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What are the origins of the Apostle Creed and the Nicene Creed?

Catholics are generally familiar with two creeds – the Nicene Creed which we typically recite at Sunday Mass and the Apostle’s Creed which is the first prayer of the rosary. Both share the quality of being a creed of the Church.

The word creed comes from the Latin word credo, meaning “I believe.” The purpose of any form of the Creed is to provide a basic, succinct statement of the faith.

The origin of the Apostle’s Creed has been lost in time. An ancient tradition held that on the day of Pentecost, the twelve apostles composed this Creed, with each apostle contributing one of the twelve articles. Today that tradition is no longer widely held. The earliest written versions that we have are from the 4th century, so it was likely composed later than the Apostolic era. The Catechism asserts that we can rightly call it the Apostle’s Creed not because the apostles wrote it, but because it is “rightly considered to be a faithful summary of the apostles’ faith.”

The origin of the Nicene Creed is better known. It was the product of the first two “Ecumenical Councils” in the history of the Church. The First Council of Nicaea was held in modern-day Turkey in the year 325. This council was convoked to combat the heresy of Arius, a very popular priest who basically denied the divinity of Christ. It was here that the Council wanted to teach very clearly that Jesus Christ is “consubstantial” or “one in Being” with the Father, sharing the same divine nature. However, this council did not give us the finished product that we pray today.

Over fifty years later, the Second Ecumenical Council was held in Constantinople (modern day Istanbul) in 381. As a complement to the Council of Nicaea, this council made a point to assert Jesus’ humanity. It used the Creed approved at Nicaea and expanded on the descriptions of Jesus’ birth and Passion: “by the Holy Spirit [he] was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried.”

The Second Council added significantly to the last half of the Creed which recites what we believe about the Holy Spirit, “the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.” And added the final stanza on the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church,” along with references to baptism, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal life.

The Nicene Creed that we profess today is the finished version of what was begun in 325 at the council in Nicaea and finished in 381 in Constantinople.


Author Bio:
Deacon Dan Vaughn