- Also called:
- Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed
Nicene Creed
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What is the Nicene Creed?
The Nicene Creed is a statement of Christian belief that began with the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. It was created to standardize orthodox teachings after Christianity became the Roman Empire's official religion. The Nicene Creed affirms that Jesus Christ is of one substance with the Father, countering Arianism, which denied the equality of the Father and the Son.
The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, the standard version, was approved in 381 AD. It is used in both baptism and eucharistic worship in Eastern churches, and mainly in the Eucharist by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans in the West.
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Why was the Nicene Creed written?
The Nicene Creed was written to establish a binding standard of orthodox Christian teachings after Christianity became the Roman Empire's official religion. Emperor Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea in 325 to resolve the Arianism controversy, a doctrine that held that Christ was created rather than divine. The council deemed Arianism a heresy and affirmed Christ's divinity, declaring that Jesus Christ is "homoousios" (of one substance) with God the Father. The Nicene Creed is derived from Eastern baptismal formulas.
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When and where was the Nicene Creed created?
The Nicene Creed has two versions. The first version was created in 325 at the First Council of Nicaea. The second version, known as the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, was affirmed in 451 at the Council of Chalcedon, which recognized it as the Nicene "faith of the 150 fathers" from the Council of Constantinople of 381. The Nicene Creed was intended as a binding standard of orthodox Christian teachings.
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What are the key beliefs stated in the Nicene Creed?
The Nicene Creed, a widely recognized Christian doctrine, is accepted by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and major Protestant churches. It affirms belief in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of all things. It proclaims faith in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, who is eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, and is one in being with the Father. The Nicene Creed also professes belief in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
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How does the Nicene Creed address the nature of Jesus and God?
The Nicene Creed addresses the nature of Jesus and God by affirming Jesus Christ as the Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, and not made. It declares Jesus as "God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God".
The Nicene Creed asserts that Jesus is "one in being with the Father," emphasizing their shared divine nature. This is the homoousios, meaning of one substance, with the Father. The creed states Jesus was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man for humanity's salvation. It affirms Jesus's suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension, and that he will come again to judge the living and the dead. The Nicene Creed defines the relationship between God and Jesus and is a binding standard of orthodox Christian teachings.
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Why is the Nicene Creed still important in Christian churches today?
The Nicene Creed remains important in Christian churches today because it is the only ecumenical creed widely accepted as authoritative across Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and major Protestant churches. It serves as a binding standard of orthodox teachings.
Originally formulated at Nicaea in 325 to address the Arian heresy, which denied the equality of the Father and the Son, the Nicene Creed affirms that Jesus Christ is of one substance with the Father. The Nicene Creed is used in liturgical worship. In the West it is used in the context of the Eucharist, and in the East, in the context of both baptism and the Eucharist.
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Nicene Creed, a Christian statement of faith that is the only ecumenical creed because it is accepted as authoritative by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and major Protestant churches. The Apostles’ and Athanasian creeds are accepted by some but not all of these churches.
History
Until the early 20th century, it was universally assumed that the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (the more accurate term) was an enlarged version of the Creed of Nicaea, which was promulgated at the First Council of Nicaea (325). It was further assumed that this enlargement had been carried out at the First Council of Constantinople (381) with the object of bringing the Creed of Nicaea up to date in regard to heresies about the Incarnation and the Holy Spirit that had arisen since the Council of Nicaea.
Additional discoveries of documents in the 20th century, however, indicated that the situation was more complex, and the actual development of the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed has been the subject of scholarly dispute. Most likely it was issued by the First Council of Constantinople, even though this fact was first explicitly stated at the Council of Chalcedon in 451. It was probably based on a baptismal creed already in existence, but it was an independent document and not an enlargement of the Creed of Nicaea.
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The so-called Filioque clause (Latin filioque, “and the son”), inserted after the words “the Holy Spirit,…who proceeds from the Father,” was gradually introduced as part of the creed in the Western church, beginning in the 6th century. It was probably finally accepted by the papacy in the 11th century. It has been retained by the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant churches. The Eastern churches have always rejected it because they consider it a theological error and an unauthorized addition to a venerable document.
English version
The Nicene Creed was originally written in Greek. Its principal liturgical use is in the context of the Eucharist in the West and in the context of both baptism and the Eucharist in the East. A modern English version of the text is as follows, with the Filioque clause in brackets:
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
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.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
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.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.