Christian Creeds
 

The Apostles Creed

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 life everlasting. Amen.

The Nicene (A.D. 325) Constantinopolitan (A.D. 381) Creed

(The first form of this creed was adopted by the Council of Nicaea in 325 and concluded with a series of anathemas against the Arians. This Nicene was altered at the Council of Constantinople in 381, which removed the anathemas and added the underlined material about the Holy Spirit. The bracketed phrase, filioque, was added later (589 at the Third Council of Toledo) and is still rejected by the Eastern Orthodox Church.)

Current Translation - Nicene Creed

New Missal Translation - Nicene Creed

We believe in  one God, the Father Almighty,     maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,         the only Son of God,         eternally begotten of the Father,     God from God, Light from Light,     true God from true God,     begotten , not made, one in Being with the Father.     Through him all things were made.     For us men and for our salvation         he came down from heaven:         by the power of the Holy Spirit         he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.     For our sake he was crucified         under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried.     On the third day he rose again         in fulfillment of 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. We believe in the Holy Spirit,         the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.     With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.     He has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.     We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.     We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.  Amen.

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.

Athanasian Creed (4th or 5th Cent.?)

Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith. Which Faith except everyone 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 Substance. 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 Co-Eternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father Uncreate, the Son Uncreate, and the Holy Ghost Uncreate. The Father Incomprehensible, the Son Incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost Incomprehensible. The Father Eternal, the Son Eternal, and the Holy Ghost Etneral and yet they are not Three Eternals but One Eternal. As also there are not Three Uncreated, nor Three Incomprehensibles, but One Uncreated, and One Uncomprehensible. 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 be 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 afore or after Other, None is greater or less than Another, but the whole Three Persons are Co-eternal together, and Co-equal. So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity is Trinity, and the Trinity is Unity is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, must thus think of the Trinity.

Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting Salvation, that he also believe rightly 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 of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the substance of His mother, born into 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 be God and Man, yet He is not two, but One Christ. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into Flesh, but by taking of the Manhood into God. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, 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 the Father, God Almighty, from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. At whose coming all men shall 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 faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.

The Chalcedonian Creed (A.D. 451)

We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable soul and body; consubstantial with us according to the manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the virgin Mary, the mother of God, according to the manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the prophets from the beginning have declared concerning him, and the Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us.