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St. Luke Anglican Catholic Church, Augusta, Georgia |
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The Apostles’ or Baptismal Creed 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. The origins of this
fundamental expression of the Christian Faith are not clear. There is a
tradition that it was formulated on the day of Pentecost, with each of
the twelve apostles contributing one phrase or idea. This is not,
however, mentioned in Holy Scripture. In Acts we do read of a statement of
belief required to be made as a precondition to the baptism of the
eunuch: "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart,
thou mayest (be baptized). And he (the eunuch) answered
and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." The Creed we know as the Apostles’ Creed is similar to a statement of faith known as the "Old Roman Creed," quoted in several forms by the church writer Tertullian, sometime around AD 200. The (apparently) most primitive form is translated here: Believing
in one God Almighty, maker of the world, and His Son, Jesus Christ, born
of the Virgin Mary, crucified under Pontius Pilate, on the third day
brought to life from the dead, received in heaven, sitting now at the
right hand of the Father, will come to judge the living and the dead
through resurrection of the flesh. |
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