Last time we looked at the rather stormy development of the Nicene Creed. We saw how it really did develop out of controversy over the nature of Jesus Christ, disputes that took over a century to resolve. The Apostles Creed pre-dates the Nicene Creed, in the sense that it was in use before the Council of Nicaea, but it never came to be official church doctrine until the 9th Century.
It is very much a foundational document, accepted by nearly all churches around the globe. Martin Luther used it as a basis for his shorter catechism whilst John Calvin used it, alongside the Lord’s Prayer and the 10 Commandments to produce his great document of the Reformation the “Institutes of the Christian Religion”, still regarded today as representing authoritative reformed theology.
The Apostles 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 into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there 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 life everlasting.
Background
It’s the ninth century. Garibaldus, Bishop of Le Leige in Southern France, is reading a letter he has just received from the holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne (Charles the Great). The emperors concern is that there should be uniformity to what was being taught to the Christians throughout the empire.
He is insisting that parents and godparents should be evaluated on their knowledge of the creed, indeed all Christians should be familiar with it and priests should know it, not by memory but in such a way as to be able to explain it those in their charge.
Rather like Constantine sought to unite the Roman Empire by his adoption of Christianity, Charlemagne desired to unite most of what is now Northern Europe into one super-state. During his reign he wanted not only political unity but also cultural renewal; a movement that became known as ‘The Carolingian Renaissance’.
The letter Bishop Garibaldus of Le Leige had received was part of the process in which Charlemagne was engaged: - namely seeking out detailed information on liturgical practice throughout the realm and specifically asking what use was being made of the creed. He organized a council in 813 to declare the Apostles Creed the standard of doctrinal and liturgical uniformity.
When he received his letter from Charlemagne, Bishop Garibaldus was in the fortunate position of being able to reply that within his diocese all the priests knew and used the apostles creed, and had been doing so for a number of years.
But where exactly did it come from? How many years had it been in use?
Our Scriptures contain a number of passages that may well have functioned as creeds. Maybe the oldest and shortest in the New Testament is the simple statement “Jesus is Lord”. But in passages such as Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Deuteronomy 26:5-9 we see that the idea of statements of faith had a root in much earlier traditions.
Deuteronomy 6:4-6 Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. 6 Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.
Deuteronomy 26:5-9 You shall make this response before the LORD your God: "A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. 6 When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, 7 we cried to the LORD, the God of our ancestors; the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8 The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; 9 and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey
The New Testament gives us many examples of statements, either being asked for or explicitly stated.
Matthew 16:13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
Philippians 2:11 Every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures
Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
As early as the Second century there were in existence a number of documents that spoke of a summary of doctrine known as “The Rule of Faith” – an outline and summary of what the apostles had taught that was useful in teaching new converts about the faith.
One reason we know so little about these rules of faith is that the early church was a persecuted community that operated under a rule of secrecy. Creedal Statements were closely associated with sacramental celebrations of Communion and Baptism, both sacraments easily misunderstood and therefore performed in secret. It is thought that the earliest versions of “The Rule of Faith” represented promises made by baptismal candidates when they were received into the church.
The candidate would be asked, “Do you believe in God the Father, Almighty?” and expected to reply “I believe.” A similar question and answer pattern would be followed as questions about Jesus and the Holy Spirit were asked. This threefold affirmation would be followed by baptism in the threefold name of the One God.
Reciting a creed in this setting became known by the Latin word “sacramentum’ – the same word which is at the root of our English word ‘sacraments’. A sacramentum was understood as taking a solemn oath; such as soldiers in the army declaring their allegiance to their country.
The word ‘symbol’ was also used to describe this “Rule of faith” in that a symbol pointed to something other than itself. Reciting the Creed reminded the Christian of their baptism and their vow of trust in God Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
As Christianity became more accepted, references to the “Rule of faith’ start to appear in the documents of those writing in defense of Christianity. One of the early fathers, Justin Martyr, defended his beliefs by appealing to their uniformity. The same expressions of faith were being used throughout the empire.
Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon in the Second Century, a great defender of Christian doctrine against the many heresies that had arisen, made the constant claim that a consensus he called ‘the canon of truth’ existed wherever the gospel was proclaimed. Irenaeus was also one of the first to speak of the collection of books we regard as the New Testament as being used with authority in the churches.
He was thought to have learned the gospel from studying under an earlier church father known as John the Elder, who in turn had learnt the faith from John the disciple of Jesus. Tertullian, the first scholar to write in Latin, repeatedly appeals to a “Rule of faith’ whilst his Roman contemporary Tertullian uses a form of a creed very similar to the Apostles creed in a book called “the Apostolic Tradition’ that dates back to the late second century.
Whilst there is a tradition that each of the twelve apostles contributed a line each to the Creed as we now have it, (popularized in a series of sermons wrongly attributed to St.. Augustine titled “The Symbol”) such a view has not been widely held since the Middle ages, and even then had it’s detractors. The Apostles Creed is however regarded as reflecting genuine apostolic teaching based on Scripture..
The first literary reference to the form of the apostles creed as we have it today comes from the writings of a Spanish Benedictine monk called Priminius who moved from southern France to Germany in the eighth century. The Saracens invaded the area in 718 and the church singled out for particular persecution.
Fleeing from the area and heading further south, Priminius began mission work in the Lake Constance area, and founded a monastery at Reichenau. To help his community in their outreach efforts he composed a handbook of Christian Traditions.
In it he reminds his readers of the solemn nature of their baptisms; “Thus we recall to your memories the pact we made with God in the baptistery itself; that is how, when we were severally asked by the priest our names and how we were called, either you yourself answered, if you were already of an age to answer, or at all events he who was undertaking the vow for you and lifted you up out of the water answered.” Then follows the Apostles creed in question and answer form.
By the beginning of the ninth century the creed had come to have a virtual monopoly in Western Europe. Rome received back, in an enriched form, a rule of faith it had helped develop since at least as early as the second century – the essential tenets of the gospel known since the days of the apostles.
Essential Tenets of the Creed
ONE GOD
The Father, Son and Holy Spirits are three personal manifestations of the One God. The Nicene Creed elaborates further on their relationship.
GOD IS FATHER
Father of Jesus Christ – in the sense that Jesus had an organic intimate relationship with God. The Nicene Creed again explores the nature of Jesus. Our Father – we’re born from above into the family of God through our faith in Jesus Christ.
GOD IS FATHER-SON-HOLY SPIRIT
Note that this designation is not “Creator-Redeemer-Sustainer” or “Shepherd-Helper-Refuge” – which while wonderful ways od describing the action if God fail to define who God is!
ALMIGHTY
All-ruling rather than “over-powering”.
CREATOR
The creation debate continues! We assert ‘Separate from creation’ - nothing in creation is worthy of our ultimate commitment.
The Apostles Creed is a rule of faith that unites Christians across many traditions. I recall we had, in one town where I served, a ministers group that was made up of a variety of folk from numerous traditions. Somebody suggested we needed a statement of faith. In the end we settled on the Apostles Creed, as despite our differences, it was an orthodox statement of the essentials of faith that we could agree upon.
It is appropriate that when we share in Holy Communion it is the one most frequently use in our services. Around a table that is designed to unite us we speak words that define our one faith.