The Apostles Creed – This is one of the earliest verifiable creeds we have for the Christian Church. Some believe it to date back too the early Apostolic Church (the Church spread by the Apostles – the 12 disciples of Jesus after his death were called Apostles, among some other leaders.) However, the earliest verifiable text that we can document through archaeology is in 340 AD. It says:
I believe in God the Father, Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. and in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit. I believe in the Holy Catholic* Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. AMEN
*The Holy Catholic Church means that you believe there is one universal ancient Church, undivided and Holy formed and unified in the Holy Spirit of the Divine – it does not refer to any particular denomination. Originally there was only one Christian Religious Organization although it was relatively unstructured led by individual bishops in various cities around the Mediterranean. In 1054 AD the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Church split from the Roman Catholic Church and these are the oldest organized Christian Religions.
WHAT DO CHRISTIANS BELIEVE?
Anyone who says: “Christians believe…” and follows it with almost any statement is quite probably wrong.
From talking to people on the Internet I have found that most people, even those who claim to have been “raised in the church” know virtually nothing about what Christians believe. They seem to believe that the weird, fringe beliefs of their Uncle and Aunt were what all Christians believe everywhere. Others, spread misinformation that I could not guess where they came up with their ideas – unless they got it from some horror movie or fringe cult lead by someone who didn’t actually know anything about Christian Theology. I remember one person arguing with me that Christians believed… and proceeded to say something so bizarre and wrong…literally I (who have studied hundreds of Christian denominations and sects,) know absolutely no one who believes what he thought they believed. It was so bizarre I cannot even hold it in my memory because my memory rejects it as utterly ridiculous.
Similarly, in dozens of books on esoterica and witchcraft I have read similarly confused and bizarre statements about “what Christians believe.” If what you know about Christianity is just what you learned in Sunday school or from what your Tata told you I would say you probably know nothing real.
I was president of a game company where we made a game called Against the Darkness which was a role-playing game where the faithful servants of God battled demons and monsters. In it we basically followed Christian Doctrine but made it clear that the Church we portrayed was not an accurate portrayal of the Roman Catholic Church but was rather the “Cinematic Catholic Church” portrayed in movies.
In the Apostolic Days, like in the Hebrew Faith, these Christians lived and worshipped side by side with few problems. Later, with the conversion of the Emperor Constantine to Christianity, the Romans (always fond of order,) wanted to codify the beliefs and define what a “real” Christian was. They called in the Bishops and representatives from all of the major churches around the Mediterranean in 325 AD to try to figure it out in the First Council of Nicaea which started on the 19th of June. (However, virtually no one before 451 AD considered the Nicene Council to be THE Church Authority on what Christians Believe.) In 381 the Second Ecumenical Council held in Constantinople published the Nicene Creed as being in perfect accordance with the original document produced in 325. It is the only Creed that is accepted by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy, The Church of the East*, the Anglican Communion, and much of Protestantism. Other Protestants, who particularly hate Catholics, refuse to use it because it is “too Catholic.” But the Nicene Creed is probably the most widely accepted Christian Creed worldwide.
Nicene Creed of the Greek Orthodox Church of America:
I believe in one God, Father Almighty, Creator 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; Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father, through Whom all things were made.
Who for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; And He rose on the third day, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father;
And He will come again with glory to judge the living and dead. His kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Creator of life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke through the prophets.
In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come.
Amen.
The Nicene of the Roman Catholic Church in America:
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.
So, which is the original text? They really don’t vary in any way that is worth dying over, and certainly not in any way that would condemn you to perdition. But the answer is…neither.
The Council of Nicaea didn’t write in English. English didn’t even exist yet as a language. In 300 AD the Nicene Creed in Old English would have read like this (I do not have all of my library accessible and I could not find a text of the Nicene Creed in Old English online – not all books and texts are accessible online and probably never will be – but if we had a copy of the Nicene Creed in Old English – spoken from 600-about 1100 AD it could read like this – remember English is germanic language. Also, Old English had a complex poetical rhythm that obeyed specific rules and I cannot reproduce it accurately here but, if I ever find a copy, it will probably be written in the form of Anglo-Saxon Poetry):
Ic ġelīefe on ānne God, þone Fæder ælmihtiġne, scyppend heofones and eorðan, ealra ġesewenliċra ġesceafta and unġesewenliċra.
Ic ġelīefe on ānne Drihten Hælend Crist, Godes ānġeborenan Sunu, ġeborenne of þæm Fæder ær eallum woruldum. God of Gode, Lēoht of Lēohte, sōð God of sōðe Gode, ġeborenne, nā ġeworhtne, ānwesan mid þæm Fæder; þurh hyne wæs eall ġeworht.
For ūs mannum and for ūre hǣle hē stāh nīðer of heofonum, and þurh þone Hālgan Gāst wæs ġeflæscod of Marian þære Fæmnan, and wearð mann.
Þrowh ūs wæs hē on rōde āhangen under Pontiuse Pilāte, hē þrowode dēað and wæs bebyrged, and ārās on þām þriddan dæġe ġewritum ġefylled.
Hē stāġ up in heofonas, and sītt on þā swīðran hand Godes Fæder Ælmihtiġes.
Hē cymþ eft mid wuldre tō dēmenne þā lybbendan and þā dēadan, and his rīċe næfþ ende.
Ic gelyfe on þone Hālgan Gāst, Drihten līfes sellend, se þe fram þām Fæder and fram þām Suna gæð ūt se mid þām Fæder and mid þām Suna is ārwurd and wuldorfæst, þe ðurh þā wītegan spræc. Ic gelyfe on āne, hālige, eallgaderisce and apostolice Ēclesian Ic andette ānne Fulluht tō forgifenesse synna, and ic wēne æfter ārīsan dēadra and līf þære tōweardan worulde. Sōþlīce.
[ Sōþlīce – means “verily” or “truly” and is comparable to the ancient meaning of ‘amen’ as is BSG’s “So Say We All” or the Mandalorean’s “This is the Way.” both of which essentially connote the same meaning as do “right on,” “we are all with you,” or “absolutely.”]
In Latin the Creed reads Thusly:
Credo in unum Deum,
Patrem omnipotentem,
factorem caeli et terrae,
visibilium omnium et invisibilium,
Et in unum Dominum Iesum Christum,
Filium Dei unigenitum,
et ex Patre natum, ante omnia saecula,
Deum de Deo, lumen de Lumine,
Deum verum de Deo vero,
genitum, non factum, consubstantialem Patri:
per quem omnia facta sunt.
Qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de caelis.
Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto
ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est.
Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato;
passus et sepultus est,
et resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scripturas,
et ascendit in caelum, sedet ad dexteram Patris.
Et iterum venturus est cum gloria,
iudicare vivos et mortuos,
cuius regni non erit finis.
Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem:
qui ex Patre Filioque procedit.
Qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur:
qui locutus est per prophetas.
Et unam, sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam.
Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum.
Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum,
et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen.
The ancient texts of the Nicene Creed are in Latin and Greek and are below:
As the Orthodox churches broke from the Roman Catholic Church in 1054, the Protestant churches broke from it 500 years later due to various corrupt practices and a papacy that was less than holy due to the power politics among kings of the ages.
In the reformation the Protestant Church Denominations (Protesting churches who rebelled against Catholic corruption in the 1500s,) rebelled against many horrible and unspiritual practices and corruptions that crept into the Roman Catholic Church when it became powerful. As all powerful institutions it became a home for those who worshipped power and not God – but this is not unique to the Roman Catholic Church and there are protestant churches who since have attracted similar sinful leaders. The Reformation led to war because people who live for power don’t give it up with out a fight. Unfortunately, as these leaders clashed for pride and power many faithful Christians were caught up in it and many who thought they were dying for “God’s will” died on both sides…so did a lot of mercenaries. Later, in 1548 with the Council of Trent the Counter-Reformation began in which many Roman Catholic beliefs were solidified and many of the corrupt practices of the church that spawned the reformation in the first place were ended. The chief difference today between the Roman Catholic and other Christians is the idea of Papal Infallability (that the pope doesn’t err.) Literally, most of the body of literature of the ancient church fathers are shared by all the Christian Churches, even if they disagree over details.
Most Christians in the pews that I have talked to have no idea that the many of the corrupt practices that led to the schism have been ended by the Catholic church since the reformation and still consider the Catholic Church to be a hellspawn of sorts. I have some serious questions myself. The last Pope when he ascended to the Papacy, had the dubious honor of seeing a lightning bolt strike St Peter’s Basilica on his ascension. Later, when he loosened the teaching on gay marriage the statue of St Peter in his home diocese was struck with lightning. This lightning strike destroyed the halo on the statue of St. Peter and the keys to the church that Christ gave Peter, This seems oddly specific to me and, since I do believe in signs and wonders, makes me believe that God was making a statement. However, before protestants rejoice at God’s rejection of this Pope I want to point out it didn’t occur in the 1500s it was just a couple years ago. There are some complex prophecies about the church from the saints and the Bible that highlight Jesus warning that in the last days we will have the form of religion but deny the power of the faith.
On the other hand, a Benedictine Priest I had lunch with believed that the Reformation was a good thing. Before the Counter-Reformation there were many different worship styles in the one Holy and Apostolic Catholic Church. But the after the Counter-Reformation there were moves to standardize worship throughout the church. Through the Reformation God was able to preserve different but legitimate styles of worship among the faithful. God, after all, never allows the suffering of his faithful ones to be in vain.
John Wesley said that, more often than not the things that separate Christians are matters or worship or dogma that are not even in the Bible but have grown up over time. He said, “if your heart is as mine, than take my hand.” The Early Methodists marked belief with the signs of Holiness (or the presence of the Holy Spirit,) in the person preaching believing in the one “holy catholic church” united in the Holy Spirit. Some of us can see the presence of the Holy Spirit, when it is strong with others, but most cannot. God doesn’t give discernment to everyone. The various gifts are given as He deems necessary. And I have seen the Holy Spirit as strong in Catholics, Protestants, pagans, wiccans, and buddhists. Unfortunately, however, very few of each. But I have seen in strongest among the “religious” (the monks and nuns of the Catholic Church who have taken their vows,) to be sure no ONLY among them. But a higher concentration there than in the general population of churches.
In general I think that the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed are the core beliefs of Christianity and are minimal for a strong faith. However, that is from my prejudice of belief = understanding. By this view the mentally impaired in State Hospitals could never meet this standard of undersanding or reflection and it doesn’t explain the presence of the Divine Spirit that I have seen in the few people of other faiths that I have seen it in.
My answer lies in the name of this site.
God reveals Himself through the wonders of nature and so, as Saint Paul says, we are without excuse. If you worship the Divine power who created the Heavens and the Earth, a power that encompasses both the Divine Male and the Divine Female, then you are probably good.
But we are human and very prone to error. Therefore, even if you have a gift of discernment I would trust to God and not rely on your own understanding. Cling to a core set of beliefs to guide you. The Bible is good but it is a big book and if you read it “in a year” you haven’t really read it. My father read it every night before bed and sometimes in the morning with his coffee before work. When he was dying and I was reading to him from the Bible, he could speak along from memory with me as I read, reciting whole passages from memory. HE knew the Bible because he had lived with it for decades and decades.
The warning I would offer is it is VERY hard to proceed outside of a faith community. As the Bible says:
The ship of the Church is without a doubt a leaky vessel that is very imperfect and creaky. However, if you are in a storm and your ship is leaking, you will be better off trying to repair it from the inside than you will treading water on the outside. Just as, despite the shortcomings of religious dogma and communities, you are better off in a faith community than outside of one. Further, in EVERY community I have ever participated there are people of deep faith and presence that can help you if you are serious as well as wolves who pretend to believe for their own purposes. As I have often said, there is nothing wrong with the church except that there are people in it.
Still the truism IS true. A Church is a hospital for sinners and not a museum for saints.
I will end by sharing my sisters favorite creed, that of the United Church of Canada in 1968. I too am quite fond of it:
We are not alone,
we live in God’s world.We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others
by the Spirit.We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.
We are not alone.Thanks be to God.
1968 Creed of the United Church of Canada
- (also called the Classical Syriac Church; the East Syriac Church, the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church, the Chaldean Church, or the Nestorian Church,) in the last 50 years this church has almost been exterminated in the Middle East by Muslim radicals who have murdered them in their churches and their homes. Wiping out whole communities and reducing others from a faith community of tens of thousands to a church of hundreds. But the media, always eager to promote the oppressed, at least when it suits them, say nothing of this genocide and christophobia because it is not useful to their own power brokers or narrative. Today’s media is evil and very few of them will escape hell.
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