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Eccumenical Creeds
There are three historic creeds to which
all true Christian churches subscribe:
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the
Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our
Lord: Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell. The third day he arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father
Almighty, whence he shall 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,
and of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only
begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God
of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were
made;
who for us men
and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by
the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was
crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was
buried; and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures,
and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the
Father; and he shall come again, with glory, to judge both the quick
and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the
Lord, and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son;
who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and
glorified; who spake by the Prophets. And I believe one holy
Catholic* and Apostolic Church; I acknowledge one baptism for the
remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and
the life of the world to come. Amen.
The Athanasian Creed
Whoever wills to be in
a state of salvation, before all things it is necessary that he hold
the catholic faith, which except everyone shall have kept whole and
undefiled without doubt he will perish eternally.
Now the
catholic faith is 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, another
of the Holy Spirit. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit, is One, the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal.
Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit;
the Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit
uncreated; the father infinite, the Son infinite, and the Holy
Spirit infinite; the Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy
Spirit eternal. And yet not three eternals but one eternal, as also
not three infinites, nor three uncreated, but one uncreated, and one
infinite. So, likewise, the Father is almighty, the Son almighty,
and the Holy Spirit almighty; and yet not three almighties but one
almighty. So the Father is God, the Son God, and the Holy Spirit
God; and yet not three Gods but one God. So the Father is Lord, the
Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord; and yet not three Lords but one
Lord. For like as we are compelled by Christian truth to acknowledge
every Person by Himself to be both 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
Spirit is of the Father and the Son, not made nor created nor
begotten but proceeding. So there is one Father not three Fathers,
one Son not three Sons, and one Holy Spirit not three Holy Spirits.
And in this Trinity there is nothing before or after, nothing
greater or less, but the whole three Persons are coeternal together
and coequal. So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Trinity in
Unity and the Unity in Trinity is to be worshipped. He therefore who
wills to be in a state of salvation, let him think thus of the
Trinity.
But it is necessary to eternal salvation that he
also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The right faith therefore is that we believe and confess that our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man. He is God of the
substance of the Father begotten before the worlds, and He is man of
the substance of His mother born in the world; perfect God, perfect
man subsisting of a reasoning soul and human flesh; equal to the
Father as touching His Godhead, inferior to the Father as touching
His Manhood. Who although He be God and Man yet He is not two but
one Christ; one however not by conversion of the Godhead in the
flesh, but by taking of the Manhood in God; one altogether not by
confusion of substance but by unity of Person. For as the reasoning
soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man is one Christ. Who
suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again from the
dead, ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father,
from whence He shall come to judge the living 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 eternal, and they who indeed have done evil into eternal
fire.
This is the catholic* faith, which
except a man shall have believed faithfully and firmly he cannot be
in a state of salvation.
*The word "Catholic" refers not to the Roman Catholic Church, but to the universal church of the Lord Jesus Christ. For more info click here.
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