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Creeds

The Nicene Creed

A shared confession of faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Its language grew out of the early Church's debates about the divinity of Christ.

Received English

Edited by Philip Schaff

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As printed by Schaff.

Public domain. Not a modern recension.

About this book

The creed commonly called Nicene gives a carefully worded confession of faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Its language about Christ grew from disputes in which apparently small changes of wording could imply a very different account of who the Son is. It therefore distinguishes being begotten from being made and insists on the Son's full divinity. The fuller creed also speaks about the Spirit, the Church, baptism, and the resurrection, bringing those affirmations into a common confession used in Christian worship.

The Nicene Creed became a shared point of reference for Christian writers who disagreed on many other matters. It helps readers recognize the questions behind patristic arguments and the inherited language within later theological books. Read its precision as the result of a historical dispute, then compare how an author explains a phrase rather than assuming the phrase explains itself. The text has also acquired differences through its transmission and use. Knowing which form you are reading matters, especially for the wording about the Spirit's procession that divides Eastern and Western versions.

Author & background

The creed belongs to the work of church councils rather than an individual author. The Council of Nicaea in 325 produced the earlier statement, and the fuller form associated with Constantinople in 381 became the basis of the creed generally used in worship. Bishops were seeking language that could express a shared faith amid theological disagreement. Later reception, translation, and liturgical use continued to shape how that confession was encountered, so the English text on this page has a history beyond the councils themselves.

Contents

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  1. The Nicene Creed