The Creed

The central and most important part of Sacred Tradition is the Creed. The word comes from the Latin root for "I believe." A Creed is a statement by a specific religion about what it believes to be essential and necessary. The two most ancient creeds are the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, which is recited every Sunday or holy day of obligation at Catholic Masses around the world. The Nicene Creed was written at the Council of Nicea in 325 as a response to Arianism (which believed that there was no Trinity of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit) and to profess the Church's doctrine on the divinity of Christ. The oldest creed, however, is the Apostle's Creed. Although it was probably not written by the actual apostles of Jesus, it has been traced back to the first century.

The Nicene Creed was a more evolved version of the Apostles' creed, adapted to the contemporary times of the 4th century. The Nicene Creed emphasized loyalty to God and His Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that the Creed is one of the four pillars of faith, along with the 10 Commandments, the seven sacraments, and the "Our Father" prayer. The text of both creeds are a summary of everything that Catholcism regards as divinely revealed truths.

The Apostles' Creed - "I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence He shall 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. Amen."

The Nicene Creed - "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, 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 men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit, he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day, he rose again in fulfillment of 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. With the Father and the Son, he is worshipped and glorified. He 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 of the life of the world to come. Amen."

Over the next few days, we'll go over the sections of the Apostles Creed in greater detail, so we can better understand this example of Sacred Tradition and Catholic beliefs.