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The Apostles’ Creed is an ancient statement of faith in the reality of God – specifically the triune God – father, son and holy spirit. It was based on Christian theological understanding of the primary gospels, the letters of the New Testament by Paul and others, and to a lesser extent the Old Testament. Its basis appears to be the old Roman Creed known also as the Old Roman Symbol, dating back to the 2nd Century.*
Because of the early origin of its original form, it the Apostle’s Creed not address some Christological issues defined in the Nicene and other Christian creeds. It thus says nothing explicitly about the divinity of either Jesus or the Holy Spirit. Nor does it address many other theological questions which became objects of dispute centuries later.
The earliest known mention of the expression “Apostles’ Creed” occurs in a letter of AD 390 from a synod in Milan and may have been associated with the belief, widely accepted in the 4th century, that, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, each of the Twelve Apostles contributed an article to the twelve articles or faith statements of the creed.
The Apostle’s Creed, 2000 Version
The following version of the Apostle’s Creed is from the Church of England’s book of Common Worship (2000):
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his 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.
The Apostle’s Creed, 1662 Version
This historic version from the Church of England, still used by several other protestant denominations, dates back to 1662:
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth:
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
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 on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost;
The holy Catholic Church;
The Communion of Saints;
The Forgiveness of sins;
The Resurrection of the body,
And the Life everlasting.
Amen.
The Old Roman Symbol, Earliest Version of the Apostle’s Creed
I believe in God the Father almighty;
and in Christ Jesus His only Son, our Lord,
Who was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
Who under Pontius Pilate was crucified and buried,
on the third day rose again from the dead,
ascended to heaven,
sits at the right hand of the Father,
whence He will come to judge the living and the dead;
and in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Church,
the remission of sins,
the resurrection of the flesh
(the life everlasting).
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*This introduction and texts of the Apostle’s Creed are from this page on Wikipedia.
Image at top: The 12 Apostles by Nicolas Poussin. Public Domain.