The Nicene & Apostles’ Creeds

The Creeds

Two creeds were developed in the early centuries of the Church, which have remained important to the Church and are regularly used in Christian worship today. They are the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed – I tend to lean toward the Nicene Creed¹ as my Testament of Faith, mostly because it wraps up all the loose ends and is more to the point.

But, if you would like a modern version, then try out my Poetic version.

People who were preparing for baptism in the early centuries of the Christian Church, learned a summary of what Christians believe. It was the Apostles’ Creed which was accepted, because it was thought to include the essential teaching of the 12 apostles, Jesus’ earliest followers. It was in that faith of the apostles that Christians were, and are, baptised.

The Apostles’ Creed is, therefore, a summary of what the Church teaches, and of what Christians together believe, rather than a detailed statement of individual and personal belief. Saying either of the Creed’ binds Christians together as a believing community, across different traditions and practices.

As we say the Creed, we join Christians past and present, and from all over the world, in proclaiming our common faith.

The Creeds Compared

Here I have compiled the Creeds, side-by-side. The Apostles’ Creed has been softened by the mainstream Church over time, to make it more friendly and so “not to scare people.” Whereas the Nicene Creed is very much a “belts & braces”, no holding back, black and white Creed.

As I mentioned earlier, I think the Nicene Creed is more efficient at removing the ambiguity of what “is” and what “is not”, so making it not Heretical. So, now you know, and you can make your own enlightened decision as to which you prefer.

Note: The wording below, uses the most common English liturgical forms of the Apostles’ Creed & Nicene Creed, as used in most Western churches.

Apostles’ Creed	Nicene Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. And 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.	We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father (and the Son), who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Apostles’ Creed

Nicene Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

And 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.

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father (and the Son), who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Quick takeaway

Apostles’ Creed → shorter, simpler, more ancient in structure
- Often used in baptisms and daily prayer
- Emphasizes narrative flow of Jesus’ life
Nicene Creed → longer, more precise, more theological
- Written to clarify beliefs about Christ’s divinity
- Explicitly counters early Christian controversies
- Used universally in Eucharistic liturgy

Summary

Apostles’ Creed:
- Simple
- Narrative
- Personal
- “Here’s the faith we received”
Nicene Creed:
- Precise
- Defensive
- Communal
- “Here’s exactly what we mean — no loopholes”

I hope you have found this page of interest. If you have any questions, thoughts, doubts, then feel free to contact me. I am always open to fair dialogue and the discovery of the truth, even when I’m wrong.

Peace be with you – Muz.

My reasoning comes from my heart and mind. It was the early church, that decided which books were included in the final Bible, and as we know, it was the early church that adopted the Apostles’ Creed. Call me a doubting-Thomas if you like, but I feel that the early church may have made some personal-interest decisions, regarding what the people were allowed to see or read. For instance, the number of books in the Bible depends on the religious tradition: Protestant Bibles have 66 books (39 Old Testament, 27 New Testament), the Catholic Bible contains 73 books (including 7 deuterocanonical books), and the Eastern Orthodox canons have 76–81 books, whilst the Ethiopian Bible has 88 and is proposed as being the oldest, complete set of Christian books. ↩︎