The Great Catholic Creeds

Dear N.,

There are relatively few good resource books on the origin and content of the Creeds, but I highly recommend The Early Christian Creeds by JND Kelly, which is still in print. Confessedly, it is a very technical book but it provides a wealth of information on the theology, history and use of the Creeds. The three Great Catholic Creeds are:

1. The Apostles' Creed: lost in the mists of Apostolic antiquity, this Creed, which is traditionally divided into 12 articles for the Twelve Apostles (each Apostle supposedly contributing one line to the Symbol of Faith), is in fact divided into three clauses for the Blessed Trinity, one for the Father, another for the Son, and a third for the Holy Ghost. It is the ancient Creed of the Latin Church, the Old Roman Symbol circa AD 150, used at the administration of Holy Baptism, each clause being recited by the priest and candidate at each of the three immersions into the Name of the Trinity in the sacramental action of Baptism. The Apostles' Creed is still used at Baptism in the Anglican Church and in a truncated form in the Roman Rite. We also still use it in the Divine Office, at both Mattins and Evensong. The Orthodox Church no longer uses this most ancient of all Creeds.

2. The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed: the principal Creed of the Eastern Churches, used both at Baptism and the celebration of the Eucharist, this Creed, shared by all orthodox Catholic Christians, is actually the product of two Ecumenical Councils, Nicea I (AD 325) and Constantinople I (AD 381). Called 'C' in technical study, this Creed builds upon the original Creed of Nicea and serves as the eminent orthodox anti-Arian Creed of the fourth century, establishing the full deity and consubstantiality of the Son with the Father by using the term
homoousios, 'of one substance' with the Father. It also proclaims the full deity and divinity of the Holy Ghost. All Apostolic Churches use this Creed at the celebration of the Mass. Like the Apostles' Creed, it is Trinitarian in structure, with three clauses for each Person of the Blessed Trinity.

3. The Athanasian Creed: named in honour of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria and intending to encapsulate and summarise his theology, this Creed is actually a product of fifth century patristic contemplation and liturgical worship and has no direct relationship to the Church Father whose name it bears. It is much closer to the Western theology of Saint Augustine than to that of the Greek Alexandrian tradition represented by the saintly Pope of Alexandria. The Church of England still authorises its use at Morning Prayer 13 times in the Christian Year. The Roman Communion still possesses this Creed but rarely uses it in any form of public liturgy. The Eastern Churches officially recognise it but do not use it liturgically. Unlike the two previous Creeds, the Athanasian does not possess a Trinitarian structure, three clauses with each assigned to one of the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity. Rather, it is divided into two sections: the first is a long excursus on the meaning of the substantial or essential unity of the Godhead shared equally by the Hypostases of the Trinity, and the second is an expanded form of the clause on God the Son found in the Apostles' Creed with a deeper explanation of the metaphysics of the Incarnation. Most famously, it condemns to hell-fire those who fail to keep the 'Catholic Faith' whole and entire.