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.
Amen.
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Where Does This Prayer Come From?
There's a beautiful old story about this Creed.
Pentecost.
The Twelve, filled with the Holy Spirit.
Each apostle adds one line.
Twelve apostles.
Twelve articles.
It's a lovely picture.
But it's a legend.
Hints of it show up in the late 300s.
The full version, naming which apostle wrote which line, comes even later.
So where does the Creed really come from?
Baptism.
In Rome, new Christians professed a short creed when they were baptized.
Historians call it the Old Roman Creed.
A form of it was already in use in the 100s.
Around A.D. 200, Irenaeus and Tertullian give creeds that match it almost line for line.
Around 390, a letter from the Council of Milan to Pope Siricius calls it "the Symbol of the Apostles."
That's the first time we see the name.
Over the centuries, a few lines were filled in.
"He descended into hell."
"The communion of saints."
The wording we pray today was settled by about the 700s.
The Catechism says it is called the Apostles' Creed because it is "rightly considered to be a faithful summary of the apostles' faith."
It is "the ancient baptismal symbol of the Church of Rome."
— CCC 194
The apostles did not write it line by line, but every line is what they preached.
Listen to St. Paul:
Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures: And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures.
— 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
Wait.
Died.
Buried.
Rose the third day.
That's the Creed.
In a letter of St. Paul.
Many Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists and Reformed Christians pray this Creed too.
You may read "the holy catholic Church" differently.
But you at least have to admit:
the Creed you pray was handed down by the Church of Rome.
Not twelve authors.
One apostolic faith.
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