Fidei Defensor Posted September 22, 2017 Group: Royal Member Followers: 18 Topic Count: 165 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 3,997 Content Per Day: 1.56 Reputation: 2,607 Days Won: 15 Joined: 04/29/2017 Status: Offline Share Posted September 22, 2017 (edited) The Apostle's Creed The Apostle's Creed (100-250 A.D.) The origin of the Apostles' Creed is less clear than that of the Nicene Creed. The most common view is that it was originally developed in the first or second century and was influenced later by the Nicene Creed. The earliest historical evidence of the creed's existence is in a letter written by the Council of Milan in 390 A.D. Almost every denomination has a slightly different version of the Apostles' Creed. Below is the ecumenical version of the English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC). The Creed: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God's 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 to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and 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 the life everlasting. Amen. Nicene Creed (325 A.D.) We 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 the 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 Spirit 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 we believe in the Holy Spirit, 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 spoke by the prophets. And we believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. The Athanasian Creed (500 A.D.) Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled; without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is; such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreated; the Son uncreated; and the Holy Ghost uncreated. The Father unlimited; the Son unlimited; and the Holy Ghost unlimited. The Father eternal; the Son eternal; and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three eternals; but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated; nor three infinites, but one uncreated; and one infinite. So likewise the Father is Almighty; the Son Almighty; and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties; but one Almighty. So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord; the Son Lord; and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords; but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity; to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord; So are we forbidden by the catholic religion; to say, There are 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 Ghost is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten; but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is before, or after another; none is greater, or less than another. But the whole three Persons are coeternal, and coequal. So that in all things, as aforesaid; the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, let him thus think of the Trinity. Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation; that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess; that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God, of the Substance [Essence] of the Father; begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the Substance [Essence] of his Mother, born in the world. Perfect God; and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead; and inferior to the Father as touching his Manhood. Who although he is God and Man; yet he is not two, but one Christ. One; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by assumption of the Manhood into God. One altogether; not by confusion of Substance [Essence]; but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man; so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell; rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from whence he will come to judge the living and the dead. At whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies; And shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. This is the catholic faith; which except a man believe truly and firmly, he cannot be saved. The Creed of Chalcedon (A.D. 451) We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable (rational) soul and body; consubstantial (coessential) with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather of the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God, the Word the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the beginning (have declared) concerning him, and the Lord Jesus Christ himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us. Chaldedon, Bib Sac, 138:552:326 The Creeds are actually very Scriptural when you check them out: Colossians 2:9, Colossians 1:16, Colossians 1:19, Colossians 2:2-3, John 1:3, John 8:58, John 17:20-23, John 10:30, John 20:28, Titus 2:13, Philippians 2:10-12, 1 John 4:1-3, 2 John 1:17, Romans 1:1-10, Matthew 3:14-17, Hebrews 1:1-14, Hebrews 2:5-18, Hebrews 7:22, Hebrews 9:15, Genesis 1:26, Genesis 3:22. Edited September 22, 2017 by Fidei Defensor 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Adams Posted September 22, 2017 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 25 Topic Count: 61 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 9,606 Content Per Day: 3.97 Reputation: 7,795 Days Won: 21 Joined: 09/11/2017 Status: Offline Share Posted September 22, 2017 I agree with these liturgical creeds. Most were not read but remembered and quoted. Lots of people in those early days, and even some now, could not read, or had not the written word to refer to. So these creeds, for many, were the only Biblical works they could take home with them. As such, they served a vital purpose for early Christians. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fidei Defensor Posted September 22, 2017 Group: Royal Member Followers: 18 Topic Count: 165 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 3,997 Content Per Day: 1.56 Reputation: 2,607 Days Won: 15 Joined: 04/29/2017 Status: Offline Author Share Posted September 22, 2017 59 minutes ago, Justin Adams said: I agree with these liturgical creeds. Most were not read but remembered and quoted. Lots of people in those early days, and even some now, could not read, or had not the written word to refer to. So these creeds, for many, were the only Biblical works they could take home with them. As such, they served a vital purpose for early Christians. Thank you! That is very true, literacy collapsed in the Western Roma (Rome) and the Barbarians (Visigoths, Vandals, Saxons, Anglos, Ostrogoths, Celts, Picts, Irish and etc.) had their own languages, but the Holy Bible wasn't fully translated into their languages to immediate effect (it took time, take Jerome, who took many years just to translate the Bible into Latin); and no one had a Printing Press yet. The Creeds were instrumental in uniting the Church, for when Constantine the Great called the Council of Nicaea, he was perplexed regarding what constituted Orthodox Christianity and what was heterodox (heretical) cults. The Nicene Creed of course came from this, and each Council produced another Creed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fidei Defensor Posted September 23, 2017 Group: Royal Member Followers: 18 Topic Count: 165 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 3,997 Content Per Day: 1.56 Reputation: 2,607 Days Won: 15 Joined: 04/29/2017 Status: Offline Author Share Posted September 23, 2017 (edited) 6 minutes ago, Yowm said: Though as a whole I agree with this I find it a bit unsettling to find so many philosophical terms contained here. ..e.g. 'essence', 'uncreated', 'infinites', 'subsisting' etc. I wonder if this is what some mean when they say the Early Fathers had a mixture of Greek philosophy and Scripture and did it aid the journey into the scholasticism of the Dark Ages? Well in Greek (Key Word Study) when you read that Jesus and Father are One (John 10:30), this word One is essence and substance. I think the Creed Writers wanted to overdo it, make sure they do not confuse what is said hence the verse, "And yet they are not three Almighties; but one Almighty. So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord; the Son Lord; and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords; but one Lord." Those at these councils of Church were fighting the Nestorians, Gnostics, Pelegians, Copts, and other cultic Christian heretics that were preaching another Jesus and Gospel (Galatians 1:1-8, 2 Corinthians 11:2-4, 13-18). I think from reading redundancies and being so specific they wanted to avoid any possibly of people confusing this with Arianism, Gnosticism, Nestorianism, Copticism, Pelegianism, and etc. They wanted the Creeds to be Orthodox and sound in theology and doxology. I often do this myself now, to be extra clear by repeating and using minute details; because this form of communication is not the best form, in person of course is best. Besides Moses repeated things over and over and said things in such detail so as not to let Israelites veer back in into idolatries. Edited September 23, 2017 by Fidei Defensor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fidei Defensor Posted September 23, 2017 Group: Royal Member Followers: 18 Topic Count: 165 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 3,997 Content Per Day: 1.56 Reputation: 2,607 Days Won: 15 Joined: 04/29/2017 Status: Offline Author Share Posted September 23, 2017 (edited) Well I don't have the Key Word with me at the moment, I'll have to verify it another way (I will keep you updates). ------------------------------ Question to all: Which Creed do you prefer? I have always liked The Apostles' Creed, but the Anthansian Creed is growing on me. ☦️ Edited September 24, 2017 by Fidei Defensor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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