History of the main statement of belief as per doctrine adopted by vast majority of Christian churches - The Nicene Creed formalized in 325 AD and revised in 381 AD
The impression I get based on my readings on the Internet (wikipedia, brittanica.com etc.) is that as early Christianity got established and the Christian community size became substantial, besides the literature prepared by the apostles (e.g. canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John and Paul's epistles), there was further need to explore and understand the relation between Jesus Christ and God.
Different views about the relation between Jesus Christ and God seem to have arisen among the early Christians in the first two to three centuries after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ (estimated to be around 30-33 AD).
The most powerful empire in the region where Christianity was being practiced then seems to have been the Roman empire (at the time of Jesus Christ, Jerusalem was under Roman rule). Both Peter and Paul went to Rome to spread the Christian faith there. Peter was martyred in Rome and Paul too may have been martyred in Rome.
Christians were persecuted intermittently in the Roman empire from 64 AD to 313 AD when the Edict of Milan by the two competing emperors for Roman empire then - Constantine and Lucinius - jointly legalized the Christian religion in the Roman empire, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Christians_in_the_Roman_Empire. Prior to the Edict of Milan there was some official acceptance of Christians by Roman emperor Galerius through the Edict of Serdica in 311, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Serdica, but it was not as comprehensive as the Edict of Milan, and seems to have not been followed after Galerius' death in 311 itself, in all parts of the Roman empire.
Given below are some extracts from above wiki page:
The persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire was carried out by the state and also by local authorities on a sporadic, ad hoc basis, often at the whims of local communities. Starting in 250 AD, empire-wide persecution took place as an indirect consequence of an edict by the emperor Decius. This edict was in force for eighteen months, during which time some Christians were killed while others apostatised to escape execution.
These persecutions heavily influenced the development of Christianity, shaping Christian theology and the structure of the Church. The effects of the persecutions included the writing of explanations and defenses of the Christian religion.
--- end wiki extracts ---
Emperor Constantine seems to have publicly declared himself as a Christian after issuing the Edict of Milan in 313, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_the_Great_and_Christianity#Conversion.
In 324 Lucinus was defeated by Constantine in the Battle of Chrysopolis, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chrysopolis, leaving Constantine as sole emperor of Roman empire.
This seems to have created a very favourable environment for emperor Constantine to unify Christians. The next year, 325, the Council of Nicaea was held. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea tells us that this was "the first effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom". One of its main accomplishments was to settle the issue of relationship between Jesus Christ - God the son - and God the Father. This council produced the first part of the Nicene creed.
As per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea#Nicene_Creed, one of the projects of the council was to create a "Creed, a declaration and summary of the Christian faith." There were several Creeds already being used by the early Christians, which served as a way to identify Christians. The wiki section states, "In the Council of Nicaea, one specific creed was used to define the Church's faith clearly, to include those who professed it, and to exclude those who did not."
The above statement-extract, I think, is a very important one. Jesus Christ crucifixion and resurrection is said to be around 30-33 AD. The council of Nicaea was held in 325, almost 300 years later. Till that time, several Christian Creeds were being used (with differences amongst them).
One set of Christian Creeds that was quite popular then was what is referred to as Arian Creeds, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arian_creeds.
Given below are a few extracts from the above wiki page:
The Arian controversy began when Alexander of Alexandria accused a local presbyter, Arius, of heresy, in the late 310s and early 320s. It lasted until the proclamation of the Creed of Constantinople in 381.[4] The opponents of Arius expressed their beliefs in the Nicene Creed. Arians expressed their beliefs in their own, Arian creeds. Advocates of Nicene Christianity and Arian Christianity debated and competed throughout the fourth century, each claiming to be the orthodox variant. Nicene Christians called their opponents, as a group, Arians although many of them differed significantly from the original doctrines of Arius, and many opponents of the Nicene Creed did not identify as Arians.[5]
...
The Profession of Faith of Arius
Arius was a presbyter of Alexandria in the early fourth century. His teachings emphasized the differences between God the Father and the Son of God, in contrast to other churches that emphasized the divinity of the Son. Arius entered into conflict with his bishop, Alexander. Alexander excommunicated Arius in about 318. In a letter to his friend Eusebius of Nicomedia, Arius stated that he was being excommunicated for teaching that "the Son has an origin, but God is unoriginated ... and also that the Son derives from non-existence."[7]
[Wiki Refs.]
4. Hanson, R. P. C. (1988). The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God. Edinburgh: T&T Clark.
5. Hanson, R. P. C. (1988). The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. pp. 19–26, 37, 557–558.
..
7. Hanson, R. P. C. (1988). The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. pp. 6–7.
--- end wiki extracts ---
Given below are some extracts from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea#Nicene_Creed
Some distinctive elements in the Nicene Creed, perhaps from the hand of Hosius of Cordova, were added, some specifically to counter the Arian point of view.[12][53]
1. Jesus Christ is described as "Light from Light, true God from true God," proclaiming his divinity.
2. Jesus Christ is said to be "begotten, not made," asserting that he was not a mere creature, brought into being out of nothing, but the true Son of God, brought into being "from the substance of the Father."
3. He is said to be "of one being with the Father," proclaiming that although Jesus Christ is "true God" and God the Father is also "true God," they are "of one being," in accord to what is found in John 10:30: "I and the Father are one." The Greek term homoousios, or consubstantial (i.e., "of the same substance) is ascribed by Eusebius to Constantine who, on this particular point, may have chosen to exercise his authority. The significance of this clause, however, is extremely ambiguous as to the extent in which Jesus Christ and God the Father are "of one being," and the issues it raised would be seriously controverted in the future.
At the end of the creed came a list of anathemas, designed to repudiate explicitly the Arians' stated claims.
1. The view that "there was once when he was not" was rejected to maintain the coeternity of the Son with the Father.
2. The view that he was "mutable or subject to change" was rejected to maintain that the Son just like the Father was beyond any form of weakness or corruptibility, and most importantly that he could not fall away from absolute moral perfection.
Thus, instead of a baptismal creed acceptable to both the Arians and their opponents, the council promulgated one which was clearly opposed to Arianism and incompatible with the distinctive core of their beliefs.
...
The Emperor carried out his earlier statement: everybody who refused to endorse the Creed would be exiled. Arius, Theonas, and Secundus refused to adhere to the creed, and were thus exiled to Illyria, in addition to being excommunicated. The works of Arius were ordered to be confiscated and consigned to the flames,[8] while his supporters considered as "enemies of Christianity." [55] Nevertheless, the controversy continued in various parts of the empire.[56]
The Creed was amended to a new version by the First Council of Constantinople in 381.
[Wiki Refs.]
8. Mirbt, Carl Theodor (1911). "Nicaea, Council of" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 640–642.
..
12. Kelly 1978 [Kelly, J N D (29 March 1978), Early Christian Doctrine, San Francisco: HarperCollins, ISBN 978-0-06-064334-8, retrieved 24 February 2014], Chapter 9
..
53. Loyn 1991 [Loyn, Henry Royston (1991), The Middle Ages, New York: Thames & Hudson, ISBN 978-0-500-27645-7, retrieved 24 February 2014], p. 240
..
55. Schaff & Schaff 1910 [Schaff, Philip; Schaff, David Schley (1910). History of the Christian Church. 3. New York: C Scribner's Sons.], Section 120.
56. Lutz von Padberg 1998 [Lutz von Padberg (1998), Die Christianisierung Europas im Mittelalter [The Christianization of Europe in the Middle Ages], P. Reclam, ISBN 978-3-15-017015-1, retrieved 24 February 2014], p. 26
--- end wiki extracts ---
Ravi: Hmm. So the core statement of belief of the Christian faith was arrived at around three centuries after Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, through a hotly contested debate between competing theologians promoting different Creeds under the oversight of Emperor Constantine, with those who refused to endorse the finally agreed upon Creed being exiled and excommunicated (as threatened earlier itself by the emperor), with their works/books being burned, on orders from the emperor!
The first version of the Nicene Creed got replaced by the new version prepared by the First Council of Constantinople in 381.
Nicene Creed 325 text as per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_versions_of_the_Nicene_Creed#Nicene_Creed_as_adopted_in_325 :
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance (ὁμοούσιον) with the Father; by whom all things were made both in heaven and on earth; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man; he suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
And in the Holy Ghost.
But those who say: 'There was a time when he was not;' and 'He was not before he was made;' and 'He was made out of nothing,' or 'He is of another substance' or 'essence,' or 'The Son of God is created,' or 'changeable,' or 'alterable'—they are condemned by the holy catholic and apostolic Church.[18. Philip Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, with a History and Critical Notes. Volume I. The History of Creeds.]
--- end wiki extract ---
Given below is an extract from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicene_Creed#Niceno-Constantinopolitan_Creed
What is known as the "Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed" or the "Nicene–Constantinopolitan Creed"[20] received this name because of a belief that it was adopted at the Second Ecumenical Council held in Constantinople in 381 as a modification of the original Nicene Creed of 325. In that light, it also came to be very commonly known simply as the "Nicene Creed". It is the only authoritative ecumenical statement of the Christian faith accepted by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Church of the East, much of Protestantism including the Anglican communion.[21][22] (The Apostles' and Athanasian creeds are not as widely accepted.)[23]
It differs in a number of respects, both by addition and omission, from the creed adopted at the First Council of Nicaea. The most notable difference is the additional section "And [we believe] in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver-of-Life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spake by the prophets. And [we believe] in one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. We acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, [and] we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen."[24]
[Wiki Refs]
20. Both names are common. Instances of the former are in the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church and in the Roman Missal, while the latter is used consistently by the Faith and Order Commission. "Constantinopolitan Creed" can also be found, but very rarely.
21. "Religion Facts, four of the five Protestant denominations studied agree with the Nicene Creed and the fifth may as well, they just don't do creeds in general". Retrieved 29 October 2014.
22. "Christianity Today reports on a study that shows most evangelicals believe the basic Nicene formulation". Retrieved 29 October 2014.
23. "Nicene Creed". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
24. Schaff's Seven Ecumenical Councils: Second Ecumenical: The Holy Creed Which the 150 Holy Fathers Set Forth...
--- end wiki extract ---
Nicene Creed 381 [Nicene–Constantinopolitan Creed] text as per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_versions_of_the_Nicene_Creed#Nicene_Creed_as_altered_in_381 :
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds (æons), 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, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; from thence he shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spake by the prophets. In one holy catholic and apostolic Church; we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.[18. Philip Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, with a History and Critical Notes. Volume I. The History of Creeds.]
--- end wiki extract ---
[I thank wikipedia and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above extract(s) from their website on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]
Different views about the relation between Jesus Christ and God seem to have arisen among the early Christians in the first two to three centuries after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ (estimated to be around 30-33 AD).
The most powerful empire in the region where Christianity was being practiced then seems to have been the Roman empire (at the time of Jesus Christ, Jerusalem was under Roman rule). Both Peter and Paul went to Rome to spread the Christian faith there. Peter was martyred in Rome and Paul too may have been martyred in Rome.
Christians were persecuted intermittently in the Roman empire from 64 AD to 313 AD when the Edict of Milan by the two competing emperors for Roman empire then - Constantine and Lucinius - jointly legalized the Christian religion in the Roman empire, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Christians_in_the_Roman_Empire. Prior to the Edict of Milan there was some official acceptance of Christians by Roman emperor Galerius through the Edict of Serdica in 311, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Serdica, but it was not as comprehensive as the Edict of Milan, and seems to have not been followed after Galerius' death in 311 itself, in all parts of the Roman empire.
Given below are some extracts from above wiki page:
The persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire was carried out by the state and also by local authorities on a sporadic, ad hoc basis, often at the whims of local communities. Starting in 250 AD, empire-wide persecution took place as an indirect consequence of an edict by the emperor Decius. This edict was in force for eighteen months, during which time some Christians were killed while others apostatised to escape execution.
These persecutions heavily influenced the development of Christianity, shaping Christian theology and the structure of the Church. The effects of the persecutions included the writing of explanations and defenses of the Christian religion.
--- end wiki extracts ---
Emperor Constantine seems to have publicly declared himself as a Christian after issuing the Edict of Milan in 313, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_the_Great_and_Christianity#Conversion.
In 324 Lucinus was defeated by Constantine in the Battle of Chrysopolis, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chrysopolis, leaving Constantine as sole emperor of Roman empire.
This seems to have created a very favourable environment for emperor Constantine to unify Christians. The next year, 325, the Council of Nicaea was held. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea tells us that this was "the first effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom". One of its main accomplishments was to settle the issue of relationship between Jesus Christ - God the son - and God the Father. This council produced the first part of the Nicene creed.
As per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea#Nicene_Creed, one of the projects of the council was to create a "Creed, a declaration and summary of the Christian faith." There were several Creeds already being used by the early Christians, which served as a way to identify Christians. The wiki section states, "In the Council of Nicaea, one specific creed was used to define the Church's faith clearly, to include those who professed it, and to exclude those who did not."
The above statement-extract, I think, is a very important one. Jesus Christ crucifixion and resurrection is said to be around 30-33 AD. The council of Nicaea was held in 325, almost 300 years later. Till that time, several Christian Creeds were being used (with differences amongst them).
One set of Christian Creeds that was quite popular then was what is referred to as Arian Creeds, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arian_creeds.
Given below are a few extracts from the above wiki page:
The Arian controversy began when Alexander of Alexandria accused a local presbyter, Arius, of heresy, in the late 310s and early 320s. It lasted until the proclamation of the Creed of Constantinople in 381.[4] The opponents of Arius expressed their beliefs in the Nicene Creed. Arians expressed their beliefs in their own, Arian creeds. Advocates of Nicene Christianity and Arian Christianity debated and competed throughout the fourth century, each claiming to be the orthodox variant. Nicene Christians called their opponents, as a group, Arians although many of them differed significantly from the original doctrines of Arius, and many opponents of the Nicene Creed did not identify as Arians.[5]
...
The Profession of Faith of Arius
Arius was a presbyter of Alexandria in the early fourth century. His teachings emphasized the differences between God the Father and the Son of God, in contrast to other churches that emphasized the divinity of the Son. Arius entered into conflict with his bishop, Alexander. Alexander excommunicated Arius in about 318. In a letter to his friend Eusebius of Nicomedia, Arius stated that he was being excommunicated for teaching that "the Son has an origin, but God is unoriginated ... and also that the Son derives from non-existence."[7]
[Wiki Refs.]
4. Hanson, R. P. C. (1988). The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God. Edinburgh: T&T Clark.
5. Hanson, R. P. C. (1988). The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. pp. 19–26, 37, 557–558.
..
7. Hanson, R. P. C. (1988). The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. pp. 6–7.
--- end wiki extracts ---
Given below are some extracts from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea#Nicene_Creed
Some distinctive elements in the Nicene Creed, perhaps from the hand of Hosius of Cordova, were added, some specifically to counter the Arian point of view.[12][53]
1. Jesus Christ is described as "Light from Light, true God from true God," proclaiming his divinity.
2. Jesus Christ is said to be "begotten, not made," asserting that he was not a mere creature, brought into being out of nothing, but the true Son of God, brought into being "from the substance of the Father."
3. He is said to be "of one being with the Father," proclaiming that although Jesus Christ is "true God" and God the Father is also "true God," they are "of one being," in accord to what is found in John 10:30: "I and the Father are one." The Greek term homoousios, or consubstantial (i.e., "of the same substance) is ascribed by Eusebius to Constantine who, on this particular point, may have chosen to exercise his authority. The significance of this clause, however, is extremely ambiguous as to the extent in which Jesus Christ and God the Father are "of one being," and the issues it raised would be seriously controverted in the future.
At the end of the creed came a list of anathemas, designed to repudiate explicitly the Arians' stated claims.
1. The view that "there was once when he was not" was rejected to maintain the coeternity of the Son with the Father.
2. The view that he was "mutable or subject to change" was rejected to maintain that the Son just like the Father was beyond any form of weakness or corruptibility, and most importantly that he could not fall away from absolute moral perfection.
Thus, instead of a baptismal creed acceptable to both the Arians and their opponents, the council promulgated one which was clearly opposed to Arianism and incompatible with the distinctive core of their beliefs.
...
The Emperor carried out his earlier statement: everybody who refused to endorse the Creed would be exiled. Arius, Theonas, and Secundus refused to adhere to the creed, and were thus exiled to Illyria, in addition to being excommunicated. The works of Arius were ordered to be confiscated and consigned to the flames,[8] while his supporters considered as "enemies of Christianity." [55] Nevertheless, the controversy continued in various parts of the empire.[56]
The Creed was amended to a new version by the First Council of Constantinople in 381.
[Wiki Refs.]
8. Mirbt, Carl Theodor (1911). "Nicaea, Council of" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 640–642.
..
12. Kelly 1978 [Kelly, J N D (29 March 1978), Early Christian Doctrine, San Francisco: HarperCollins, ISBN 978-0-06-064334-8, retrieved 24 February 2014], Chapter 9
..
53. Loyn 1991 [Loyn, Henry Royston (1991), The Middle Ages, New York: Thames & Hudson, ISBN 978-0-500-27645-7, retrieved 24 February 2014], p. 240
..
55. Schaff & Schaff 1910 [Schaff, Philip; Schaff, David Schley (1910). History of the Christian Church. 3. New York: C Scribner's Sons.], Section 120.
56. Lutz von Padberg 1998 [Lutz von Padberg (1998), Die Christianisierung Europas im Mittelalter [The Christianization of Europe in the Middle Ages], P. Reclam, ISBN 978-3-15-017015-1, retrieved 24 February 2014], p. 26
--- end wiki extracts ---
Ravi: Hmm. So the core statement of belief of the Christian faith was arrived at around three centuries after Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, through a hotly contested debate between competing theologians promoting different Creeds under the oversight of Emperor Constantine, with those who refused to endorse the finally agreed upon Creed being exiled and excommunicated (as threatened earlier itself by the emperor), with their works/books being burned, on orders from the emperor!
The first version of the Nicene Creed got replaced by the new version prepared by the First Council of Constantinople in 381.
Nicene Creed 325 text as per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_versions_of_the_Nicene_Creed#Nicene_Creed_as_adopted_in_325 :
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance (ὁμοούσιον) with the Father; by whom all things were made both in heaven and on earth; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man; he suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
And in the Holy Ghost.
But those who say: 'There was a time when he was not;' and 'He was not before he was made;' and 'He was made out of nothing,' or 'He is of another substance' or 'essence,' or 'The Son of God is created,' or 'changeable,' or 'alterable'—they are condemned by the holy catholic and apostolic Church.[18. Philip Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, with a History and Critical Notes. Volume I. The History of Creeds.]
--- end wiki extract ---
Given below is an extract from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicene_Creed#Niceno-Constantinopolitan_Creed
What is known as the "Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed" or the "Nicene–Constantinopolitan Creed"[20] received this name because of a belief that it was adopted at the Second Ecumenical Council held in Constantinople in 381 as a modification of the original Nicene Creed of 325. In that light, it also came to be very commonly known simply as the "Nicene Creed". It is the only authoritative ecumenical statement of the Christian faith accepted by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Church of the East, much of Protestantism including the Anglican communion.[21][22] (The Apostles' and Athanasian creeds are not as widely accepted.)[23]
It differs in a number of respects, both by addition and omission, from the creed adopted at the First Council of Nicaea. The most notable difference is the additional section "And [we believe] in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver-of-Life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spake by the prophets. And [we believe] in one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. We acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, [and] we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen."[24]
[Wiki Refs]
20. Both names are common. Instances of the former are in the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church and in the Roman Missal, while the latter is used consistently by the Faith and Order Commission. "Constantinopolitan Creed" can also be found, but very rarely.
21. "Religion Facts, four of the five Protestant denominations studied agree with the Nicene Creed and the fifth may as well, they just don't do creeds in general". Retrieved 29 October 2014.
22. "Christianity Today reports on a study that shows most evangelicals believe the basic Nicene formulation". Retrieved 29 October 2014.
23. "Nicene Creed". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
24. Schaff's Seven Ecumenical Councils: Second Ecumenical: The Holy Creed Which the 150 Holy Fathers Set Forth...
--- end wiki extract ---
Nicene Creed 381 [Nicene–Constantinopolitan Creed] text as per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_versions_of_the_Nicene_Creed#Nicene_Creed_as_altered_in_381 :
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds (æons), 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, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; from thence he shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spake by the prophets. In one holy catholic and apostolic Church; we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.[18. Philip Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, with a History and Critical Notes. Volume I. The History of Creeds.]
--- end wiki extract ---
[I thank wikipedia and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above extract(s) from their website on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]
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