Nicene Creed

Citizendium Nicaene Creed

The Nicene Creed, Also referred to as the

• Symbol of the Faith,
• The Orthodox Creed
• The Athansian Creed

The Creed is a statement derived from the Christian Scriptures defining the basic, that is axiomatic beliefs of the Christian Church. This includes the Orthodox Catholic, the Roman Catholic, the Protestant and non-denominational churches. The first version was composed at the Council of Nicea in 325 by a congregation of representatives from the Christian Churches extant at that time. This is also the same council that finalised the Christian Canon, or the New Testament.

The Creed (in English) as it reads in the Orthodox Churches today reads thus: The Nicene Creed embodies the fundamental beliefs of the Eastern Orthodox Church. I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God; begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who, for us men, and for our salvation, came down from the heavens, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and became man; and was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; and suffered, and was buried; and arose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures; And ascended into the heavens, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and shall come again, with glory, to judge both the living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life; Who procedeeth from the Father; Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; Who spake by the prophets. In One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins; I look for the resurrection of the dead, And the life of the age to come. Amen.

The original Creed laid down at Nicaea in 325 A.D. The First Ecumenical Council was called to deal with the disputed nature of the Son. Arius, an Alexandrian priest maintained that the Son was inferior and was created. This was termed ‘heresy’ and the position is known as Arianism, a perspective that still exists today. The wording of the Creed specifically speaks to this ancient dispute and was meant to draw a defined line between those who were Christian (believe the Jesus was both human and divine and consubstantial with God) and those who believe otherwise.

The issue was revisited at the Council of Constantinople in 381, also referred to as the Second Ecumenical Council, whereupon the phrase “who proceedeth from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified.

The primary concerns of the Second Ecumenical Council with regard to the Creed were the concept of substance or essence, (in Greek, homoousios) and person (in Greek, hypostasis).The Trinitarian doctrine of the Christian Church thus embraces the concept that God (the Creator and Father), the Son, (Jesus the Christ) and the Holy Spirit are one Essence (or substance-homoousios) and Three Persons (hypostasis) .

Two other primary aspects of this creed are those that incorporate the concept that Jesus was both human and divine and the Holy Spirit (also referred to in tradition as the Holy Ghost) comes from the Father, not from the Son.

The divine or human nature of the Son has been and still is a subject upon which numerous divergent groups have disputed.

The Filioque, which states that the Spirit proceeds from the Son, is a primary dispute between the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Catholic Churches]. It was added by the Synod of Spain at the Council of Toledo in 589 and later adopted by the Latin Church (Roman Catholic Church). The [Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Churches] do not accept the Filioque as The [Eastern Orthodox Church|canonical]. At present, there are a great many Protestant churches that do employ the filioque in their version of the creed. The protestant version was adopted from the Roman Catholic version.