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EARLY CHURCH CREEDS
The word ‘Creed’
is derived from the Latin word credo, meaning ‘I believe’. A Creed, therefore,
is a statement or confession of faith that summarizes a particular set of
beliefs. Particularly in the first few hundred years after the death and the
resurrection of Christ, the church faced the problem of differing views over
such subjects as whether Christ was truly God, whether he had both a human or
divine nature, and the personhood and origin of the Holy Spirit. Out of these
disputes the church formulated statements of belief, which to this day form an
important part of how Christians express their faith. Each Creed successively
addressed further doctrinal questions and thus history witnesses a growth in
complexity of creeds from simple Biblical creeds such as “Jesus is Lord”
(Romans 10:9) and “that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose on the
third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 3-4) expanding to
form much larger creeds such as the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.
CREEDS OF THE
EARLY CHURCH:
The Didache (50-70
A.D.)
The Old Roman
Symbol (100-120 A.D.)
The Apostle’s
Creed (150-180 A.D.)
The Nicene Creed
(325 A.D.)
The Creed of
Jerusalem (350 A.D.)
The
Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (381 A.D.)
The Chalcedonian
Creed (451 A.D.)
The Athanasian
Creed (300-500 A.D.)
1) THE DIDACHE
The Didache, Also
known as The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, was written between 50 and 70
A.D. and is the oldest extant written catechism known to scholars. Written
earlier than some books of the New Testament, it is similar in several ways to
the Gospel of Matthew, probably originating in communities of Matthew
traditions. It is one of the “antilegomena” or “disputed” writings that many
Christians considered Scripture and were widely read in the Early Church, but
whose authorship was questioned in some areas. These “disputed” writings
included James, Jude, Hebrews, 3rd John, 2nd Peter, Revelation, the Didache,
Shepherd of Hermas, the Epistle of Barnabas, Apocalypse of Peter, and the Acts
of Paul. These books should not be confused with known heretical works that
were clearly condemned by the Church Fathers, such as the many Gospels of
Gnostic origin that were written close to a century later. It was not until the
4th Century at the Councils of Rome (382 A.D.), Hippo (393 A.D.), and Carthage
(397 A.D.), that the current New Testament canon was formally decided upon,
including some books of the antilegomena while excluding others.
Translated by M.B.
Riddle. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 7. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James
Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing
Co., 1886.)
THE DIDACHE
CONTENTS:
Chapter I:
1. There are two
Ways, one of Life and one of Death, and there is a great difference between the
two Ways.
2. The way of life
is this:” First, you shalt love the God who made thee, secondly, thy neighbor
as thyself; and whatsoever thou wouldst not have done to thyself, do not thou
to another.”
3. Now, the
teaching of these words is this: “Bless those that curse you, and pray for your
enemies, and fast for those that persecute you. For what credit is it to you if
you love those that love you? Do not even the heathen do the same?” But, for
your part, “love those that hate you,” and you will have no enemy.
4. “Abstain from
carnal” and bodily “lusts.” “If any man smite thee on the right cheek, turn to
him the other cheek also,” and thou wilt be perfect. “If any man impress thee
to go with him one mile, go with him two. If any man take thy coat, give him
thy shirt also. If any man will take from thee what is thine, refuse it not,”
not even if thou canst.
5. Give to
everyone that asks thee, and do not refuse, for the Father’s will is that we
give to all from the gifts we have received. Blessed is he that gives according
to the mandate; for he is innocent; but he who receives it without need shall
be tried as to why he took and for what, and being in prison he shall be
examined as to his deeds, and “he shall not come out thence until he pay the
last farthing.”
6. But concerning
this it was also said, “Let thine alms sweat into thine hands until thou
knowest to whom thou art giving.”
Chapter II:
1. But the second
commandment of the teaching is this:
2. “Thou shalt do
no murder; thou shalt not commit adultery”; thou shalt not commit sodomy; thou
shalt not commit fornication; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not use magic;
thou shalt not use philtres; thou shalt not procure abortion, nor commit
infanticide; “thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods”;
3. Thou shalt not
commit perjury, “thou shall not bear false witness”; thou shalt not speak evil;
thou shalt not bear malice.
4. Thou shalt not
be double-minded nor double-tongued, for to be double-tongued is the snare of
death.
5. Thy speech
shall not be false nor vain, but completed in action.
6. Thou shalt not
be covetous nor extortionate, nor a hypocrite, nor malignant, nor proud, thou
shalt make no evil plan against thy neighbor.
7. Thou shalt hate
no man; but some thou shalt reprove, and for some shalt thou pray, and some
thou shalt love more then thine own life.
Chapter III:
1. My child, flee
from every evil man and from all like him.
2. Be not proud,
for pride leads to murder, nor jealous, nor contentious, nor passionate, for
from all these murders are engendered.
3. My child, be
not lustful, for lust leads to fornication, nor a speaker of base words, nor a
lifter up of the eyes, for from all these is adultery engendered.
4. My child,
regard not omens, for this leads to idolatry; neither be an enchanter, nor an
astrologer, nor a magician, neither wish to see these things, for from them all
is idolatry engendered.
5. My child, be
not a liar, for lying leads to theft, nor a lover of money, nor vain-glorious,
for from all these things are thefts engendered.
6. My child, be
not a grumbler, for this leads to blasphemy, nor stubborn, nor a thinker of
evil, for from all these are blasphemies engendered.
7. But be thou
“meek, for the meek shall inherit the earth;”
8. Be thou
long-suffering, and merciful and guileless, and quiet, and good, and ever
fearing the words which thou hast heard.
9. Thou shalt not
exalt thyself, nor let thy soul be presumptuous. Thy soul shall not consort
with the lofty, but thou shalt walk with righteous and humble men.
10. Receive the
accidents that befall to thee as good, knowing that nothing happens without
God.
Chapter IV:
1. My child, thou
shalt remember, day and night, him who speaks the word of God to thee, and thou
shalt honor him as the Lord, for where the Lord’s nature is spoken of, there is
he present.
2. And thou shalt
seek daily the presence of the saints, that thou mayest find rest in their
words.
3. Thou shalt not
desire a schism, but shalt reconcile those that strive. Thou shalt give
righteous judgement; thou shalt favor no mans person in reproving
transgression.
4. Thou shalt not
be of two minds whether it shall be or not.
5. Be not one who
stretches out his hands to receive, but shuts them when it comes to giving.
6. Of whatsoever
thou hast gained by thy hands thou shalt give a ransom for thy sins.
7. Thou shalt not
hesitate to give, nor shalt thou grumble when thou givest, for thou shalt know
who is the good Paymaster of the reward.
8. Thou shalt not
turn away the needy, but shalt share everything with thy brother, and shalt not
say it is thine own, for if you are sharers in the imperishable, how much more
in the things which perish?
9. Thou shalt not
withhold thine hand from thy son or from thy daughter, but thou shalt teach
them the fear of God from their youth up.
10. Thou shalt not
command in thy bitterness thy slave or thine handmaid, who hope in the same
God, lest they cease to fear the God who is over you both; for he comes not to
call men with respect of persons, but those whom the Spirit has prepared.
11. But do you who
are slaves be subject to your master, as to God’s representative, in reverence
and fear.
12. Thou shalt
hate all hypocrisy, and everything that is not pleasing to the Lord.
13. Thou shalt not
forsake the commandments of the Lord, but thou shalt keep what thou didst receive,
“Adding nothing to it and taking nothing away.”
14. In the
congregation thou shalt confess thy transgressions, and thou shalt not betake
thyself to prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of life.
Chapter V:
1. But the Way of
Death is this: First of all, it is wicked and full of cursing, murders,
adulteries, lusts, fornications, thefts, idolatries, witchcrafts, charms,
robberies, false witness, hypocrisies, a double heart, fraud, pride, malice,
stubbornness, covetousness, foul speech, jealousy, impudence, haughtiness,
boastfulness.
2. Persecutors of
the good, haters of truth, lovers of lies, knowing not the reward of
righteousness, not cleaving to the good nor to righteous judgment, spending
wakeful nights not for good but for wickedness, from whom meekness and patience
is far, lovers of vanity, following after reward, unmerciful to the poor, not
working for him who is oppressed with toil, without knowledge of him who made
them, murderers of children, corrupters of God’s creatures, turning away the
needy, oppressing the distressed, advocates of the rich, unjust judges of the
poor, altogether sinful; may ye be delivered, my children, from all these.
Chapter VI:
1. See “that no
one make thee to err” from this Way of the teaching, for he teaches thee
without God.
2. For if thou
canst bear the whole yoke of the Lord, thou wilt be perfect, but if thou canst
not, do what thou canst.
3. And concerning
food, bear what thou canst, but keep strictly from that which is offered to
idols, for it is the worship of dead gods.
Chapter VII:
1. Concerning
baptism, baptise thus: Having first rehearsed all these things, “baptise, in
the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost,” in running water;
2. But if thou
hast no running water, baptise in other water, and if thou canst not in cold,
then in warm.
3. But if thou
hast neither, pour water three times on the head “in the Name of the Father,
Son and Holy Ghost.”
4. And before the
baptism let the baptiser and him who is to be baptised fast, and any others who
are able. And thou shalt bid him who is to be baptised to fast one or two days
before.
Chapter VIII:
1. Let not your
fasts be with the hypocrites, for they fast on Mondays and Thursdays, but do
you fast on Wednesdays and Fridays.
2. And do not pray
as the hypocrites, but as the Lord commanded in his Gospel, pray thus: “Our
Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be
done, as in Heaven so also upon earth; give us today our daily bread, and
forgive us our debt as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into trial, but
deliver us from the Evil One, for thine is the power and the glory for ever.”
3. Pray thus three
times a day.
Chapter IX:
1. And concerning
the Eucharist, hold Eucharist thus:
2. First
concerning the Cup, “We give thanks to thee, our Father, for the Holy Vine of
David thy child, which, thou didst make known to us through Jesus thy Child; to
thee be glory for ever.”
3. And concerning
the broken Bread: “We give thee thanks, our Father, for the life and knowledge
which thou didst make known to us through Jesus thy Child. To thee be glory for
ever.
4. As this broken
bread was scattered upon the mountains, but was brought together and became
one, so let thy Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into thy
kingdom, for thine is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ for ever.”
5. But let none
eat or drink of your Eucharist except those who have been baptised in the
Lord’s Name. For concerning this also did the Lord say, “Give not that which is
holy to the dogs.”
Chapter X:
1. But after you
are satisfied with food, thus give thanks:
2. “We give thanks
to thee, O Holy Father, for thy Holy Name which thou didst make to tabernacle
in out hearts, and for the knowledge and faith and immortality which thou didst
make known to us through Jesus thy Child. To thee be glory for ever.
3. Thou, Lord
Almighty, didst create all things for thy Name’s sake, and didst give food and
drink to men for their enjoyment, that they might give thanks to thee, but us
hast thou blessed with spiritual food and drink and eternal light through thy
Child.
4. Above all we
give thanks to thee for that thou art mighty. To thee be glory for ever.
5. Remember, Lord,
thy Church, to deliver it from all evil and to make it perfect in thy love, and
gather it together in its holiness from the four winds to thy kingdom which
thou hast prepared for it. For thine is the power and the glory for ever.
6. Let grace come
and let this world pass away. Hosannah to the God of David. If any man be holy,
let him come! if any man be not, let him repent: Maranatha (“Our Lord! Come!”),
Amen.”
7. But suffer the
prophets to hold Eucharist as they will.
Chapter XI:
1. Whosoever then
comes and teaches you all these things aforesaid, receive him.
2. But if the
teacher himself be perverted and teach another doctrine to destroy these
things, do not listen to him, but if his teaching be for the increase of
righteousness and knowledge of the Lord, receive him as the Lord.
3. And concerning
the Apostles and Prophets, act thus according to the ordinance of the Gospel.
4. Let every
Apostle who comes to you be received as the Lord,
5. But let him not
stay more than one day, or if need be a second as well; but if he stay three
days, he is a false prophet.
6. And when an
Apostle goes forth let him accept nothing but bread till he reach his night’s
lodging; but if he ask for money, he is a false prophet.
7. Do not test or
examine any prophet who is speaking in a spirit, “for every sin shall be
forgiven, but this sin shall not be forgiven.”
8. But not
everyone who speaks in a spirit is a prophet, except he have the behaviour of
the Lord. From his behaviour, then, the false prophet and the true prophet
shall be known.
9. And no prophet
who orders a meal in a spirit shall eat of it: otherwise he is a false prophet.
10. And every
prophet who teaches truth, if he do not what he teaches, is a false prophet.
11. But no prophet
who has been tried and is genuine, though he enact a worldly mystery of the
Church, if he teach not others to do what he does himself, shall be judged by
you: for he has his judgment with God, for so also did the prophets of old.
12. But whosoever
shall say in a spirit “Give me money, or something else,” you shall not listen
to him; but if he tell you to give on behalf of others in want, let none judge
him.
Chapter XII:
1. Let everyone
who “comes in the Name of the Lord” be received; but when you have tested him
you shall know him, for you shall have understanding of true and false.
2. If he who comes
is a traveller, help him as much as you can, but he shall not remain with you
more than two days, or, if need be, three.
3. And if he
wishes to settle among you and has a craft, let him work for his bread.
4. But if he has
no craft provide for him according to your understanding, so that no man shall
live among you in idleness because he is a Christian.
5. But if he will
not do so, he is making traffic of Christ; beware of such.
Chapter XIII:
1. But every true
prophet who wishes to settle among you is “worthy of his food.”
2. Likewise a true
teacher is himself worthy, like the workman, of his food.
3. Therefore thou
shalt take the firstfruit of the produce of the winepress and of the
threshingfloor and of oxen and sheep, and shalt give them as the firstfruits to
the prophets, for they are your high priests.
4. But if you have
not a prophet, give to the poor.
5. If thou makest
bread, take the firstfruits, and give it according to the commandment.
6. Likewise when
thou openest a jar of wine or oil, give the firstfruits to the prophets.
7. Of money also
and clothes, and of all your possessions, take the firstfruits, as it seem best
to you, and give according to the commandment.
Chapter XIV:
1. On the Lord’s
Day of the Lord come together, break bread and hold Eucharist, after confessing
your transgressions that your offering may be pure;
2. But let none
who has a quarrel with his fellow join in your meeting until they be
reconciled, that your sacrifice be not defiled.
3. For this is
that which was spoken by the Lord, “In every place and time offer me a pure
sacrifice, for I am a great king,” saith the Lord, “and my name is wonderful
among the heathen.”
Chapter XV:
1. Appoint
therefore for yourselves bishops and deacons worthy of the Lord, meek men, and
not lovers of money, and truthful and approved, for they also minister to you
the ministry of the prophets and teachers.
2. Therefore do
not despise them, for they are your honourable men together with the prophets
and teachers.
3. And reprove one
another not in wrath but in peace as you find in the Gospel, and let none speak
with any who has done wrong to his neighbour, nor let him hear a word from you
until he repents.
4. But your
prayers and alms and all your acts perform as ye find in the Gospel of our
Lord.
Chapter XVI:
1. “Watch” over
your life “let your lamps” be not quenched “and your loins” be not ungirded,
but be “ready,” for ye know not “the hour in which our Lord cometh.”
2. But be
frequently gathered together seeking the things which are profitable for your
souls, for the whole time of your faith shall not profit you except ye be found
perfect at the last time;
3. For in the last
days the false prophets and the corruptors shall be multiplied, and the sheep
shall be turned into wolves, and love shall change to hate;
4. For as
lawlessness increaseth they shall hate one another and persecute and betray,
and then shall appear the deceiver of the world as a Son of God, and shall do
signs and wonders and the earth shall be given over into his hands and he shall
commit iniquities which have never been since the world began.
5. Then shall the
creation of mankind come to the fiery trial and “many shall be offended” and be
lost, but “they who endure” in their faith “shall be saved” by the curse
itself.
6. And “then shall
appear the signs” of the truth. First the sign spread out in Heaven, then the
sign of the sound of the trumpet, and thirdly the resurrection of the dead:
7. But not of all
the dead, but as it was said, “The Lord shall come and all his saints with him.”
8. Then shall the
world “see the Lord coming on the clouds of Heaven.”
2) THE OLD
ROMAN SYMBOL
The Old Roman
Symbol or Old Roman Creed, is an earlier and shorter version of the Apostles’
Creed. It was based on the 2nd-century Rule of Faith and the interrogatory
declaration of faith for those receiving Baptism. 2nd-century church fathers
Tertullian and Irenaeus cite it in their works. Tyrannius Rufinus, a priest of
Aquileia, left a Latin version in his Commentarius in Symbolum Apostolorum
around 400 A.D. He believed this to be the Roman creed as the “rule of faith”
written by the Apostles at Jerusalem. Marcellus of Ancyra, a Bishop of Ancyra
left a Greek version dating around 350 A.D.
THE OLD ROMAN
SYMBOL (LATIN):
Credo in deum
patrem omnipotentem;
et in Christum
Iesum filium eius unicum, dominum nostrum,
qui natus est de
Spiritu sancto ex Maria virgine,
qui sub Pontio
Pilato crucifixus est et sepultus,
tertia die
resurrexit a mortuis,
ascendit in
caelos,
sedet ad dexteram
patris, unde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos;
et in Spiritum
sanctum,
sanctam ecclesiam,
remissionem
peccatorum,
carnis
resurrectionem.
THE OLD ROMAN
SYMBOL (GREEK):
Πιστεύω οὖν εἰς θεòν πατέρα παντοκράτορα·
καὶ εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν, τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ, τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν,
τὸν γεννηθέντα ἐκ πνεύματος ἁγίου
καὶ Μαρίας τῆς
παρθένου,
τὸν ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου σταυρωθέντα καὶ ταφέντα
καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρα ἀναστάντα ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν,
ἀναβάντα εἰς τοὺς οὐρανούς
καὶ καθήμενον ἐν δεξιᾳ τοῦ πατρός, ὅθεν ἔρχεται κρίνειν ζῶντας καὶ
νεκρούς·
καὶ εἰς τò ἅγιον πνεῦμα,
ἁγίαν ἐκκλησίαν,
ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν,
σαρκὸς ἀνάστασιν,
ζωὴν αἰώνιον
THE OLD ROMAN
SYMBOL (ENGLISH TRANSLATION):
I believe in God
the Father almighty;
and in Christ
Jesus His only Son, our Lord,
Who was born of
the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
Who under Pontius
Pilate was crucified and buried,
on the third day
rose again from the dead,
ascended to
heaven,
sits at the right
hand of the Father,
whence He will
come to judge the living and the dead;
and in the Holy
Spirit,
the holy Church,
the remission of
sins,
the resurrection
of the flesh
the life
everlasting.
3) THE APOSTLES' CREED
The Apostles’
Creed, known in Latin as Symbolum Apostolicum, is historically believed to have
been jointly created by the Apostles, with each of the twelve contributing one
of twelve articles. The earliest known formula is found within Testamentum in
Galilaca D[ominus]. N[oster]. I[esu]. Christi written between 150 and 180. This
formula states: “[I believe] in the Father almighty, – and in Jesus Christ, our
Savior; – and in the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, in the holy Church, and in the
remission of sins.” The ecclesiastical use of Latin symbolum for “creed”—in the
sense of “a distinctive mark of Christians”, from the sense of Greek σύμβολον,
“a sign or token used for identification”—first occurs around the middle of the
3rd century, in the correspondence of St. Cyprian and St. Firmilian, the latter
in particular speaking of the trinitarian formula as the “Symbol of the
Trinity”, and recognizing it as an integral part of the rite of baptism. The
term Symbolum Apostolicum appears for the first time in a letter, probably
written by Ambrose, from a Council in Milan to Pope Siricius in about AD 390
“Let them give credit to the Symbol of the Apostles, which the Roman Church has
always kept and preserved undefiled” (Ambrose of Milan Letter 42:5). Ambrose’s
term is here referring to the Old Roman Creed, the immediate predecessor of
what is now known as the Apostles’ Creed. A creed that is virtually identical to
the current one is recorded by Faustus of Riez circa 450 A.D.
Latin Text:
English
Translation:
1. Credo in Deum
Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli et terrae,
[I believe in God
the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,]
2. et in Iesum
Christum, Filium Eius unicum, Dominum nostrum,
[and in Jesus
Christ, His only Son, our Lord,]
3. qui conceptus
est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine,
[who was conceived
of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary,]
4. passus sub
Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus,
[who suffered
under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried,]
5. descendit ad
inferos, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis,
[descended into
hell, rose again from the dead on the third day,]
6. ascendit ad
caelos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis,
[ascended into
heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty,]
7. inde venturus
est iudicare vivos et mortuos.
[who will come
again to judge the living and the dead.]
8. Credo in
Spiritum Sanctum,
[I believe in the
Holy Spirit,]
9. sanctam
Ecclesiam catholicam, sanctorum communionem,
[the holy,
catholic Church, the communion of saints,]
10. remissionem
peccatorum,
[the forgiveness
of sins,]
11. carnis
resurrectionem,
[the resurrection
of the body,]
12. vitam
aeternam. Amen.
[and the life
everlasting. Amen.]
4) THE
NICENE CREED
The Nicene Creed
was first adopted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. The Council of
Nicaea was called by Emperor Constantine to resolve a dispute in the church that
had arisen over the teachings of a presbyter named Arius, which became known as
the Arian controversy. Arius, a clergyman of Alexandria, objected to the bishop
of Alexandria, Alexander I’s, teaching on the eternal generation of the Son
from the Father. In Arius’ view, if the Son had been begotten by the Father,
then such a thing happened in time and thus there had been a time when God the
Father existed without the Son. The controversy threatened to tear the Empire
apart as a large number of Christians adopted Arius’ views. The Council at
Nicaea declared Arius’ teachings to be heresy (known as Arianism) and
formulated the Nicene Creed to provide a doctrinal statement of correct belief
among Christians and to distinguish believers from heretics.
Greek Text:
English
Translation:
Πιστεύομεν εἰς ἕνα Θεὸν Πατέρα παντοκράτορα, πάντων ὁρατῶν τε καὶ ἀοράτων ποιητήν·
[We believe in one
God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible.]
καὶ εἰς ἕνα Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, γεννηθέντα ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς [μονογενῆ, τοὐτέστιν ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ
Πατρός, Θεὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ,] Φῶς ἐκ Φωτός, Θεὸν ἀληθινὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ ἀληθινοῦ, γεννηθέντα, οὐ ποιηθέντα, ὁμοούσιον τῷ
Πατρί, [And in one Lord Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father [the only-begotten; that is, of
the essence of the Father, God of God,] Light of Light, very God of very God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;]
δι’ οὗ τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο,
[τά τε ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ γῇ,]
[By whom all
things were made [both in heaven and on earth];]
τὸν δι’ ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν κατελθόντα καὶ σαρκωθέντα καὶ ἐνανθρωπήσαντα,
[Who for us men,
and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man;]
παθόντα, καὶ ἀναστάντα τῇ
τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ, ἀνελθόντα εἰς τοὺς οὐρανούς,
[He suffered, and
the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven;]
ἐρχόμενον κρῖναι
ζῶντας καὶ
νεκρούς.
[From thence he
shall come to judge the quick and the dead.]
Καὶ εἰς τὸ Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα. [And in the Holy Ghost.]
[Τοὺς δὲ λέγοντας, Ἦν
ποτε ὅτε οὐκ ἦν, καὶ Πρὶν γεννηθῆναι
οὐκ ἦν, καὶ ὅτι Ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων εγένετο, ἢ Ἐξ ἑτέρας ὑποστάσεως ἢ οὐσίας φάσκοντας εἶναι, ἢ κτιστόν, ἢ
τρεπτόν, ἢ ἀλλοιωτὸν τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τούτους ἀναθεματίζει
ἡ ἁγία καθολικὴ καὶ ἀποστολικὴ ἐκκλησία].
[But those who
say: ‘There was a time when he was not;’ and ‘He was not before he was made;’
and ‘He was made out of nothing,’ or ‘He is of another substance’ or ‘essence,’
or ‘The Son of God is created,’ or ‘changeable,’ or ‘alterable’— they are
condemned by the holy catholic and apostolic Church.]
5) THE CREED
OF JERUSALEM
The Baptismal
Creed of Jerusalem was a sort of precursor to many other creeds that would
follow and is also considered the template for most baptismal confessions. It
has been used for centuries as an abbreviated creed confessed before baptism
and its basic formula is still utilized today. It is dated to 350 A.D. and the
original form is given to us by Cyril of Jerusalem in his Catechetical Lecture
19. It was one of the sources of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, drawn up
at the First Council of Constantinople in 381.
THE BAPTISMAL
CREED OF JERUSALEM:
“I believe in the
Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Ghost, and in one Baptism of
repentance.”
— Catechetical Lecture 19, Cyril of Jerusalem
6) THE
NICENE-CONSTANTINOPOLITAN CREED
The
Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, or the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed,
received it’s name because it was adopted at the second ecumenical council held
in Constantinople in 381 A.D. known as the First Council of Constantinople. The
creed was a modification of the original Nicene Creed of 325 A.D. and was
intended to further condemn the heresy of Arianism and reaffirm the doctrine of
the Trinity as well as clarify the Holy Spirit’s procession from the Father. It
should be noted that the original version did not contain what would become
known as the “Filioque” clause. The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed eventually
came to be commonly known simply as the “Nicene Creed” though it has several
additions to the original. It is the only authoritative ecumenical statement of
the Christian faith accepted by the Catholic Church (with the addition of the
Filioque), the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Church of the
East, and much of Protestantism including the Anglican communion.
Greek Text:
English
Translation:
Πιστεύομεν εἰς ἕνα Θεὸν Πατέρα παντοκράτορα, ποιητὴν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς, ὁρατῶν τε πάντων καὶ ἀοράτων.
[We believe in one
God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible
and invisible.]
Καὶ εἰς ἕνα Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ, τὸν ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς γεννηθέντα πρὸ πάντων τῶν αἰώνων, φῶς ἐκ φωτός, Θεὸν ἀληθινὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ ἀληθινοῦ, γεννηθέντα οὐ ποιηθέντα, ὁμοούσιον τῷ
Πατρί·
[And in one Lord
Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all
worlds (æons), Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father;]
δι’ οὗ τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο· [by whom all things were made;]
τὸν δι’ ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν κατελθόντα ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν καὶ σαρκωθέντα ἐκ
Πνεύματος Ἁγίου καὶ
Μαρίας τῆς παρθένου καὶ ἐνανθρωπήσαντα,
[who for us men,
and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy
Ghost and of the Virgin Mary, and was made man;]
σταυρωθέντα τε ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου, καὶ παθόντα καὶ ταφέντα, καὶ ἀναστάντα τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ κατὰ τὰς γραφάς, καὶ ἀνελθόντα εἰς τοὺς οὐρανούς, καὶ
καθεζόμενον ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ Πατρός,
[he was crucified
for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he
rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth
on the right hand of the Father;]
καὶ πάλιν ἐρχόμενον μετὰ
δόξης κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ
νεκρούς·
[from thence he
shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead;]
οὗ τῆς βασιλείας οὐκ ἔσται τέλος. [whose
kingdom shall have no end.]
Καὶ εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον, τὸ
Κύριον, τὸ ζῳοποιόν, τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐκπορευόμενον, τὸ σὺν Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ συμπροσκυνούμενον καὶ συνδοξαζόμενον, τὸ λαλῆσαν διὰ τῶν προφητῶν. Εἰς μίαν, ἁγίαν, καθολικὴν καὶ ἀποστολικὴν Ἐκκλησίαν· ὁμολογοῦμεν ἓν βάπτισμα εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν· προσδοκοῦμεν ἀνάστασιν νεκρῶν, καὶ ζωὴν τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος.
Ἀμήν.
[And in the Holy
Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the
Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spake by the
prophets. In one holy catholic and
apostolic Church; we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; we look
for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.]
7) THE
CHALCEDONIAN CREED
The Chalcedonian
Creed, also called the Chalcedonian Definition, is a declaration of Christ’s
dual nature (dyophysite), adopted at the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451. The
council was the fourth ecumenical councils accepted by Chalcedonian churches,
including Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican and Reformed churches,
and was the first council not to be recognized by Oriental Orthodox churches.
The Council of Chalcedon was summoned to consider the Christological question
in light of the “one-nature” (monophysite) view of Christ proposed by Eutyches.
The Council ratified the Nicene Creed adopted in 325 and that creed as amended
by the First Council of Constantinople in 381. The Definition implicitly
addressed a number of heretical beliefs. The reference to “co-essential with
the Father” was directed at Arianism; “co-essential with us” is directed at
Apollinarianism; “Two Natures unconfusedly, unchangeably” refutes Eutychianism
and Monophysitism; and “indivisibly, inseparably” and “Theotokos” are against
Nestorianism.
THE CHALCEDONIAN
DEFINITION:
“Following, then,
the holy Fathers, we all unanimously teach that our Lord Jesus Christ is to us
One and the same Son, the Self-same Perfect in Godhead, the Self-same Perfect
in Manhood; truly God and truly Man; the Self-same of a rational soul and body;
co-essential with the Father according to the Godhead, the Self-same co-essential
with us according to the Manhood; like us in all things, sin apart; before the
ages begotten of the Father as to the Godhead, but in the last days, the
Self-same, for us and for our salvation (born) of Mary the Virgin Theotokos as
to the Manhood; One and the Same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten; acknowledged
in Two Natures unconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the
difference of the Natures being in no way removed because of the Union, but
rather the properties of each Nature being preserved, and (both) concurring
into One Person and One Hypostasis; not as though He was parted or divided into
Two Persons, but One and the Self-same Son and Only-begotten God, Word, Lord,
Jesus Christ; even as from the beginning the prophets have taught concerning
Him, and as the Lord Jesus Christ Himself hath taught us, and as the Symbol of
the Fathers hath handed down to us.”
— Bindley, T. Herbert, ed. (1899). The Oecumenical Documents of
the Faith. London: Methuen, p. 297
8) THE
ATHANASIAN CREED
The Athanasian
Creed, like the Nicene Creed, was a response to the heresy of Arianism.
Although he didn’t write it, the Creed was named after Athanasius who lived
from A.D. 293-373. Unlike the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed is divided
into two parts, the first half devoted to the Trinity and the eternal
generation of the Son, and the second half to Christology and the two natures
of Christ.
Latin Text:
English
translation:
Quicumque vult
salvus esse, ante omnia opus est, ut teneat Catholicam fidem: Quam nisi quisque
integram inviolatamque servaverit, absque dubio in aeternum peribit. Fides
autem Catholica haec est: ut unum Deum in Trinitate, et Trinitatem in unitate
veneremur. Neque confundentes personas, neque substantiam separantes. Alia est
enim persona Patris alia Filii, alia Spiritus Sancti: Sed Patris, et Filii, et
Spiritus Sancti una est divinitas, aequalis gloria, coeterna maiestas. Qualis
Pater, talis Filius, talis [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Increatus Pater, increatus
Filius, increatus [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Immensus Pater, immensus Filius,
immensus [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Aeternus Pater, aeternus Filius, aeternus [et]
Spiritus Sanctus. Et tamen non tres aeterni, sed unus aeternus. Sicut non tres
increati, nec tres immensi, sed unus increatus, et unus immensus. Similiter
omnipotens Pater, omnipotens Filius, omnipotens [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Et tamen
non tres omnipotentes, sed unus omnipotens. Ita Deus Pater, Deus Filius, Deus
[et] Spiritus Sanctus. Et tamen non tres dii, sed unus est Deus. Ita Dominus Pater,
Dominus Filius, Dominus [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Et tamen non tres Domini, sed
unus [est] Dominus. Quia, sicut singillatim unamquamque personam Deum ac
Dominum confiteri christiana veritate compellimur: Ita tres Deos aut [tres]
Dominos dicere Catholica religione prohibemur. Pater a nullo est factus: nec
creatus, nec genitus. Filius a Patre solo est: non factus, nec creatus, sed
genitus. Spiritus Sanctus a Patre et Filio: non factus, nec creatus, nec
genitus, sed procedens. Unus ergo Pater, non tres Patres: unus Filius, non tres
Filii: unus Spiritus Sanctus, non tres Spiritus Sancti. Et in hac Trinitate
nihil prius aut posterius, nihil maius aut minus: Sed totae tres personae
coaeternae sibi sunt et coaequales. Ita, ut per omnia, sicut iam supra dictum
est, et unitas in Trinitate, et Trinitas in unitate veneranda sit. Qui vult
ergo salvus esse, ita de Trinitate sentiat.
Sed necessarium
est ad aeternam salutem, ut incarnationem quoque Domini nostri Iesu Christi
fideliter credat. Est ergo fides recta ut credamus et confiteamur, quia Dominus
noster Iesus Christus, Dei Filius, Deus [pariter] et homo est. Deus [est] ex
substantia Patris ante saecula genitus: et homo est ex substantia matris in
saeculo natus. Perfectus Deus, perfectus homo: ex anima rationali et humana
carne subsistens. Aequalis Patri secundum divinitatem: minor Patre secundum
humanitatem. Qui licet Deus sit et homo, non duo tamen, sed unus est Christus.
Unus autem non conversione divinitatis in carnem, sed assumptione humanitatis
in Deum. Unus omnino, non confusione substantiae, sed unitate personae. Nam
sicut anima rationalis et caro unus est homo: ita Deus et homo unus est
Christus. Qui passus est pro salute nostra: descendit ad inferos: tertia die
resurrexit a mortuis. Ascendit ad [in] caelos, sedet ad dexteram [Dei] Patris
[omnipotentis]. Inde venturus [est] judicare vivos et mortuos. Ad cujus
adventum omnes homines resurgere habent cum corporibus suis; Et reddituri sunt
de factis propriis rationem. Et qui bona egerunt, ibunt in vitam aeternam: qui
vero mala, in ignem aeternum. Haec est fides Catholica, quam nisi quisque
fideliter firmiterque crediderit, salvus esse non poterit.
Whosoever will be
saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic faith. Which
faith unless every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall
perish everlastingly. And the Catholic faith is this: that we worship one God
in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing
the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and
another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. Such as the
Father is; such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreated;
the Son uncreated; and the Holy Ghost uncreated. The Father unlimited; the Son
unlimited; and the Holy Ghost unlimited. The Father eternal; the Son eternal;
and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three eternals; but one
eternal. As also there are not three uncreated; nor three infinites, but one
uncreated; and one infinite. So likewise the Father is Almighty; the Son
Almighty; and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties;
but one Almighty. So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is
God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God. So likewise the Father is
Lord; the Son Lord; and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords; but one
Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity; to acknowledge
every Person by himself to be God and Lord; So are we forbidden by the Catholic
religion; to say, There are three Gods, or three Lords. The Father is made of
none; neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made,
nor created; but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son;
neither made, nor created, nor begotten; but proceeding. So there is one
Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three
Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is before, or after another; none is
greater, or less than another. But the whole three Persons are coeternal, and
coequal. So that in all things, as aforesaid; the Unity in Trinity, and the
Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, let him
thus think of the Trinity.
Furthermore, it is
necessary to everlasting salvation; that he also believe faithfully the
Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe
and confess; that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God,
of the Substance [Essence] of the Father; begotten before the worlds; and Man,
of the Substance [Essence] of his Mother, born in the world. Perfect God; and
perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the
Father, as touching his Godhead; and inferior to the Father as touching his
Manhood. Who although he is God and Man; yet he is not two, but one Christ.
One; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by assumption of the
Manhood into God. One altogether; not by confusion of Substance [Essence]; but
by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man; so God and
Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell; rose
again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the
right hand of God the Father Almighty, from whence he will come to judge the
living and the dead. At whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies;
And shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall
go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire.
This is the Catholic faith; which except a man believe truly and firmly, he
cannot be saved.