Introduction⤒🔗

A familiar part of the weekly afternoon worship service is the use of the Apostles’ Creed. It may be sung or recited by the congregation, or read by the minister. On occasion, a minister may use the Nicene Creed, or even more rarely, the Athanasian Creed, but the Apostles’ Creed is the most prominent. The prominent place of the Apostles’ Creed in the life of the church is further shown by the way it is incorporated in the Heidelberg Catechism. In the Catechism it is referred to as the Twelve Articles of our catholic and undoubted Christian faith (HC, LD 7, Q/A 22). It is explained, article by article, in Lord’s Days 9-22.

As with so many activities that we do routinely, the use of this creed may not give rise to any thought about how we got it or why we do it. Knowing how and why, however, is always beneficial. Such knowledge will lead to a deeper appreciation and awareness of what one is actually doing. In short, it will enrich the experience.

With a view to enriching the experience of the use of the Apostles’ Creed, this article will explain how the church ended up with this creed.¹

Initial Impressions←⤒🔗

If we think of the most common name for this creed, then we might think that it must go right back to the twelve apostles themselves. This thought would seem to find support when we think of the description in the Catechism. The way they are called the articles of our catholic and undoubted Christian faith suggests that this creed has functioned as an expression of faith for believers throughout history, basically since the days of Pentecost.

For many centuries, people thought this to be true. This is evident from a commentary about a creed written around 404 AD by a man named Rufinus. This creed looked very much like our current Apostles’ Creed. He stated that after the pouring out of the Spirit on Pentecost, the disciples drafted a short summary to guide them as they went into the world to preach the gospel. As Rufinus had suggested that each apostle had contributed one clause each, later authors tried to determine which phrase was to be associated with each apostle. Peter was said to have started off, saying, “I believe in God the Father almighty.” Matthias was credited with the last phrase about eternal life.

This understanding of the origin of the Apostles’ Creed prevailed until the fifteenth and sixteenth century, the time of the Renaissance and Reformation. A careful study of sources led to the conclusion that this was not accurate. One reason for rejecting this understanding was that if the apostles had indeed composed such a creed, one could expect it to be mentioned specifically in the book of Acts or the various letters. Further, historical study led to the realization that the Apostles’ Creed only took on the form as we have it around 725 AD. It was also realized that while this creed had gained wide acceptance in the Western, or Latin speaking church, with Rome as its centre, it was not known or used in the Eastern churches, which had Constantinople as its centre.

The conclusion was that the Apostles’ Creed had not been written by the apostles. It had not suddenly appeared as a complete entity. Rather, the Apostles’ Creed was the fruit of a long development.

The Development of the Apostles’ Creed←⤒🔗

While the Apostles’ Creed in the form as we have it did not originate in the time of the apostles, we can trace its beginning back to what we learn from the New Testament. We learn that there was a definite body of teachings. One could bring this down to the very basic teaching that “Jesus is Lord,” or, that “Jesus is the Christ.” At the same time, there are also more extensive examples which focus especially on the birth, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. For example, in 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4, Paul wrote, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (see also 1 Tim 3:16). When you read through the letters of Paul to Timothy and Titus, there are frequent references to “the faith” (1 Tim 1:2; 4:6; 6:12), and “the sound teaching” (2 Tim 1:13; Titus 1:9). Jude in his letter wrote of “the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3). While there is no compact, comprehensive statement of all the points of Christian belief, it is obvious that there was a very clear body of truths, focused on the Son of God come in the body for our salvation.

We can see the beginning of the formation of actual creeds in the writings of the generation of church leaders after the apostles. These leaders are usually called the “Church Fathers.” There is actually a considerable body of their writings that has been preserved. In their writings you get examples of efforts to sum up the key teachings of the Christian faith. For example, Ignatius of Antioch, around 107 AD, wrote,

Be deaf, therefore, when any would speak to at variance with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was descended from the family of David, born of Mary, who truly was born, both of God and of the Virgin, truly took a body; for the Word became flesh and dwelt among us without sin, ate and drank truly, truly suffered persecution under Pontius Pilate, was truly crucified and died, who was also truly raised from the dead ... was received up to the Father and sits on his right hand, waiting till his enemies are put under his feet.

It is not difficult to find the scriptural references for these various statements. There is also obvious similarity to the part of the section in the Apostles’ Creed that speaks of God the Son. The choice of words suggests that Ignatius was responding to forms of Gnostic teaching which denied the Son of God had come in our human flesh.

A second example is from the writings of Irenaeus, around 180 AD. What is significant to note in his writings is the way it shows the growth toward the Trinitarian structure as found in the Apostles’ Creed. He wrote,

The Church, though scattered through the whole world to the ends of the earth, has received from the Apostles and their disciples the faith in one God, the Father Almighty, who made the heaven and the earth, and the seas, and all that in them is; and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who became flesh for our salvation; and in the Holy Ghost, who through the prophets preached the dispensations and the advent, and the birth from the Virgin ... passion ... resurrection from the dead ... bodily assumption into heaven ... his appearing from heaven in the glory of the Father ... and the resurrection of the dead.

More examples could be given.² What should be noted at this point is the way the early church leaders summarized the core teachings of the Christian faith. Not surprisingly, the first such summaries focused on the person and work of the Lord Jesus. It did not take long, however, before the summaries expanded and made references to God the Father and God the Spirit. This is not surprising in light of the commission of our Lord Jesus to make disciples from all nations, which included baptizing into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

It is a testimony to the faithful preaching of the apostles and the leaders who succeeded them that there was such consistency in the formulations used. There definitely was a clear body of teachings passed on through the generations. These leaders, in their efforts to teach new believers and in their need to refute false teachings, produced succinct summaries, similar in content but with varied wordings.

Among these various summaries, over time one rose to the top, namely, one written in Rome. It gained acceptance not just as a local teaching tool and confession but also as a statement of faith that showed the unity of the various local churches. There is reason to think that this Roman creed may go back as far as the early third century. A version dating from before 341 AD reads as follows:

I believe in God the Father Almighty. And in Jesus Christ his only begotten Son, who was born of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary; crucified under Pontius Pilate, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. And in the Holy Ghost; the holy Church; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; the life everlasting.

Again, those wishing more information are encouraged to follow the references in the footnotes.³ In particular, it is very interesting to see a comparative chart which shows minor variations and how they compare to the final form of the Apostles’ Creed. By this point, it is clear that the contents essentially go back to the apostolic age, but the form developed over time.

As for the form that we use, it was mentioned that it can be traced to around 725 AD. It was the work of Priminius, a monk in the Benedictine order. He lived in southern Germany, where he wrote a mission manual which included the Apostles’ Creed in its present form. This was during a time of renewal under the kings of Gaul. Especially during the reign of Charlemagne, psalters came into greater use. These psalters included prayers and the Apostles’ Creed. Other documents from that time indicate the similar form of the Creed was used even on the western edge of Europe, namely, Ireland.

From what can be gathered, the form of the Creed as written by Priminius prevailed and became the standard form used in the Western churches somewhere in the tenth to twelfth centuries. It is interesting to note how a creed rooted in the Scriptures developed in Rome and came to its mature expression in southern Germany.

Conclusion←⤒🔗

This review of the development of the Apostles’ Creed impresses on us a number of points.

In the first place, the church has a long history of summarizing the key teachings. This is helpful to keep in mind over against those who have as slogan, “Only the Bible.” The leaders of the early centuries continued the pattern of the apostles, passing on the body of sound teaching by use of summaries. These summaries were developed with a view to teaching newcomers and youth, as well as ensuring correct doctrine over against false teachings, such as Gnosticism.

In the second place, these summaries soon took on a Trinitarian format, with most of the emphasis placed on God’s work in his Son Jesus Christ. This is not surprising since the Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of all God’s promises and all Scripture points to him.

Third, while the form of the Apostles’ Creed we use may be considered relatively recent, tracing its development and comparing it to other statements written by church leaders, and comparing it to Scripture itself, shows consistency in content with earlier forms. It is catholic in content.

Fourth, the awareness of this rich history underlines how the Apostles’ Creed, in effect, is the possession of the church of all ages and places and it took a long time to come to a common form of expression. Therefore, local churches or federations need to be very careful about making changes or modifications. The Creed is communal property. The Reformers recognized this and claimed it as part of their heritage. Making changes at a local level or as a federation indicates a separation from the church of all ages and places.

Finally, awareness of the history of the Creed should stir up in us an awareness that whenever we confess our faith with these words, we are joining a great throng of believers that have gone before us, and a great throng that confesses it elsewhere in the world to this very day. It truly is an expression of our catholic faith and the catholicity of the church. Confessing this ancient creed, with its deep roots, guards a local congregation against sectarianism and weekly refreshes the sense of catholicity.

Next time you use the Apostles’ Creed, recall its history. Knowing this should also enrich your use of it.