The second article of the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral states: “The Apostles’ Creed, as the Baptismal Symbol; and the Nicene Creed (are) sufficient statement(s) of the Christian faith” (The Book of Common Prayer p. 877).
Just what is a creed and why do we use them in the Church? The word creed comes from the Latin credo which means “I believe”, the first word of the Apostles’ Creed. This same Latin word is the root word for credence, credit, credible and also grant.
Within the Church the Creeds represent a brief and authoritative summary of the Christian faith. As such, the Creeds become statements or professions of the fundamental points of belief within the Church.
C. B. Moss provides us with a more poetic definition of a Creed:
“A man’s liberty to travel is not cramped by signposts; on the contrary, they save him time by showing what roads he must avoid if he wishes to reach his destination. The Creeds perform the same function.”
The Apostles’ Creed
Looking more closely at the two creeds, we note that the Catechism defines the Apostles’ Creed as the ancient Creed of baptism, used in the Church’s daily worship to recall our baptismal covenant or identity. The title for this particular Creed is first found around the year 390 in the writings of St. Ambrose. Legend holds that it was jointly composed by the twelve apostles.
By the early Middle Ages the Apostles’ Creed was used in the service of baptism in the West and between the seventh and ninth centuries found a permanent place in the daily offices of the Church.
The Book of Common Prayer prescribes its use at baptism in question and answer form and also at Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer.
Today the Apostles’ Creed has been increasingly used in discussions concerning Church union as representing a binding formulary of the faith. We see this clearly in our current ecumenical dialogues.
The Nicene Creed
In turning to the Nicene Creed, we find a more theological formulation of the faith issued by a council of the Church to defend the orthodox faith against the Arians and what has been called the Arian heresy (Arianism, through the teaching of Arius, maintained that the Son of God was not eternal but created by the Father from nothing as an instrument for the creation of the world; and that therefore He was not God by nature, but a changeable creature).
The Catechism defines the Nicene Creed as that Creed of the universal Church which is used regularly at the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Its use in Eucharistic worship after the Gospel apparently began at Antioch in the fifth century and gradually spread through the East and the West. In the early middle ages the Filioque (Latin, “and the son”) was added in the West.
Within the Church today, the Nicene Creed is used regularly on Sundays and the celebration of the greater feasts of the Church.
The Athanasian Creed
Another Creed that is mentioned in the Catechism and found in the Prayer Book (pp. 864-885) is the Athanasian Creed. It is interesting to note the connection between the Athanasian Creed and the Nicene Creed: Athanasius was considered a primary proponent in the formulation of the Nicene Creed in reaction to Arius.
Benjamin Disraeli in referring to this Creed notes that, “the Athanasian Creed is the most splendid ecclesiastical lyric ever poured forth by the genius of man”
Though the Creed takes its name from Athanasius, it is generally acknowledged that he did not write the Creed; it contains doctrinal expressions which arose only in later controversies within the Church.
The subject matter of the Creed falls into two halves which expound respectively the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation. That portion dealing with the Incarnation lists important events of our Lord’s redemptive work in a form that the Athanasian Creed is prefaced and concluded with the assertion that belief in the truths that it asserts, is necessary for salvation.
Creeds summarize faith
The Creeds of the Church provide us with a summary of the faith as revealed in scripture and celebrated in the sacraments of the Church. It is interesting to note their location in our liturgy. In the Eucharist, for example, the Nicene Creed follows the liturgy of the word and serves as a profession of faith prior to the liturgy of the table.
If we recall momentarily Hooker’s threefold authority for ministry being scripture, tradition and reason, we see an encapsulation of the tradition in the Creeds of the Church. The Creeds themselves are a part of the ongoing tradition of the Church and evolved in the midst of controversy, heresy and the need for an adequate formulation of Christian belief.
The law of living
In the Episcopal Church we frequently note that “the law of praying is the law of believing”, to which I have added, “the law of believing is the law of living.” That which we profess in words becomes a profession of our life which we call Christian vocation.
The two great Creeds of the Church help us understand our baptismal identity (Apostles’ Creed) and our ongoing need for the sacrament of strengthening and intensification in the Holy Eucharist (Nicene Creed). As trinitarian formulations, they help us to understand how and what we believe God to be, as one Who is Parent, Brother and abiding Presence in the fellowship of love that we call the Church.
The question continually before us is, does that which we profess in the Creeds manifest itself in our daily Christian living?
In Christ,