We Believe: Reflections on the Nicene Creed
In May and June 325, the new Roman Emperor Constantine gathered hundreds of bishops to his summer palace in Nicaea. The immediate cause of their Council was a theological debate, emerging out of Alexandria, concerning the eternity and divinity of Jesus. By the end of their time together, the bishops affirmed the divinity of Christ and codified this doctrine in the first version of a document we call the Nicene Creed.
Few of the bishops gathered would have expected their Creed to become a regular part of Sunday worship, and none of them would have expected it to survive 1700 years. Yet to this day, the Nicene Creed remains the most fundamental and unifying doctrinal statement across the worldwide Church. (Note for history buffs: the Nicene Creed we use in worship today did begin in 325, but it was expanded in 381 at the Council of Constantinople. Then, in 1014, the pope added one more clause to the Latin version of the Creed, in its section on the Holy Spirit: filioque, which means “and the son.”)
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Reflections on the Nicene Creed
On the occasion of this anniversary, Anglican Compass is publishing a series of reflections on the Nicene Creed. Each reflection focuses on a single clause of the Creed, exploring both its theology and what it means for us to confess that clause every week.
For a title, we are calling this set of reflections “We Believe.” The title points to the great cloud of witnesses who have confessed the Creed over the past 1700 years, including those alive today in our congregations and around the world.
Moreover, as the opening words of each section in the Creed, “we believe” expresses a Trinitarian confession in the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Church who worships this one God.
- We believe in one God, the Father…
- We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ…
- We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord…
- We believe in one, holy, catholic, apostolic church…
May this series of articles strengthen the faith for all who proclaim “We Believe.”
Articles in this Series
As we publish articles in this series, we will collect links to them here.
- We Believe: In One God, by Peter Johnston
- We Believe: The Father, The Almighty, by Andrew Brashier
- We Believe: Maker of Heaven and Earth, by Jacob Davis
- We Believe: Of All That Is, Visible and Invisible, by Stephen Noll
The Nicene Creed: A Rookie Anglican Guide
First drafted by bishops gathered at the Council of Nicaea in 325, the Nicene Creed is now affirmed by all major Christian denominations as a fundamental expression of the faith.
We Believe: In One God
To Christians today, it seems hardly remarkable that the Nicene Creed should begin with a declaration of monotheism: “We believe in one God.” We tend to gloss over this line, often saying it without thinking. When we do discuss it, we can treat it as boring and basic, as monotheistic milk before the trinitarian meat….
