The Nicene Creed
The Catholic canon is based on the beliefs of the Church. The creed formulated at the Nicaean Council, which is called the Nicene Creed, is composed of twelve articles of faith and incorporates the most basic beliefs found at the heart of Catholicism. The authoritative wording of the Nicene Creed has guided the Church for 1,600 years and forms the expression of faith that Catholics say during Baptism as well as during the liturgy of the Mass.
The formulation of the Creed was a defining moment for the Church, and it came about through a reaction to the rising tide of a heresy called Arianism, which threatened the unity of the Christians in the fourth century by denying the divinity of Jesus Christ. To deal with the growing controversy, Emperor Constantine, the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, called a council of bishops to Nicaea.
The Nicaean Council, which met in 325, developed the Nicene Creed from the Apostles' Creed, which is still recognized by the Catholic Church as an important corollary to the Nicene. Until the 1500s, the Apostles' Creed was believed to be a summary of the apostles' faith, since it was neatly comprised of twelve articles of faith, the same number as God's chosen disciples. During the 1400s, though, historians discovered its true origin, an adapted version of the old Roman Creed. (The Apostles' Creed remains the most important creed of most Protestant religions.)
The Nicaean Council refined the wording of the Apostles' Creed so that Jesus' divinity — in addition to his humanity — was plainly expressed and proclaimed. A second ecumenical council that convened in Constantinople in 381 approved and finalized the work of the first council, giving us what we now know as the Nicene Creed.
There is another, lesser-known summary of Catholic faith, called the Athanasian Creed, which also dates back to the fourth century. Most lay Catholics are probably not even aware of it, since it is not in “daily” use, but it is approved by the Church and is part of the liturgy. The Athanasian Creed gives a clear exposition of the Trinity.
Here is the full text of the Nicene Creed. The text in brackets is the original wording — small emendations have been made in the modern text that Catholics now use:
We believe [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, and born of the Father before all ages. [God of God] light of light, true God of true God. Begotten not made, consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. And was incarnate of the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary and was made man; was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried; and the third day rose again according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, of whose Kingdom there shall be no end. And [I believe] in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who together with the Father and the Son is to be adored and glorified, who spoke by the Prophets. And one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We confess [I confess] one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for [I look for] the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
