Parallel to the canonization of the New Testament, the early church developed statements or confessions of faith, now also known as the Old Roman Creed, the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. As actual manuscripts of New Testament writings were only very scarcely available, these creeds were memorized and recited at the moment of baptism by a new believer and shared between Christians during meetings and times of fellowship and prayer.

They were also worded and composed to address heretic influences in the young church by explicitly mentioning certain attributes of God and Jesus and/or certain teachings to differentiate the true Christianity from these heresies.[1]

These creeds are today still recognized as a core definition of our faith and used and recited during Christian services.

The Old Roman Creed

The oldest creed is now known as the Old Roman Creed or the Ramanun. It occurs first in writings of the mid fourth century. Exact dating of the creed is difficult, but likely the form that has been preserved was developed at the end of the second century – early third century.[2] Notice the very explicit statements about Christ’s human nature which address the gnostic heresy that Christ was only a spirit, not a human man.

“I believe in God the Father Almighty. And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary; crucified under Pontius Pilate and buried; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father, from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead. And in the Holy Spirit; the holy church; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the flesh.”

It likely was already used – perhaps in a somewhat different form – in earlier times. An earlier fragment of this creed – probably from early to mid second century or perhaps even the end of the first century simply states:

"I believe in God the Father Almighty, and in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord. And in the Holy Spirit, the holy church, the resurrection of the flesh."

The Apostles' Creed

The successor to the Old Roman Creed was the Apostles’ Creed. It is first mentioned in writings from 390 AD, but was probably used much earlier, likely already in the second half of the third century. According to ancient tradition, it was composed and used by the original apostles, with each apostle contributing a statement. This is obviously a legend, but it does illustrate how highly esteemed the text was considered to be.[3] The text clearly builds on the Old Roman Creed, and like its predecessor, it explicitly addresses the false teachings of Gnosticism about the human nature of Christ. Compared to the Old Roman creed, the Apostles' Creed adds statements of belief about the creation, the descent of Christ into hell to defeat Satan, the unity of the church (catholic in this context means united church, there is no relationship to what we now know as the Roman Catholic Church) and the ever lasting life.

“I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth

And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary

Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and 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 quick and the dead

I believe in the Holy Ghost

I believe in a holy catholic church; the communion of saints

The forgiveness of sins

The resurrection of the body

And the life everlasting. Amen.”

The doctrinal statements in the above text are clear and concise and although written many centuries ago, this creed still very effectively and correctly describes the core Christians beliefs.

In the words of Philip Schaff: [4]

“As the Lord’s Prayer is the Prayer of prayers, the Decalogue is the Law of laws, so the Apostles’ Creed is the Creed of creeds. It contains all the fundamental articles of the Christian faith necessary to salvation, in the form of facts, in simple Scripture language, and in the most natural order—the order of revelation—from God and the creation down to the resurrection and life everlasting.”  

The Nicene Creed

The Nicene creed was agreed upon as the result of the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. It further expands the Apostles’ creed to address the new heresies of those days popularized by Arius (ca. 250-336 AD), a pastor from Alexandria in Egypt . Arius and his followers (called Arianism) claimed that Christ was merely man and not God (so the complete opposite of Gnosticism that claimed that Christ was only spirit/God, not man). Therefore we find more explicit statements about the divinity of Christ, and it also expands the concept of the Trinity, the unity between God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit:

“I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.”