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What is the difference between the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed?

SPRING 2020

THE NICENE CREED IS ARGUABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT NON-SCRIPTURAL TEXT in the history of Christianity. It came about in the early fourth century A.D. as a result of the Arian crisis. In contrast to accepted Christian doctrine, Arianism maintained that the Second Person of the Trinity (God the Son) was not co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father, but had been created by the Father at a certain point in time. In this view, Jesus would not be fully divine, and therefore He would not be able to redeem us fully.

The question polarized the early Church. Many cities had both a Catholic church and an Arian church, and passionate debates filled street corners, taverns and marketplaces. In 325, fearing that the issue would divide his newly united empire, Constantine, the first Roman emperor to embrace Christianity, summoned the world’s bishops to the city of Nicaea, in what is now Turkey, to settle the question. This was the first ecumenical (universal) council.

Guided by the Holy Spirit, the assembled bishops agreed that the Father eternally generates the Son, and that there was never a time when the Son did not exist. The assembled bishops issued a summary of the orthodox faith, which became known as the Nicene Creed. Every word was carefully debated and chosen, affirming that the Son is “true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.”

That creed was expanded upon in the second ecumenical council, held in Constantinople (now known as Istanbul) in 381. There, the bishops added to the last section of the text, focusing on the Holy Spirit and the Church. Thus, the full name of the creed we recite at Mass every Sunday is the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed – but it’s generally referred to by its original, shorter name. It is the common statement of faith that all Christians share and agree upon. In fact, it’s something of a litmus test for identifying oneself as a Christian.

The Apostles’ Creed, on the other hand, is a specifically Western text and lacks the universal character of the Nicene. It has its origins in even earlier statements of belief: According to a pious legend, the Twelve Apostles themselves, before they dispersed to spread the Gospel, each professed one article of faith. Subsequently, in the baptismal liturgies of the early Latin Church, catechumens – those preparing to be baptized – would be asked to affirm their belief in each of the Apostles’ articles of faith. The questions, taken together, formed the basis of the creed as we know it.

The creed’s origin story conveys an important truth: This is the faith handed down from the Apostles. While it does not specifically address the many points of doctrine covered in the Nicene Creed, the Apostles Creed is more succinct and straightforward, and therefore a popular choice for prayers such as the rosary and liturgies with children.