract from the personal relationship which each Christian should be developing with God.
What it costs
- Critics argue it can lead to doctrinal drift, lack of accountability, or unvetted authoritarian interpretations by individual leaders.
- Non-creedalism tends towards the development of ‘unwritten’ Creeds. This can be seen by the fact that non-creedalist Christians tend to end up disagreeing about doctrine.
- To the extent that they have different beliefs, then they can be said to have different creeds, despite not having an explicit or written creed.
Creedalism
Since the earliest days of Christianity, Creeds have played three important roles within Christianity.
Openness and honesty
If someone wants to join a Church, it is reasonable for them to know what that commitment involves. A Creed is an open and honest public statement of the belief commitments involved in joining that Church.Avoiding spiritual abuse
Cults are often secretive and focused upon their own interpretations of Scripture. A ‘prophet’ will determine doctrine. Sometimes those determinations have catastrophic implications on people’s lives. The existence of a Creed limits what believers can claim are valid expressions of a particular faith.Behaviour cannot be separated from belief
To bow before an altar is to express a belief about the holiness or status of the altar. To treat people’s bodies with honour and respect is to express a belief about the holiness of the body. People sometimes say that they want to be a Christian, rather than be dogmatic, doctrinal or believe in Creeds. But the behaviour that people do is expressing beliefs, whether they recognise it or not. To link behaviour with creeds is to just be open and honest about the way actions and beliefs are linked. To avoid that linkage can create confusion, and confusion is rarely helpful.
Heresy
Creeds can also identity disunity. Anathema sit is a Latin phrase meaning “let him be anathema,” traditionally used by the Catholic Church in solemn decrees and ecumenical councils to formally condemn heresy and excommunicate those who reject defined Christian dogmas.
One of the implications of Creeds is that they define orthodoxy (ie ‘right belief’). Views which are not compatible with orthodoxy become ‘heterodoxy’ or ‘heresy.’ The original meaning of the word ‘heresy’ was ‘opinion.’ A person became a heretic by expressing an opinion which differed from the Church’s orthodoxy, as expressed in its doctrines and Creeds.
For example, one of the ancient heresies in Christianity was Arianism. This was the belief that ‘Jesus is not God’ (or at least not God in the fullest sense of the word). It became clear that it was a heresy when the Nicene Creed professed that Jesus was ‘God from God… True God from True God.’
However, ‘heresy’ also implies a maliciousness. When people were described as heretics in the early Church, they were often described as being obstinate, arrogant, malicious and deliberately trying to destroy Christianity. In the modern world people value freedom of speech, and freedom of conscience. They may be on a journey of discovery and of seeking the truth.