The oldest summary of Christian belief still in use — dating in its earliest form to about 200 AD.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
Affirms God's personal nature (Father — not impersonal force), his almighty power (omnipotence), and the believer's personal trust ("I believe"). Drawn from Genesis 1, the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4), and Jesus's teaching that the Father is the audience of prayer (Matthew 6:9).
Echoes Genesis 1:1. Asserts that the material universe is good, made by God, and not (against gnostic teaching) the work of a lesser deity. Christians affirm creation as God's good work even when fallen and broken.
Three claims in one line: Jesus is the Christ (the promised Messiah), the only Son of God (not one of many — singular, eternal), and the Lord (the same word Greek-speaking Jews used for YHWH). Drawn from John 3:16, John 1:18, and the broader New Testament confession of Christ's deity.
Affirms the virginal conception of Jesus — fully God, becoming fully man. Drawn from Luke 1:35 and Matthew 1:18-25. Mary is named because the Incarnation entered history through a real woman, in a real place, at a real time.
Anchors Christ's death in history — under a specific Roman governor who can be dated archaeologically (c. 26-36 AD). The creed insists that Christianity is not a myth but a historical claim about real events that happened to a real person at a verifiable time.
Christ truly died — not appeared to die, not merely fainted. The three words are deliberate: the death was by crucifixion (the most public Roman execution), it was real (he died), and he was buried (a body removed from the cross and placed in a tomb).
Christ entered the realm of the dead (Hebrew: Sheol; Greek: Hades) — not the place of final damnation but the realm of departed souls. 1 Peter 3:18-20 and 4:6 indicate he proclaimed victory there and led the righteous of the Old Covenant into paradise.
The central historical claim of Christianity — that Jesus rose bodily from the tomb on the Sunday after his Friday crucifixion. 1 Corinthians 15:14 is the linchpin: "If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain."
Christ's enthronement after his resurrection — recorded in Acts 1:9-11 and Hebrews 1:3. He reigns now (not waiting to begin), and his "right hand" position signals divine authority. From there he intercedes for his people (Hebrews 7:25).
The second coming. Christ will return as judge — of all who are alive at his return and of all who have died. Drawn from Acts 1:11, 2 Timothy 4:1, and Revelation 22:12.
Affirms the third Person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is not a force or influence but a Person who indwells believers, illuminates Scripture, and gives spiritual life (John 14:16-17).
"Catholic" here means "universal" (Greek katholikos — "according to the whole"), not specifically the Roman Catholic Church. It affirms that the Church is one across time and space — every believer, in every nation, in every age, joined to Christ.
The fellowship of all believers — those still on earth and those already with the Lord — is real and ongoing. Hebrews 12:1 speaks of being surrounded by "a great cloud of witnesses."
The central gospel promise — that sins committed against God can be forgiven through Christ's atonement. 1 John 1:9.
Christians do not believe in the immortality of the soul alone but in the resurrection of the body. At Christ's return, the dead will rise bodily — transformed (1 Corinthians 15:42-44) but truly bodily. Christianity affirms the physical, material world.
The final promise — eternal life with God for those who trust in Christ. "Amen" (Hebrew: "so be it") seals the confession.
The oldest summary of Christian belief still in use — dating in its earliest form to about 200 AD. Structured around the Trinity, it covers creation, incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, second coming, the church, and eternal life.
No — the name reflects its faithfulness to apostolic teaching, not literal authorship. The creed developed gradually as a baptismal confession in the early church.
Christ entered the realm of the dead (Hebrew: Sheol; Greek: Hades) between his death and resurrection — not the place of damnation but the abode of the departed. 1 Peter 3:18-20.
The Apostles' Creed is shorter, primarily a baptismal confession. The Nicene Creed (325 AD) is longer and theologically more detailed, composed to defend Christ's full divinity against Arianism. Both summarize the same essential faith.