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TheNiceneCreed
(ThetextoftheNiceneCreedisinthepublicdomain.)

TheNiceneCreedisthedefinitivestatementof
Christianorthodoxy.
OriginsoftheNiceneCreed
TheNiceneCreedwasformulatedattheFirstEcumenicalCouncilatNicaeainAD325tocombat
Arianism,anditwasexpandedattheSecondEcumenicalCouncilatConstantinopleinAD381to
balanceitscoverageoftheTrinitybyincludingtheHolySpirit.Itistheonlycreedthatwas
promulgatedbyanyofthesevenecumenicalcouncilsandthusitistheonlycreedthatistruly
ecumenicalanduniversal.IntheOrthodoxChurch,itistheonlycreed.
TheNewTestamentandtheNiceneCreedaredeeplyentangledwitheachother.Thewording
andtheconceptsintheNiceneCreedcomefromtheNewTestamentinfact,oneofthemost
importantdebatesattheCouncilofNicaeaconcernedwhetheritispropertoincludeawordinthe
NiceneCreedthatdoesnotoccurintheNewTestament.Ontheotherhand,atthetimethatthe
ChurchissuedtheofficialcanonoftheNewTestament,itcustomarilycomparedwritingstothe
NiceneCreedtodetermineiftheywereorthodox.SoyouarecorrectifyousaythattheNicene
CreedproceedsfromtheNewTestament,andyouarecorrectifyousaythattheNewTestament
iscertifiedbytheNiceneCreed.
Toputitmoreprecisely,theNiceneCreedandthecanonoftheNewTestamentwereformed
togetheraspartofthesameprocess.
TheNiceneCouncilandtheTrinity
TheNiceneCouncildidnotinventtheTrinityintheearlyfourthcentury,assomepeopleimagine.
AfullcenturybeforetheNiceneCouncil,Tertullianwroteavoluminousexplanationanddefense
oftheTrinityandwasviewedbyhisthirdcenturycontemporariesasdefendingtheorthodox
Christianfaithtononbelievers.AcoupleofdecadesbeforeTertullian,ClementofAlexandriaand
Irenaeus,bishopsatoppositeendsoftheMediterraneanbasin,bothtaughttheTrinity.Ahalf
centuryormorebeforeIrenaeusandClement,wefindTrinitarianteachingsintheauthenticworks
ofJustinMartyr,whodiedin157.St.Ignatius,arespectedbishop,wasmartyredinhisoldage.

Onhiswaytohismartyrdom,hewroteepistlestothechurchesalongtheway,makingtheological
statementsthatarebestunderstoodinthecontextofTrinitariantheology.Itisimportanttonote
thatIgnatiuswasbornaboutAD33andthatduringhisadulthood,peoplewhohadknownthe
apostleswerestillalive.Finally,theDidache,anancientmanualofchurchdisciplinethatcould
possiblydatefromthemiddleofthefirstcentury,quotestheTrinitarianformulaofMatthew28:19
initsinstructionsforbaptism.
WecantracethedogmaoftheTrinitystraightbacktoapostolictimes.Wehaveitfromthepens
ofbishopsandtheologianswhowerechargedwithpreservingandpassingonthefaithandwho
livedallovertheMediterraneanbasin.Fromthiswecanonlyconcludethatmainstreamtheology
intheancientchurchbeforetheCouncilofNicaeawasTrinitarian.
ThefilioqueClause
InAD589,achurchcouncilinToledo,Spain,modifiedtheNiceneCreedsothattheHolySpiritis
saidtoproceedfromtheFatherandtheSon.(InLatin,andtheSonisfilioque,sothisisknownas
thefilioqueclause.)Theremaynothavebeenanyparticularmotiveforthischange,becauseit
lookslikesomethingascribewoulddotomendthetext.Itisalsopossiblethatthechangewas
intendedtostrengthenthedefenseoftheTrinity.Thefilioqueclausespreadthroughthewestern
partofthechurch.In796,PaulinusofAquileiadefendedthefilioqueclauseattheSynodofFriuli,
whichindicatesthatitwasopposed,andafterabout800itcreptintotheliturgyintheFrankish
Empire.SomeFrankishmonksusedthefilioqueclauseintheirmonasteryinJerusalemin807,
buteasternmonksdisputeditasimproper.BecausetheFrankishmonkswerefromthewest,the
matterwasescalatedtothebishopofRome(PopeLeoIII).Heapprovedofthesentiment,buthe
opposedthechangeinthewording.Leoarrangedforthecreedinitsoriginalform(withoutthe
filioqueclause)tobeengravedonsilvertabletsandhehadthemplacedatSt.Peterstomb.After
thesplitbetweenRomeandConstantinople,thefilioqueclausebecamepartoftheNiceneCreed
intheRomanCatholicChurch.ThishappenedattheCouncilofLyons,inFrance,in1274.
In1439,attheRomanCatholicCouncilofFlorence,theRomanCatholicChurchinvitedthe
EasternOrthodoxChurchesandattemptedareunion.Thereweremanyissues,someofwhich
seemtrivialtoday,butthemostimportantoneswerethepapacyandthefilioqueclauseinthe
Creed,whichisoursubjecthere.
TheOrthodoxdelegatestothecouncilagreedtoeverythingtheCatholicswanted,buttheywere
underpressure.Atthetime,Islamwasspreadingbywarfare,andOrthodoxlandswereunder
attack.Allattemptstomakepeacehadfailed.TheOrthodoxwantedmilitaryaidfromthewest,
andthepopeagreedtohelpthem,butonlyiftheysignedtheagreement.Sotheyalldid,except
forMarkosEugenikos,thetitularbishopofEphesus.Hedidnotsigntheagreementbecausehe
thoughtitwasasellout.ThepopeannouncedthatwithoutMarkossignaturethedealwasoff.
WhentheOrthodoxdelegationreturnedhome,onlyMarkoswashailedasahero,becausehe
wastheonlyonewhodidnotcompromisehisintegritytheothersregrettedtheiractions.Inthe
west,Markosisviewedasthemanwhopreventedtheunityofthechurch.Intheeast,heisSt.
MarkofEphesus,theconscienceofOrthodoxy.
TheOrthodoxdonotacceptthefilioqueclauseforscriptural,theological,andproceduralreasons:

ScripturalReasons

TheOrthodoxarguefromScripturethattheFathersendstheHolySpiritinJesusname
(John14:26).JesussaysthattheHolySpiritwillcome,notthatHewillsendtheHolySpirit.
Therefore,theHolySpiritproceedsonlyfromtheFather.SayingandtheSonaddstothe
Scripturalrevelation.CatholicsfeelthatScripturalreferencestotheHolySpiritastheSpirit
ofChristvalidatethefilioqueclause.
TheologicalReasons

TotheOrthodox,sayingthattheSpiritproceedsfromboththeFatherandtheSonhasthe
effectofcollapsingtheTrinityinonitself.TherelationshipbetweentheFatherandtheSon
isbegettingandtherelationshipbetweentheFatherandtheSpiritisprocession.Begetting
isaneternalrelationship,notaneventintimelikewise,processionisaneternal
relationship,notaneventintime.Catholicsfeelthefilioqueclausestrengthensthedogmaof
theTrinity.BothsidesagreeontheequalityofthePersonsoftheTrinity.
Wedontusethesewordsveryoften,soapointofclarificationisinorder:afatherbegets,a
motherconceives.JesusisbegottenoftheFatherandconceivedoftheVirginMary.The
begettingisaneternalrelationship,theconceptionisaneventintime.
ProceduralReasons

TheOrthodoxmaintainthatonepartoftheChurchdoesnothavetheauthoritytochange
whatisthepropertyofthewholeChurch.SinceCanonVIIoftheThirdEcumenicalCouncil
atEphesusinAD431isstillineffect,theNiceneCreedcanonlybechangedbyatrue
EcumenicalCouncil.TheCatholicsbelievethattheCouncilofLyonsin1274wasecumenical.
Whetherornotitwasecumenicaldependsonyourviewofthejurisdictionofthepope,so
thatgoesbacktotheissueofthepapacy.
ProtestantsinheritedthefilioqueclausefromtheRomanCatholicChurch.Afterrecent
consultationswiththeOrthodox,theUSEpiscopalChurchagreedtodropthefilioqueclausefrom
theNiceneCreedintheirnextversionoftheBookofCommonPrayer.
TheImportanceoftheNiceneCreedToday
TheChurchformulatedtheNiceneCreedbeforeitissuedanofficiallistofthebooksoftheNew
TestamentthatwerealreadyinuseasHolyScripture.AnotherwayoflookingatitisthatGod
chosethepeoplewhowereboundbytheNiceneCreedtoaffirmthecontentsoftheNew
Testament,therebyendorsingthetheologyofthecreed.TheNiceneCreedisthereforeareliable
testofourinterpretationoftheNewTestament.IfweareatvariancewiththeNiceneCreed,we
areinerror.SowhoeverdeniesthetheologyoftheNiceneCreedmustalsodenythetheologyof
theNewTestament,andwhoeverupholdstheNewTestamentasHolyScripturemustalsoaffirm
thetheologyoftheNiceneCreed.
Inthebeginning,theChurchdidnothaveaformalcreed,nordidithaveaformallistofthebooks
intheNewTestament.ThenitformulatedtheNiceneCreedtoexpressitsdoctrinesandtoserve
asatestoforthodoxteaching.SoforawhiletherewasaChurchwiththeNiceneCreedbut,even
thoughitusedthebooksoftheNewTestamentasHolyScripture,ithadnoofficialstatement
sayingthattheywere.AftertheChurchwasboundbytheNiceneCreed,itmadeaformallistof

thebooksintheNewTestament.Therefore,whoeverattemptstoreconstructtheancientChurch
withanofficiallistofNewTestamentbooksbutwithouttheNiceneCreedisreconstructingan
imaginarychurchthatneverexisted.Thisdoesntmeantheirchurchisinvalid,itjustmeansthatit
isntahistoricreconstruction,becauseinanypartofChurchhistoryinwhichtherewasanofficial
listofNewTestamentbooks,theNiceneCreedwastheofficialexpressionoffaithandthefinal
testoforthodoxy.
TheNiceneCreedisofficialinalleasternchurches,intheRomanCatholicChurch,andinallof
themainlineProtestantdenominations.
TheNiceneCreedinWorship
Obviously,theliturgyofthechurchpredatestheCreed.Atsomepoint,someoneinsertedthe
Creedintotheliturgy,andsinceitisimpossibletoremoveitwithoutappearingtodisagreewithit,
ithasstayedin.
Today,liturgicalChristianworshipalwaysincludestheNiceneCreedwheneverthereis
Communion.ItisacorporateproclamationthatcorrespondstotheSchema(Hear,OIsrael,the
LordthyGodisone)inthesynagogueliturgy.
ForMoreInsight
TheNiceneCreedwasspecificallydesignedtocombatArianism,Manichaeism,Apollinarianism,and
Monarchianism(anditsvariants,Modalism,Patripassianism,andSabellianism).Youcangetgreater
insightintotheNiceneCreedbyunderstandingtheheresiesitwasmeanttocombat.Youcan
alsoreadatimelinecomparingtheformationoftheNewTestamentcanonwiththehistoryofthe
NiceneCreed.
Notethatthecreedusesthewordcatholicinitsdictionarymeaningofuniversal.
TheTextoftheNiceneCreed
WebelieveinoneGod,
theFather,theAlmighty,
makerofheavenandearth,
ofallthatis,seenandunseen.
WebelieveinoneLord,JesusChrist,
theonlySonofGod,
eternallybegottenoftheFather,
GodfromGod,LightfromLight,
trueGodfromtrueGod,
begotten,notmade,
ofoneBeingwiththeFather.
ThroughHimallthingsweremade.
Forusandforoursalvation
Hecamedownfromheaven:

bythepoweroftheHolySpirit
HebecameincarnatefromtheVirginMary,
andwasmademan.
ForoursakeHewascrucifiedunderPontiusPilate
Hesuffereddeathandwasburied.
OnthethirddayHeroseagain
inaccordancewiththeScriptures
Heascendedintoheaven
andisseatedattherighthandoftheFather.
Hewillcomeagaininglorytojudgethelivingandthedead,
andHiskingdomwillhavenoend.
WebelieveintheHolySpirit,theLord,thegiveroflife,
whoproceedsfromtheFather.*
WiththeFatherandtheSonHeisworshipedandglorified.
HehasspokenthroughtheProphets.
WebelieveinoneholycatholicandapostolicChurch.
Weacknowledgeonebaptismfortheforgivenessofsins.
Welookfortheresurrectionofthedead,
andthelifeoftheworldtocome.AMEN.
*RomanCatholicsandProtestantsaddandtheSonatthispoint.TheversionwithIinsteadof
weisequallyvalid,makingitapersonalconfessionoffaith.