This is a linear study of the major Creeds of the Church, presenting observations concerning the evolution of Christian doctrine as illustrated by their successive development. I hope you will find this interesting. All of the Creeds are in the public domain, and you are free to use any or all of this material as you may wish, "at your own risk". Here is a prototypical version of what has come to be known to us as the "Apostles' Creed". This version appears to date from the latter third century. I believe in the Almighty Father *1 God and in Jesus Christ, His only begotten *2 Son, our Lord who was born of the Holy Ghost and virgin *3 Mary and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and was buried and the third day rose again from the dead ascending *4 into heaven and was seated at the right hand of the Father whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead and in the Holy Ghost the Holy *5 Church the remission of sins and the resurrection of the flesh. Amen. NOTES: 1. essentially the grammar of the first clause equates the Father with God, and nothing is here said to include the Son in this definition. 2. this might be best understood as "the only Son he has produced". 3. note the equality of emphasis placed on the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary in the conception of Christ. Also note that "virgin" here is a generic term for younger (implied) unmarried woman, and does not strictly mean sexually inex- perienced, though this might be expected of such a person. 4. Note that this creed held that the resurrection and the ascension occurred simultaneously, compare with the fragment of the Lost Gospel of Peter. 5. Note first the attribution of "Holiness" to the church as an organsim, and second, the absence of the term "universal" or "Catholic". **************************************************************** The Latter version of the Apostles' Creed. I believe in God the Father, the Almighty Creator *1 of heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord who was conceived *2 by the Holy Spirit born of the virgin Mary suffered *3 under Pontius Pilate was crucified, died, and was burried On the third day, He arose again from the dead in accordance with the scriptures *4 He ascended *5 into heaven and is seated on the right hand of Father whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead and His kingdom will have no end [see note 8.] I believe in the Holy Spirit the Holy catholic *6 church the communion of the saints [see note 8.] the forgiveness of sins the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting *7. Amen. NOTES: 1. Note the identification of God, the Father as the Creator, something which we might take for granted today, but an impor tant affirmation in the face of Gnostic teaching, which held that the Father and the "creator" of the OT account are two different entities. 2. Note the greater emphasis on the Holy Spirit as the Actor in the conception of Christ, and the relative subjugation of Mary as compared to the primitive version. 3. The suffering of Christ is proclaimed as a rebuttal to the Gnostic conception that the Christ Spirit left the man Jesus to suffer on the Cross. 4. For the first time the allusion to the scriptural fortelling of Christ's birth. 5. There is a subtle change in the language here which leaves the relative time of the resurrection and the ascension undefined, but moves away from implying co-incedence. 6. The first inclusion of the term "catholic", to be understood as universal. This did not mean that the church was seen as all embracing, but rather that it claimed exclusivity, i.e. there was no real Christianity at variance with its teachings and practice. 7. We have here moved beyond the idea of resurrection toward an implication of a new order of post-resurrection life. 8. These lines not found in quite a number of specimens. ************************************************************* The Nicene Creed We *1 believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen *2 We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ the only Son of God, eternally *3 begotten of the Father God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God begotten, not made *4, of one being with the Father *5 Through Him all things were made. *6 For us and for our salvation, He came down *7 from heaven by the power *8 of the Holy Spirit He became incarnate from the virgin Mary and was made man. For our sake *9 He was crucified under Pontius Pilate He suffered death and was burried. On the third day He arose 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 *10. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver *11 of life who proceeds *12 from the Father and the Son with *13 the Father and the Son He is worshipped and glorified He has spoken *14 through the Prophets. We believe in one *15 Holy catholic and apostolic *16 church We acknowledge one baptism *17 for the forgiveness of sins We look *18 for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world *19 to come. Amen. NOTES: 1. The first emphasis on corporate confession of faith. The earlier creeds were for personal or corporate use, this implies a shift to a more liturgical setting for its use, and /or may be seen to affirm a less individual and more collective notion of the practice of religion. 2. This appears to be intended to combat the dualist/Gnostic idea that the "seen" things or temporal world is somehow inferior and inherently evil, and was produced by another entity than the Father. 3. Here is the first implication of the pre-existence of Christ before His birth. 4. Here for the first time Christ's "begotten-ness" is proclaimed to have not been a creative act of the Father, and thus Christ is now seen in a co-equality with the Father not before expressed in the creeds. 5. Here for the first time Christ is equated with God, and God with Christ. We see the beginning of the development of Trinitarian doctrine. 6. Here Christ is portrayed as a prime agent in the Creation, tying together and affirming points #2, #4 and #5. 7. Here Christ is seen as deciding to be born, and being the primary agent in the causation of His Incarnation, in contrast to His relative passivity in the prior creeds. 8. The "Power" of the Holy Spirit takes more primacy in the actual mechanism of the incarnation, further reducing the original co-equality with Mary found in the prior creeds. 9. Here we see the beginning of a concept of substitutionary atonement. 10. Here we see the beginning of a concept of an eternal Theocracy with Christ as its Davidic King. 11. The Holy Spirit is here first implied to be the agent in the communication of life to the believer. This is the beginning of the development of a definition and theology of the Holy Spirit. 12. Here is the first attempt at explaining the relationship of the Holy Spirit to the Father and to Christ. 13. As the Holy Spirit is beginning to be defined as a person of the Godhead, we are reminded that He is to be worshipped in the same manner as the Father AND the Son. We see in this creed for the first time the equality of three persons in the Godhead. 14. A further expansion on the identity of the Holy Spirit, this reference equating the "neuter" Holy Spirit with the "feminine" 'ruakh' and/or 'khokhma' Spirit and Wisdom of the OT, which was seen as empowering the Prophets to their miracles and signs, and speaking God's Word through them. 15. The "one-ness" or exclusivity of the Church is again proclaimed here; once again, it is important to understand that this was not a statement of inclusiveness, but of exclusiveness. 16. Here for the first time the church is identified as "apostolic", i.e. based on the authority of the apostles; which came to be understood as "Petrine succession". 17. For the first time the issue of Baptism is defined in a creedal form, and it is here understood as a sacrament or rite the purpose of which is the conveyance of the forgiveness of sins, (as contrasted with its original purpose of signifying acceptance into the community as a "new person"). This doctrine underwent much further development, and was a scource of schism in the church as late as post-Reformation times. 18. For the first time in creedal form, an apocalyptic hope is expressed; i.e. the adherent sees the possibility and/or likelihood of the resurrection event in their lifetime. This signals a return to the eschatology of the first generation of Christians, which is absent from the earlier creeds. 19. Once again we see a further development of the concept of what Life after resurrection is all about, here the re- establishment of a world-order. **************************************************************** Here follows the creed of St. Athanasius, the first explicit theology of the Holy Trinity. I'll let it speak for itself. The reader should note the further development of Trinitarian doctrine, and that for the first time an explicit Trinitarian belief system is seen as necessary to saving faith. The Creed of St. Athanasius Whoever will be saved, above all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith, which faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. The Catholic faith is this: That we worship God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity niether confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of teh Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit, but the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the Glory equal, the Majesty co-eternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated. The Father is incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal. And yet they are not three eternals, but One eternal. As also there is not three incomprehensibles, nor three uncreated, but One uncreated and One incomprehensible. So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Spirit Almighty, and yet there are not three almighties, but One Almighty. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, yet there are not three gods, but one God, so likewise the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, and the Holy Spirit is Lord, yet there are not three lords, but One Lord. For we are compelled by Christian Verity to acknowledge every Person to be by Himself both God and Lord. So we are forbidden by the Catholic Religion to say there are three Gods or three Lords. The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten The Son is of the Father, neither created nor made, but begotten The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, neither made nor created nor begotten but proceeding. So there is One Father, not three fathers, One Son, not three sons, One Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits. In this Trinity none is afore nor after the other, none is greater or less that another, but the whole Three Persons are co-eternal together, and co-equal, so that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore who would be saved must thus think of the Trinity. Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, for the right Faith is that we believe and confess that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God, the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds, and Man of the substance of His mother, born into the world. Perfect God and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting, equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His Manhood, who although He be God and Man is not two, but One Christ, One, not by the conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by the taking of Manhood into God, One altogether, not by confusion of substance but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is of one Man, so God and Man is One Christ, who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, He sits on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty, from whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead, at whose coming shall all men rise again with their bodies and shall give account for their own works; and they that have done good shall go into everlasting life, and they that have done evil into everlasting fire. This is the Catholic Faith, which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved. **************************************************************** As the Creed of St. Athanasius, Quicunque Vult, is now believed by many scholars to be spurious, I also give you Article V of the Council of Chalcedon. (The Quincunque Vult was originally considered to be a creed of the Church by the Church of England, but was later removed from Article VII of the Articles of Religion.) Article V of the Council of Chalcedon, 451 a.c.e. Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in Manhood, truly God and truly Man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance [homoousios] with the Father as regards His Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards His Manhood; like unto us in all respects, apart from sin, as regards His Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards His Manhood, begotten for us men and for our salvation of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer [theotokos] one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only begotten, recognised in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of Him, and our Lord Jesus Christ Himself taught us, and the creed of the Fathers has handed down to us. ***************************************************************************** This in no way should be taken as an exhaustive commentary on the creeds and their successive development. I provide this to you only as a catalyst to their study, and to stimulate thought about the development of the doctrines which we often hold with out much thought of their origin and evolution. Please feel free to post me your comments and/or questions as I'd enjoy further discussing this. IHS Greg W.