The “Nicene Creed” is
widely regarded as the basis of orthodox Christianity in both the eastern and
western churches. Although its focus is Christological, its importance relates
to its function as a “rule of faith” within the churches. As part of its polemic
against the Arians, the Council of Nicea (June 325) formulated a short
statement of faith, based on a baptismal creed used at Jerusalem. This Creed was intended to affirm the full
divinity of Christ against the Arian understanding of his creaturely status,
and includes four explicit condemnations of Arian views, as well as its three
articles of faith.
As the full details of the
proceeding of Nicea are now lost, we are obligated to rely on secondary sources
(such as ecclesiastical historians, and writers such as Athanasius and Basil of
Caesarea) for the text of this creed. Note that the translation provided here
is of the Greek original, rather than of the Latin version of Hilary of
Poitiers. Note also that the term “Nicene Creed” is often used as a shorter way
of referring to the “Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed”, which has a
significantly longer discussion of the person of Christ, and also makes
statements concerning the church, forgiveness, and eternal life.
“We
believe in one God, the Father, the almighty, the maker of all things seen and
unseen.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God; begotten from the Father;
only begotten – that is, from the substance of the Father; God from God; light
from light; true God from true God; begotten not made; of one substance with
the Father; through whom all things in heaven and on earth came into being; who
on account of us human beings and our salvation came down and took flesh,
becoming a human being; he suffered and rose again on the third day, ascended into
the heavens; and will come again to judge the living and the dead.
And in the Holy Spirit.
As for those who say that ‘there was when he was not’, and ‘before being
born he was not’, and ‘he came into existence out of nothing’ or who declare
that the Son of God is of different
substance or nature, or is subject to alteration or change – the catholic and
apostolic church condemns these.”
THINK BIG.
START SMALL. GO DEEP.
References:
1) H. Denzinger (ed.), Enchiridion Symbolorum, 24-5 edn
(Barcelona: Herder, 1948), pp. 29-30.
2) The Christian Theology Reader, edited by Alister E. McGrath
(Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 1995), pp. 7
