Apostles' Creed
The
Apostles' Creed (
Latin:
Symbolum Apostolorum), sometimes titled
Symbol of the Apostles, is an early statement of
Christian belief, a
creed or "symbol." It is widely used by a number of
Christian denominations for both
liturgical and
catechetical purposes, most visibly by liturgical Churches of Western tradition, including the
Latin Rite of the
Roman Catholic Church,
Lutheranism, the
Anglican Communion, and
Western Orthodoxy. It is also used by evangelical Protestant denominations such as Presbyterians, Methodists, Congregationalists and many Baptists. It is not used by Southern Baptists, who consider themselves a "non-credal" church.
Although many Lutheran sources label the Apostles' Creed as
ecumenical, its use appears to be limited in practice to Churches whose rituals are derived from the Latin rite (i.e. the Western Christian tradition). The Apostles' Creed holds a special place in Roman Catholic tradition as the "ancient Baptismal symbol of the Church of Rome".
The theological specifics of this creed appear to have been originally formulated as a refutation of
Gnosticism, an early heresy. The name of the Creed comes from the fact that, being composed of 12 articles, it was earlier believed to have been written by the 12 Apostles, each of whom was supposed to have contributed an article under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit after
Pentecost.
Because of its early origin, it does not address some
Christological issues defined in the later
Nicene and other Christian
Creeds. This makes it acceptable to many
Arians and
Unitarians.
Many hypotheses exist concerning the date and nature of the origin of the Apostles' Creed. It was apparently developed from what scholars have identified as "the
Old Roman Symbol" of the
first or
second century and influenced later by the
Nicene Creed (
325/
381) [
1]. Some historians place its origin of the Apostles' Creed as late as fifth century Gaul. The earliest known concrete historical evidence of the creed's existence as it is currently titled (Symbolum Apostolicum) is a letter of the Council of Milan (390) to Pope Siricius (here in English)::
"If you credit not the teachings of the priests . . . let credit at least be given to the Symbol of the Apostles which the Roman Church always preserves and maintains inviolate."The earliest appearance of the present Latin text was in the
De singulis libris canonicis scarapsus (
"Concerning the Single Canonical Book Scarapsus") of
St. Priminius (
Migne,
Patrologia Latina 89, 1029 ff.), written between
710-
724 (J.N.D. Kelly,
Early Christian Creeds, Longmans, Green & Co, 1972, pp. 398-434).
For more information on the origin of the Apostles' Creed, see the
detailed discussion in the
Catholic Encyclopedia.
Source:
Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli et terrae. Et in Iesum Christum, Filium Eius unicum, Dominum nostrum, qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine, passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus, descendit ad ínferos, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis, ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis, inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos. Credo in Spiritum Sanctum, sanctam Ecclesiam catholicam, sanctorum communionem, remissionem peccatorum, carnis resurrectionem, vitam aeternam. Amen
(
Triglot Concordia, St. Louis: CPH, 1921, p. 12)
I Believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried: He descended into hell, the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
The English version in the
Catechism of the Catholic Church[
2] maintains the traditional division of the Creed into twelve articles, presenting it as follows:
I believe in
God, the
Father almighty,:creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in
Jesus Christ, his only Son, our
Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the
Holy Spirit:and born of the
Virgin Mary.
He suffered under
Pontius Pilate,:was
crucified,
died, and was buried.
He
descended into hell. :On the third day
he rose again.
He
ascended into heaven:and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will
come again to
judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the
Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,:the
communion of saints,
the
forgiveness of sins,
the
resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.:
Amen.
The
Book of Common Prayer of the
Church of England has the following versions:
:I believe in God, the Father almighty,:creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,:who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,:born of the Virgin Mary,:suffered under Pontius Pilate,:was crucified, died, and was buried;:On the third day he rose again;:he ascended into heaven,:he is seated at the right hand of the Father,:and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,:the holy catholic Church,:the communion of saints,:the forgiveness of sins,:the resurrection of the body,:and the life everlasting. :Amen. | :I believe in God, the Father almighty,:maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;:who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,:born of the Virgin Mary,:suffered under Pontius Pilate,:was crucified, dead, and buried.:The third day he rose from the dead.:He ascended into heaven,:and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty.:From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost,:the holy catholic Church,:the communion of saints,:the forgiveness of sins,:the resurrection of the body,:and the life everlasting. :Amen. |
The
United Methodists commonly incorporate the Apostles' Creed into their worship services. Many favor this interpretation as
poetically elegant. The version which is most often used is located at #881 in the
United Methodist Hymnal, one of their most popular hymnals and one with a heritage to
John Wesley, founder of
Methodism.[
3][
4]
I believe in God the Father Almighty,:maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord::who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,:born of the Virgin Mary,:suffered under Pontius Pilate,:was crucified, dead, and buried;:the third day he rose from the dead;:he ascended into heaven,:and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;:from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,:the holy catholic church,:the communion of saints,:the forgiveness of sins,:the resurrection of the body,:and the life everlasting. Amen.
The United Methodist Hymnal also contains (at #882) what it terms the "Ecumenical Version" of this creed -- a version which is identical to that found in the Episcopal Church's current
Book of Common Prayer. This form of the Apostles' Creed can be found incorporated into the Eucharistic and Baptismal Liturgies in the Hymnal and in The United Methodist Book of Worship, and hence it is growing in popularity and use.
The English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC) is an international ecumenical group whose primary purpose is to provide ecumenically accepted texts for those who use English in their liturgy. In 1988 it produced a translation of the Apostles' Creed, distinguished among other things by its avoidance of the word "his" in relation to God. The text is as follows:[
5]
I believe in
God, the
Father almighty,:creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in
Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our
Lord,:who was conceived by the
Holy Spirit,:born of the
Virgin Mary,:suffered under
Pontius Pilate,:was
crucified, died, and was buried;:he descended
to the dead. :On the third day
he rose again;:he
ascended into heaven,:he is seated at the right hand of the Father,:and he will come again
to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the
Holy Spirit,:the holy catholic Church,:the
communion of saints,:the forgiveness of sins,:the
resurrection of the body,:and the life everlasting. Amen.
The word
inferos is translated in some denominational contexts as
dead, as in
"He descended to the dead." See
The Harrowing of Hell for a more detailed discussion of this part of the creed. The
Maltese translation from Latin is "he descended to the
limbo".
The word
catholic here refers to the root meaning of the word, that is to say "universal". Some modern readers may differ in opinion about this phrase referring to the
Roman Catholic Church, most notably the only church in existence at the time of this creed's creation, and may substitute it with the word "Christian" and have no fear of incorrectly translating the text into English.
The liturgical communities in western Christianity that derive their rituals from the
Roman Missal, including those particular communities which use the Roman Missal itself (Roman Catholics), the
Book of Common Prayer (
Anglicans /
Episcopalians), the Lutheran Book of Worship (
ELCA Lutherans), Lutheran Worship (
Missouri-Synod Lutherans), use the Apostles' Creed and interrogative variations of it within their similar rites of
Baptism, considered by all of these communities to be the first
sacrament of initiation into the Church.
Roman Catholic Rite of Baptism
An interrogative form of the Apostles' Creed is used in the Rite of Baptism (for both children and adults). The minister of baptism asks the following questions (ICEL, 1974)::Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth?:Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?:Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?
To each question, the catechumen, or, in the case of an infant, the parents and sponsor(s) (godparent(s)) in his or her place, answers "I do." Then the celebrant says::This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And all respond: Amen.
Roman Catholic Profession of Faith at Mass
The
Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed is given first place in the text of the
Roman Missal; but "the baptismal symbol of the Church of Rome, called the Apostles' Creed" may be used in its place, "especially in Lent and Eastertide" (
Ordinary of the Mass, 19). The latter Creed is generally preferred also at Masses for children.
Episcopal Church (USA)
The Episcopal Church uses the Apostles' Creed as a Baptismal Covenant for those who are to receive the Rite of Baptism. Regardless of age, candidates are to be sponsored by parents and/or godparents. Youths able to understand the significance of the Rite may go through the ritual speaking for themselves. Younger children and infants rely on their sponsors to act upon their behalf.
1. The celebrant calls for the candidates for Baptism to be presented.
2. The catechumen or sponsors state their request for Baptism.
3a. If the catechumen is of age, the celebrant will ask him or her if he or she desires Baptism, which the catechumen will state he or she says "I do."
3b. If the candidate relies on sponsors, the celebrant asks them if they will raise the child in "the Christian faith and life" (ECUSA BCP), and will raise the child through "prayers and witness to grow into the full stature of Christ" to which the parents will state to each, "I will, with God's help."
4. A series of questions are then asked, to which the reply is always "I renounce them":
Do you renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God?Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God?Do you renounce all sinful desires that draw you from the love of God?5. The second half of the query is asked, to which the reply is always "I do":
Do you turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as your Savior?Do you put your whole trust in his grace and love?Do you promise to follow and obey him as your Lord?6. The Apostle's Creed is then recited, in which is divided into three parts; the celebrant asks whether they believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to which the Creed is stated in its three divisions in respect to the Three Persons of the Trinity.
*
Athanasian Creed*
Book of Common Prayer*
Catholic Encyclopedia*
Chalcedonian Creed*
Lutheran Book of Worship*
Nicene Creed*
Old Roman Symbol*
Roman Missal*
*
*
The prayer on roman-catholic-prayers.com
