English versions of the Nicene Creed in current use

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The Nicene Creed, composed in part and adopted at the First Council of Nicea (325) and revised with additions by the First Council of Constantinople (381), is a creed that summarises the orthodox faith of the Christian Church and is used in the liturgy of most Christian Churches. This article endeavours to give the text of English-language translations in current liturgical use.

Other English translations are given in scholarly works such as J.N.D. Kelly's Early Christian Creeds and Philip Schaff's Creeds of Christendom, and in prayer books of many denominations.

Contents

[edit] In the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church of Latin Rite at present uses the 1975 ICET ecumenical text (see below), except in the United States, where the 1973 draft for that text (also given below) is used. A new version is in preparation.

The Ruthenian Catholic Church uses the following text:

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible;
and in one Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, the only begotten, born of the Father before all ages.
Light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in essence with the Father; through whom all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven and was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried.
He rose on the third day according to the scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he is coming again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Creator of Life, who proceeds from the Father.
Together with the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified; he spoke through the prophets.
In one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I profess one baptism for the remission of sins.
I expect the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

[edit] In Eastern Orthodox Churches

Text used by the Orthodox Church in America:[1]

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 Son of God, the only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages;
Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, of one essence with 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 Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man; and was crucified also 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 at the right hand of the Father.
And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; of His kingdom there shall be no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the 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.
In one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church;
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins;
I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the age to come. Amen.

Text used by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America:[2]

I believe in one God, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages;
Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father through Whom all things were made.
Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried;
And He rose on the third day, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father;
And He will come again with glory to judge the living and dead. His kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Creator of life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke through the prophets.
In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the age to come.
Amen.

[edit] In the Coptic Orthodox Church

[edit] Book of the Divine Liturgies version (2001)

We believe in one God,
God the Father, the Pantocrator [Coptic/Greek for Almighty],
creator of heaven and earth,
and all things seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of the Father before all ages.
Light of Light, true God of true God;
begotten, not created; of one essence with 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 Spirit and of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate,
suffered and was buried;
and on the third day He rose from the dead according to the scriptures.
Ascended into heaven, He sits at the right hand of His Father;
and He is coming again in His glory to judge the living and the dead;
whose kingdom shall have no end.
Yes, we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the Giver of Life,
who proceeds from the Father;
who with the Father and the Son, is worshiped and glorified;
Who spoke by the prophets.
And in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
We confess one Baptism, for the remission of sins.
We look for the ressurrection of the dead,
and the life of the age to come. Amen

[edit] In the Anglican Communion

[edit] Book of Common Prayer version (1662)

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,
Begotten of his Father before all worlds,
God of God, 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,
And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He 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.
And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead:
Whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost,
The Lord and giver of life,
Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son,
Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified,
Who spake by the Prophets.
And I believe one Catholick and Apostolick Church.
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins.
And I look for the Resurrection of the dead,
And the life of the world to come.
Amen.[1]

[edit] Episcopal Church 1979 Book of Common Prayer version

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.[3]

[edit] Church of England Common Worship version (2000)

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.[4]

[edit] In Lutheran Churches

[edit] Lutheran Service Book version (2006)

This is the version from the Lutheran Service Book, used by The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Lutheran Church - Canada (LCC).

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,
begotten of His Father before all worlds,
God of God, 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 Spirit of the virgin Mary
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures
and ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,
whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord and giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church,
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
and I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life † of the world to come. Amen.[5]

[edit] 1975 ecumenical version

In 1975, the International Consultation on English Texts (ICET), published, in the book Prayers We Have in Common, an ecumenical English translation of the Nicene Creed that was adopted by many Churches, including the Roman Catholic Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Following is the text of this 1975 version as printed in the English-language Roman Missal used outside the United States. The only difference between this presentation and the way ICET presented the text is that ICET printed the Filioque clause as a parenthesis, thus: "[and the Son]".

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of Life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

[edit] 1973 draft for an ecumenical version

The version of the Roman Missal used in the United States was prepared before the 1975 ICET text of the Creed was decided: it contains an earlier (1973) ICET draft. The points (apart from an American spelling) where it differs from the later version, used by the Catholic Church elsewhere, are here indicated in italics.

"Of one Being with the Father" (1975) replaced "one in Being with the Father" (1973), which, when spoken, could be confused with "one, in being with the Father".

"He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man" (1975) replaced "He was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man" (1973): neither Greek "σαρκωθέντα" nor Latin "incarnatus" means "born", and the 1973 text linked hominization ("became man") with birth ("he was born").

"He suffered death and was buried" (1975) replaced "he suffered, died, and was buried" (1973): "παθόντα" in Greek and "passus" in Latin are indicative of a suffering demise; but the 1973 draft inserted an extra verb, "died", not present in the original Greek or Latin.

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
one in Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in fulfilment of the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of Life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

[edit] 1988 ecumenical version

The English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC), the successor body to ICET, published in 1988 the book Praying Together, which included a revision of the 1975 ICET text,[2] which is given below. Though this text is used by the Methodist Church with little if any change, it has not been widely accepted without modifications that vary between the Churches: see, for instance, the discussion within The ELLC Texts: A Survey of Use and Variation.

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen

[edit] Avoidance of the word "man"

"For us men and for our salvation" is the usual translation of "δι' ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν". The 1988 ecumenical version omits the word "men", corresponding to "τοὺς ἀνθρώπους". Instead of simply omitting the word "men", some replace it with the word "all", equivalent to replacing "τοὺς ἀνθρώπους" with "πάντας".

In the original Greek text, "τοὺς ἀνθρώπους" (tous anthropous), usually translated as "men", is unambiguous, since "ἄνθρωποι" (anthropoi) means human beings, while "ἄνδρες" (andres) means male human beings, as opposed to "γυναῖκες" (gynaikes), female human beings.

Reduction of the phrase "for us men" to "for us" or "for us all" has been criticized[6] as ambiguous and capable of being understood to refer merely to the members of the congregation reciting the creed. Omission of the word "men" is felt to be in harmony with the notion of limited atonement, as opposed to that of universal atonement seen as implicit in the phrase when translated with the word "men" (understood in the inclusive sense of this word).

The 1988 ecumenical version also renders "ἐνανθρωπήσαντα" (for which the usual and more literal translation is "was made man" or "became man") as "became truly human", avoiding again the word "man".

[edit] References

  1. ^ Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
  2. ^ Liturgical Texts
  3. ^ 1979 Book of Common Prayer, Episcopal Church
  4. ^ Common Worship, Church of England
  5. ^ The Commission on Worship of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Lutheran Service Book, (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006), 158.
  6. ^ Lutheran Theological Review, Volume XV and Volume XIV,Jack Cascione, Jesus Had To Be A True Human Male and True God, Paul V. Mankowski, Silk Purses and Sows' Ears, Is" for us and our salvation" in the Ruthenian creed heretical?</Frank Mobbs, http://www.ad2000.com.au/articles/1992/apr1992p20_751.html, Richard J. Schuler, Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi: the Outrage of Inclusive Language