catholicism 101 -- part 9

CATHOLICISM 101

(The outline of this series is taken from Father Vernon Staley’s book The Catholic Religion.)

Church of the Holy Cross
April 20, 2008

Part 9
Christian Duty: Christian Belief: The Three Great Creeds

- The Apostles’ Creed

• An ancient creed, dating back to the earliest days of the Church (no one knows when it was first formulated).

• Called “Apostles’” Creed because it is a distillation of the teaching of the Apostles, containing the central truths which they passed on to the world, which they had learned from Jesus himself.

• Phrases and quotations from the Apostles’ Creed are found in very early writers, but a complete version of it is not found in writing until the late second century (late 100’s a.d.)

• The Apostles’ Creed as we know it is first found in writing in Rufinus, writing in the fourth century (300’s a.d.).

• Staley writes: “The late appearance of the Creed in writing is accounted for by the fact that it was regarded as a precious secret, and committed to memory, being taught to persons just before baptism.

• In the early Church, baptism occurred only twice a year, at Easter and on Whitsun (Pentecost – the Latin name for Pentecost was “Dominica in Albis” – the “Sunday in white” – taking its name probably from the white baptismal garments of the newly baptized – “Albs” or “white garments”).

• On the eve of Baptism, candidates would be taught the Apostles’ Creed, which they were expected to memorize. This ritual was called the “traditio symboli” – the “handing over of the password [i.e. creed]”.

• At their baptism, candidates were asked to recite the Creed to the Bishop. This was called the “reditio symbolum” – the “returning of the password”.

• After their recitation of the Creed, their taking it onto their own lips and making it their own profession, the candidates were baptized. It was as if there was thence a mutual recognition between the candidate and the community of faith, the body of Christ, the “assembly” [ekklesia] of God’s people, the Church. “You and we believe the same thing. As we are one in faith, so now we will be sacramentally one.”

• The Apostles’ Creed is simple and direct as compared with the two other great creeds. It is a straightforward, affirmative distillation of the fundamental truths of Christianity. When these things could be affirmed, in conscience, by a person, the Church considered that person fit to be incorporated into the life of the Body, to be baptized.

• This Creed is given great prominence in Anglicanism. It appears many times throughout the Book of Common Prayer (seven times in the BCP of 1662 – the “mother” of all Anglican Prayer Books).

• It is recited in the official, public prayer of the Church twice daily – at Morning Prayer and at Evening Prayer, which clerics are obliged to recite daily. Thus it is commended to Anglicans as very important by our tradition, and this commendation is manifested liturgically, in the Church’s official prayer.

• Bishop Forbes says “From the days of St. Paul to this, these articles [of the Apostles’ Creed] have been the sum and substance of Christianity. Nothing less than this is sufficient. Nothing more than this is of absolute necessity to salvation. When a child is baptized, the Church demands no more of him, or of his sponsors, than an assent to the Apostles’ Creed.

- The Nicene Creed

• Whereas the Apostles’ Creed is a Latin creed (having its origin in the Western Church), the Nicene Creed is an Eastern Creed, having its origin in the East, originally written in Greek.

• It was deliberately drawn up by the fathers of the first Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in the year 325, and ratified and elaborated, attaining the form in which we find it in our Prayer Book, at the Ecumenical Council held at Constantinople in the year 381. Thus it is sometimes called the “Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed”.

• The Council of Nicaea was convened to decide Christological questions having to do with the teachings of the heretic Arius.

• Arius taught that the Lord was in fact a creature, that he was made by God; that Jesus was not perfect God.

• So the Nicene Creed forcefully affirms the full divinity of Jesus, and thus clarified and circumscribes the interpretation of the teaching of Jesus about himself, as found in the Gospels.

• The end of the creed affirms the full divinity of the Holy Spirit. This part was added at Constantinople, in response to questions surrounding the teachings of the heretic Macedomius (who taught that the Holy Spirit was, in fact, not God).

• The Nicene Creed thus has the weight of very great authority behind it. It is hard for the Church to teach anything more forcefully or authoritatively or definitively. It was decreed by two Ecumenical Councils (which teach infallible – from the Latin “infallibilis”, from “in” = “not” and “fallere” = “deceive” – thus “infallibility” is an epistemic gift of God to his Church for our sake, so that we may not be led astray – and claims to infallibility should be considered within the framework of the Lord’s sayings, e.g. that “I will build my Church” etc.).

• Liturgically, the Nicene Creed is again commended very forcefully, in the summit and source of Christian worship, the mass, the holy Eucharist, where it is recited every Sunday, and on all major feasts.

- The Athanasian Creed

• St. Athanasius of Alexandria was one of the most forceful and stalwart defender of the apostolic teachings about Jesus against Arius. Indeed when much of the Church had succumbed to Arianism, Athanasius endured exile, deposition, and threats of violence, for the sake of the truth. The phrase “Athanasius contra mundum” is a legacy of his fidelity.

• St. Athanasius was one of the main speakers at the Council of Nicaea, and the leader of the orthodox party, and at the time, those who held to the orthodox position were popularly known as “Athanasians” – just as the heretical party were called “Arians”.

• After the death of St. Athanasius (in 373 a.d.), the Athanasian Creed was put forward as a summary of his teaching, and thus of the orthodox teaching about the Trinity and Jesus.

• Where the Apsotles’ Creed puts the faith simply and affirmatively, and where the Nicene Creed rules out false teaching, the Athanasian Creed condemns heretics.

• These condemnations should be read of those who knowingly, willfully, stubbornly reject the teaching of the Church on these issues. The condemnation is not to be read as directed against the ignorant. Cf. Romans 3.19: “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

• The great doctor of the Anglo-Catholic revival in the 19th century, John Keble, wrote of the Athanasian Creed: “Creed of the Saints, and Anthem of the Blest, / And calm-breathed warning of the kindliest love. / Who knows but myriads owe their endless rest / to they recalling, tempted else to rove?”

• Historically, the liturgical place for the Athanasian Creed in Anglicanism was at Morning Prayer on great feasts (Easter, Pentecost, etc.).