The Creeds
46.
What are the creeds?
The creeds are
statements of our basic beliefs about God.
47.
How many creeds
does this Church use in its worship?
This Church uses
two creeds: The Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed.
48.
What is the
Apostles' Creed?
The Apostles' Creed is the ancient creed of Baptism; it is
used in the Church's daily worship to recall our Baptismal Covenant.
1. I believe
in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:
2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:
3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:
4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He
descended into hell:
5. The third day he rose again from the dead:
6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the
Father Almighty:
7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead:
8. I believe in the Holy Ghost:
9. I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints:
10. The forgiveness of sins:
1l. The resurrection of the body:
12. And the life everlasting. Amen.
49.
What is the
Nicene Creed?
The Nicene Creed is the creed of the universal Church and
is used at the Eucharist.
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 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 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 sits on the right hand of
the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge 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
proceeds from the Father [and the Son]; who with the Father and the
Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke 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.
50.
What, then, is
the Athanasian Creed?
1. Whosoever
will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the
catholic faith;
2. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without
doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
3. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in
Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;
4. Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.
5. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and
another of the Holy Spirit.
6. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit
is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
7. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy
Spirit.
8. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit
uncreated.
9. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the
Holy Spirit incomprehensible.
10. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit
eternal.
11. And yet they are not three eternals but one eternal.
12. As also there are not three uncreated nor three
incomprehensible, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible.
13. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the
Holy Spirit almighty.
14. And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty.
15. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is
God;
16. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
17. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy
Spirit Lord;
18. And yet they are not three Lords but one Lord.
19. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to
acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord;
20. So are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say; There are
three Gods or three Lords.
21. The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten.
22. The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but
begotten.
23. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son; neither made,
nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
24. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three
Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
25. And in this Trinity none is afore or after another; none is
greater or less than another.
26. But the whole three persons are coeternal, and coequal.
27. So that in all things, as aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and
the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.
28. He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.
29. Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he
also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
30. For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man.
31. God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds;
and man of substance of His mother, born in the world.
32. Perfect God and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human
flesh subsisting.
33. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the
Father as touching His manhood.
34. Who, although He is God and man, yet He is not two, but one
Christ.
35. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking
of that manhood into God.
36. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of
person.
37. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man
is one Christ;
38. Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again
the third day from the dead;
39. He ascended into heaven, He sits on the right hand of the
Father, God, Almighty;
40. From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
41. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies;
42. and shall give account of their own works.
43. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting and
they that have done evil into everlasting fire.
44. This is the catholic faith, which except a man believe
faithfully he cannot be saved.
The Athanasian Creed
is an
ancient document proclaiming the nature of the Incarnation and of
God as Trinity.
51.
What is the
Trinity?
The Trinity is
one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.