…As the Rosary is a tool for getting our mind back on the pace of our soul, the Creeds (really just one prayer, but two different versions) are clear, strong, validating statements of our faith.
The word “creed” derives from the Latin credo, meaning, “I believe”, and in the Catholic Church we have two versions: The Nicene Creed and The Apostles Creed. The Nicene Creed is most often used at Mass, but either can be used. The Apostles’ Creed is used to start the Rosary. There are two important functions of the creeds. First, when saying the creed, wherever you are in the world, you know that you are in unison with Catholics everywhere. Second, the creeds give a firm and clear foundation of what our Church believes, protecting it against heresies that have been a constant enemy of the faith since the beginning.
One element of the creeds that is very important to note: they are not a listing of philosophies, but rather focus primarily on who Jesus IS. This fortifies the concept that the Catholic faith is more than anything a relationship with a person, and not just some philosophical system or collection of wise sayings from a teacher.
Of course, the Apostles’ teachings are credited with inspiring the Apostles’ Creed. According to some traditions, the Apostles wrote this Creed on the day of Pentecost while being led by the Holy Spirit. In addition, each of the twelve tenets of the Creed was written by one apostle. Whether the Apostles wrote the Apostles’ Creed is not certain, but it is the older of the two creeds and is also much shorter.
The Council of Nicea I (325), which was called to address the heresy of Arius, who essentially rejected the deity of Christ, produced the Nicene Creed. The Council wished to make it extremely clear that Jesus Christ is “consubstantial” or “one in Being” with the Father and has the same divine nature. He is also begotten, not made, and through Mary, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, the real God, becomes also a true man. The Apostles’ Creed and the declaration of faith made at baptism served as the Nicene Creed’s foundation.
Below are the two creeds in full, and a line-by-line breakdown of the Apostles’ Creed follows that. Because both creeds are similar, and the Nicene Creed is fleshed out primarily to combat the heresy of Arianism at the time of the Council of Nicea in 325, the description of the Apostles’ Creed is sufficient.
The Apostles’ Creed
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 Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
He descended into hell;
on the third day, He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there 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 life everlasting. Amen.
The Nicene Creed
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.
“Article” Breakdown of the Apostles’ Creed
Article 1: I Believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.
The Apostles Creed’s first article says that God is a triune God—that is, He is one God but manifested in three persons known as the Holy Trinity—and that He exists. The Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit make up the Holy Trinity. God is credited with creating everything in our cosmos, according to the first article.
Article 2: And in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord.
The second article reiterates that Jesus is the divine son of God. Using the title “Lord” in regard to Jesus Christ obviously ties the Son to divinity because the name “Lord” itself indicates divinity as it is assigned to God. The name Jesus means “God saves” in Hebrew, denoting that Jesus is our savior.
Article 3: Who Was Conceived by the Power of the Holy Spirit and Born of the Virgin Mary.
In the sense that He was born of a human mother, the Virgin Mary, this article affirms that Jesus Christ has human essence. Jesus was born of a human woman, but He also possesses a divine character because the Holy Spirit, and not a human father, gave birth to Him. Jesus Christ is revered as being both entirely human and fully divine.
Article 4: He Suffered Under Pontius Pilate, Was Crucified, Died, and Was Buried.
Being both divine and human, Jesus Christ was capable of experiencing suffering and dying, which He did on Good Friday. Christ was crucified and died on the cross for our sins under Pontius Pilate.
Article 5: He Descended Into Hell. The Third Day He Arose Again From the Dead.
Jesus did not descend into Satan’s home in the Underworld of the Damned. To be clear, early Catholics referred to the realm of the dead as “hell”. While it is true that Jesus died and was buried, it also asserts that He rose from the dead on the third day as a result of His divine power. Jesus Christ rose from the grave and made a bodily appearance in a glorified state.
Article 6: He Ascended Into Heaven and Is Seated at the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty.
Jesus Christ became fully human at the Incarnation, uniting His divine and human nature so that they could never again be divided. He then ascended into Heaven. Christ’s physical body will endure forever after His Resurrection. Catholic believers look forward to joining Jesus Christ in Heaven, where He now resides with His body and soul.
Article 7: He Will Come Again to Judge the Living and the Dead.
The seventh article affirms that Jesus Christ will return to earth at the end of time to judge both the living and the dead. The Day of Reckoning or Judgement Day, which occurs at the Second Coming of Christ, is when God judges the living and the dead and extends His arms to His followers.
In the Catholic faith, we hold that a person is immediately judged after death to determine whether or not they will enter Heaven depending on their life. The Second Coming also includes a universal judgment of all of God’s children.
Article 8: I Believe in the Holy Spirit.
We are all reminded in the eighth article that God is a triune God, which means that He exists in three people known as the Holy Trinity, which includes God the Father, the Son, as well as the Holy Spirit. These individuals are diverse from one another but are all of equal divinity.
Article 9: The Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints.
Catholics consider the Church to be a vital part of our life and a means of honoring God’s splendor. Catholic churches are divine gathering places where we can learn about God’s work and share His message.
Article 10: The Forgiveness of Sins.
For the sake of atoning for our sins, Jesus Christ came into the world. All Catholics hold the forgiveness of sins to be a fundamental principle. Despite the fact that we are fallen creatures who will err throughout our lives, God nonetheless loves us and offers us forgiveness via the sacraments of penance, confession, and baptism. God shows us that despite our sins, we can ask for forgiveness and live in His light.
Article 11: The Resurrection of the Body.
According to Catholic doctrine, as the human body and soul are one, death merely causes a temporary separation of the two until the Second Coming of Christ, the General Judgment, and the resurrection of the dead. The pious and just will ascend to Heaven in body and spirit. This is not to say that our decaying corpses come up out of the ground. “Body” is meant much like the Transfiguration of Christ, when an elevated version of the human body is present.
Article 12: And in Life Everlasting.
Humans must die because we are all mortal, just like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, did. Thanks to God’s glory, people will rise again just as Jesus did. Death is the means by which we pass from this world into the next. Christ assesses our souls to determine whether or not we are especially righteous when we die. This immediate private judgment takes place. God will permit us to enter Paradise even if we have sinned if we confess our faith, ask for forgiveness, and lead moral lives.
The souls of the wicked, evil, or damned who pass away in mortal sin shall endure eternal suffering in Hell. This is not the doings of a vengeful God. As C.S. Lewis states- the door to Hell is locked from the inside. The “damned” are souls that simply deny and refuse the love of God. Catholics also hold that there is a medium ground for souls who were neither good nor evil enough to enter Heaven or Hell. These spirits travel to Purgatory, a location halfway between Heaven and Earth where the dead go to atone for their sins before entering Heaven.
Next up…the oldest prayer in Christianity, the Hail Mary. The Oldest prayer? That is correct. Find out how the Hail Mary comes from scripture and how it functions as a Christ-centric prayer.
Next Topic >> The Hail Mary
Synopsis
The early Church was in a constant battle fighting heresies and trying to keep together a united faith. We take for granted that the Catholic Church is a stable institution, but for most of the Church’s life, it faced unrelenting pressures to soften its faith, and pressures to conform to the sinful world. The Creeds are a firm statement of our faith, said by Catholics in unison around the world.
Suggested Reading
“The Catholic Faith: An Introduction to the Creeds” by Stephen K Ray
“The Faith We Profess: A Catholic Guide to the Apostles’ Creed” by Peter J. Vaghi
Top Image
The Elevation of the Cross is the title of a large oil-on-panel triptych as well as a smaller oil-on-paper piece (also known as The Raising of the Cross).
Both were painted by Antwerp, Belgium-based Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens; however, the first one was completed in 1610, while the latter was completed in 1638.
The original is kept in the Cathedral of Our Lady because the church for which it was painted no longer stands. In Toronto, Canada, at the Art Gallery of Ontario, you may see its tiny equivalent.
The Louvre in Paris is home to an oil study and another triptych, this one smaller and with a different design.