Rediscovering the Apostle's Creed
In some churches, it is recited mechanically out of habit; in others, it is completely dismissed as an unhelpful religious relic. But recently, many have been rediscovering within the sparse, compact words of the Apostles' Creed a gateway that connects the great story of Scripture to the practical concerns of Christians living in today's complex, multicultural world.
Why a creed?
Some Christians ask, "Why do we need creeds when we have the Bible?" If the Word of God comes down to us through the Bible, why do we need anything else? The answer is found in Scripture itself. In I Corinthians 15:1-4, Paul writes: "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, . . ."
This quote is from one of the earliest epistles, written about AD 57, before many other New Testament books had been written and long before the New Testament canon was finally settled. If the New Testament as a whole did not exist when Paul wrote his letter, what "gospel" is he talking about? Apparently he had preached to them some standard summary of the Christian message, a message he had "received" just as they in turn "received it." Later, in Romans 6:17 he says,"I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep an eye on those who cause dissensions and offenses, in opposition to the teaching that you have learned; avoid them."
The word "teaching" can also be translated "doctrine." These first Christians had doctrine or teaching prior to having a complete New Testament. What was this teaching or doctrine? It was a summary of the basics of the Christian message—of the good news of Jesus Christ. And already at the time of Paul's writing there were some who were distorting the words of the Old Testament Scriptures and the words of the apostles, leading people astray. The purpose of a creed or doctrine is to summarize the meaning of the many words of Scripture and apostolic teaching. Whenever we try to explain Christianity to someone else we partake in this same summarizing action. As we will see below, this summary of faith was used by the early church to 1) evangelize, 2) teach new converts, and 3) protect the church from distorted teaching. Christians today have the same three needs for a concise statement of the Christian faith.
How did the Creed arise?
According to "the great commission" found in Matthew 28:18-20, an important part of being a Christian in the early church was teaching others and baptizing them in the name of the Triune God. A concise summary of the Christian faith would help in both these tasks. In the table below, compare the version of the Apostles' Creed we have from AD 336 with the baptismal formula Hippolytus of Rome used with new converts by the year AD 215.
The word "creed" comes from the Latin "credo" which means "I believe." As new converts were being baptized, Hippolytus would ask them, "Do you believe in God?" and they would answer "I believe in God, the Father Almighty…" "Do you believe in Jesus Christ?" and they would answer "I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God...," working their way through the entire formula. Thus the roots of the Apostles' Creed are found in the declarations of faith made by converts at the time of their baptism. Although the actual copies of the Apostles' Creed that we have date from the 300s, it is clear from this example that some version of this statement of faith was being used early in the church.
For example, we find Irenaeus of Lyons (AD 120 - AD 202) saying that the church "preserves this creed of ours," and he summarized "this creed" in a way that sounds just like the Apostles' Creed.
The key point is that Christians were doing this BEFORE the New Testament was finalized. So rather than the first creeds being tacked on AFTER the Bible was written, the evidence we have points toward basic creeds similar to the Apostles' Creed existing in the earliest churches. The earliest local creeds we find from dispersed writers and churches use their own words to make the same basic theological points we find in the Apostles' Creed today. We call it the Apostles' Creed not because the apostles themselves wrote it, but rather because the early churches viewed it as an accurate summary of the apostles' teaching.
By the year AD 64, Christians were often being persecuted for their faith. Converting from paganism to Christianity could cost a person his or her life. Thus, it really mattered whether you were in or you were out, whether you called yourself a Christian or not. What set of beliefs made one a Christian? Which beliefs were worth dying for? What was the heart of the Christian message they refused to deny? One clue is found in what new converts said at their baptism. That was the time when they publicly declared their faith in and loyalty to Jesus. And as we see from the chart, what they declared was basically the Apostles' Creed. Tertullian (AD 200) says that the memorized creed or "Rule of Faith" acted as a symbol or password that allowed Christians to recognize each other in a dangerous world. What does it teach?
The Creed's short length made it easy to memorize. Its sparse wording sets out clear boundaries for the Christian faith while creating space for different interpretations within those boundaries. Every phrase can be supported by multiple references to Scripture. However, the creed only includes those aspects of faith that the early Christians viewed as the bare essentials—the aspects that set Christianity apart from other belief systems at the time. As can be seen above, its very shape reveals these priorities. It focuses on the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with the majority of its words spent on Jesus. Like the tip of an iceberg, Jesus is the person of the Trinity above the water line—God entering their physical world and human history in a way that he could be seen and touched. It was the new revelation that Jesus was God that set the Christians apart from all other religious movements, and therefore many of the words of the creed are spent driving this point home. "Conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary" declares that Christ is both God and Human. "Crucified under Pontius Pilate" anchors the crucifixion of Jesus to the history of the world—an actual historical event. "Dead and buried" declares that Jesus actually died. "On the third day he rose again" declares that the resurrection was also an actual historical event. The creed ends by turning its attention to us. Just as Jesus had a bodily resurrection from the dead, so shall all of us at his second coming at the end of days. It also declares that while we are those who need to have our sins forgiven, we are also the saints—members of His universal church across the ages. The creed is thus a declaration of hope.
In some sense, the Apostles' Creed is a "primitive creed" in that its first forms precede the creeds generated by church councils (such as the Nicene Creed of 325). For example, the role of the Holy Spirit is much less defined in the Apostles' Creed than in later creeds. Thus it takes us that much closer to the first days of the early church where ordinary men and women struggled to understand the full implications of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It forms the broad, universal foundation upon which many different denominations and creeds have been built.
What can we conclude?
First, saying the Apostles' Creed was never meant to be some boring religious ritual! The first believers said it with tears in their eyes as they went down into the baptismal waters. It was personal, heartfelt, and precious. It was said at the moment they threw their hat in with the Christian community—at the moment they were saying "Yes" to the maker of heaven and earth and "No" to all the other powers that tried to lay claim on their lives.
Second, considering how much Christians argue and disagree with each other, it is nothing short of stunning that Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox churches around the world all embrace the teachings found in the Apostles' Creed. In the midst of a multicultural, shifting world, here is a solid core that defines Christians (regardless of our labels and our differences) while unapologetically declaring the unique claims of the Christian faith. It is a starting place for common ground.
Finally, the Creed remains an excellent teaching tool. Each phrase opens up profound theological vistas that impact how we think and act as Christians.
| Baptismal Formula of Hippolytus of Rome AD 215 | Apostles' Creed AD 140 - AD 390 |
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, And in Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and was dead and buried, and rose again the third day, alive from the dead, and ascended into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of the Father and will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, in the holy church, and in the resurrection of the body | I believe in God, the Father Almighty, And in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord; who was born by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, Was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and was buried, The third day he rose from the dead, He ascended into heaven; and now sits on the right hand of the Father from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy church, the forgiveness of sins and the resurrection of the body. |
Originally published June 11, 2010.
