Apostles' Creed

The Apostles' Creed is a statement of Christian belief, used by both Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches. It reflects beliefs that were affirmed officially in the Nicene Creed by the entire Church. In its present form, it dates to about the eighth century. While it is attributed in name to the Apostles, the creed in its current form was not formulated until a few hundred years after their deaths.

History

The Old Roman Creed

An early iteration of the Apostles' Creed, called the Old Roman Creed, was used as early as the second century. The earliest written form of the Old Roman Creed is in a letter that Marcellus of Ancyra wrote to Julius, Bishop of Rome in about 341 AD. The Text of the Old Roman Creed is as follows, with the last phrase in brackets included by some and omitted by others.

I believe in God the Father almighty;
and in Christ Jesus His only Son, our Lord,
Who was born from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
Who under Pontius Pilate was crucified and buried,
on the third day rose again from the dead,
ascended into heaven,
sits at the right hand of the Father,
whence he will come to judge the living and the dead;
and in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Church,
the remission of sins,
the resurrection of the flesh,
[life everlasting].

The Apostles' Creed

The current Apostles’ Creed is an enlargement of the Old Roman Creed. One of the first occurrences of the Apostles' Creed, nearly identical in form to how it is known today is in the Latin tract De singulis libris canonicis scarapsus by the monk Priminius. The way the Old Roman Creed became the Apostles' Creed is not exhaustively known, but creeds identical in meaning began appearing in South Gaul in the fifth century. In the next few centuries following, the Apostles’ Creed gained acceptance in France and Germany. It was recognized by Charlemagne the Great throughout the Frankish Empire in the early ninth century, eventually being incorporated into Roman Catholic liturgy.

Content of The Creed

The text of the Apostles' Creed is as follows:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only 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 sitteth on 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;
the holy catholic* Church,
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

Note that catholic, in this context, refers to the universal fellowship of believers, not the Roman Catholic Church.