Christ the King Episcopal Church
Lakeland, Florida
THE CREEDS
"We believe in One God,
the Father, the Almighty...
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God...
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life."
(The Nicene Creed)
I Believe
The word “Creed” comes from the Latin “credo,” meaning “I believe.” The Creeds are the statements of our basic beliefs about God in the Christian tradition. Episcopalians regularly use two creeds in public worship: The Apostles’ Creed and The Nicene Creed. A third creed, The Creed of St. Athanasius, is not typically used in public worship but is still a valuable statement.
The community of faith uses the creeds to openly declare its beliefs, and by professing such statements of belief we unite ourselves to Christians in the past, present, and future. When dealing with the creeds, it is valuable to remember that any relationship with God is both a personal journey and a communal experience. The creeds articulate the communal, experience of the Church - defined and lived over 2000 years. Individuals recall them as they join with others in the process of discovery and experience. Their importance lies in individual experience intersecting with communal experience over a lifetime of spiritual journey.
It is natural to have doubts and questions, and in the Episcopal Church we encourage such! Join us for any of our classes, forums, or studies to discuss, learn, and engage with others on the journey.
Two Creeds
The Apostles’ Creed dates from the earliest years of the Christian Church and has been used historically as a statement of faith for Baptism. The Episcopal Church uses the Apostles’ Creed at Morning and Evening Prayer, and at baptisms, funerals, and confirmations.
The Nicene Creed was initially adopted in 325 CE by bishops together in a Council at Nicaea in Asia Minor. The council was originally called by the emperor as a way to respond to the Christological heresy of Arius (see below). The creed written at Nicaea was amended at a Council held in Constantinople in 381 CE - itself called to address additional controversies and heresies. The Nicene Creed (from 325 & 381 CE) is the universal statement of the Christian faith and is said corporately in The Episcopal Church at services of Holy Eucharist (Sundays and Major Feasts), as well as at ordinations. The Nicene Creed can be found on pages 326 and 358 in The Book of Common Prayer.
The Nicene Creed in Context
The development of the Nicene Creed mirrors the story of Christianity's self-discovery as it came to more deeply grasp the meaning of God and the way of following Jesus of Nazareth. To understand the Nicene Creed (as well as, to some extent, the Apostle's creed, though its history is more hidden), we must turn to one of the great heretics of the church: Arius (250-336 CE). A heretic is quite simply someone who holds an opinion at odds with that is generally accepted or denies the core doctrine of what is generally taught. In the case of the history of the Nicene Creed, Arius held and taught a heretical opinion about the personhood of Jesus. Namely, Arius suggested that Jesus is a creation within history, distinct from and subordinate to God.
That Jesus is a created being and not divine stood contrary to the generally held opinion of a vast majority in Christendom as well as to the teaching passed on from the apostles. For Arius, Jesus is "super human," but still completely human - negating not only the divinity of Jesus but the very essence of the Trinity. As the controversy raged into the fourth century CE, the need for clarification became clear. While Christians already embraced a number of creeds and creed-like formulas, none of them adequately addressed Arius. The Church was in need of an all-encompassing Creed! Against this backdrop, the Emperor Constantine, himself a new follower of Jesus, called the bishops to order. The bishops thus gathered gathered in 325 CE at Nicaea (on the west coast of Asia minor).
Of the 1800 bishops then in office in Christendom, between 250 and 300 were able to attend. At the Council, the understanding that Jesus was indeed divine as well as human won out with overwhelming support by the bishops. Only twenty-two bishops even initially supported Arius. By the end of the Council only two supporters remained. The text produced by the Council demonstrates the now orthodox Christology.