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 Nicaea (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] Ecumenical versions

[edit] 1975 ecumenical version (ICET)

In 1975, the International Consultation on English Texts (ICET) published, in the book Prayers We Have in Common, its final translation of the Nicene Creed, given in the following form in the Lutheran Book of Worship and in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer[1] of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America:

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 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.[2]

[edit] 1988 ecumenical version (ELLC)

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, which is given below. Variations of this text are gaining acceptance among mainline Protestant churches: it is used by the Methodist Church with little if any change, and by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Other denominations use it with modifications that vary between the churches: see, for instance, the discussion within The ELLC Texts: A Survey of Use and Variation, which does not include recent use of the ELLC text by the ELCA in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006).

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] Observation on the 1988 version

"For us men and for our salvation" has been the usual translation of "δι' ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν". The 1988 ELLC 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[3] 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] Catholic Church

[edit] Latin Rite

The translation for use in Mass of the Roman Rite is the following:[4]

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
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.
I 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 adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

[edit] Ruthenian Catholic Church

The Ruthenian Catholic Church, a sui iuris Eastern 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 of light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father, through whom all things were made.
Who for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and Mary the Virgin, and became man.
He was also crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried.
And He rose again on the third day, according to the scriptures.
And He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And He will come again with glory, to judge the living and the dead, and of His kingdom there will be no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver 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 profess one baptism for the remission of sins.
I expect the resurrection of the dead; and the life of the world to come.
Amen.[5]

[edit] Oriental Orthodox Churches

Text used by the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church[6]]:

We believe in one true God
The Father Almighty
Maker of heaven and earth
and of all things visible and invisible
And in the one Lord Jesus Christ
the only-begotten Son of God (John 1:14),
begotten of the Father before all worlds,
Light of Light, very God of very God ,
begotten, not made ,
being of the same substance with the Father;
and by whom all things were made;
+ who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven,
+ and was incarnate of the Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of God, by the Holy Ghost, and became man;
+ and was crucified for us in the days of Pontius Pilate;
and suffered, and died, and was buried;
And the third day rose again according to His will,
and ascended into heaven, and sat on the right side of the Father; and shall come again in His great glory,
to judge both the quick and the dead;
whose kingdom shall have no end ;
And in the one living Holy Spirit,
the life-giving Lord of all,
who proceeds from the Father:
and who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified ,
who spoke by the Prophets and Apostles;
And in the One, Holy, Catholic
and Apostolic Church;
and we acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
and look for the resurrection of the dead ,
and the new life in the world to come. Amen.

[edit] Eastern Orthodox Churches

Text used by the Orthodox Church in America:

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 sits 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 spoke 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.[7]

Text used by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America:

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.[8]

Text used by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America:

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 was made 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, Whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke by the Prophets;
And I believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins.
I look for the Resurrection of the dead,
And the Life of the age to come. Amen.[9]

[edit] Coptic Orthodox Church

In truth we believe in one God, God the Father the Pantocrator, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. 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 made, consubstantial with the Father, by whom all things came into being. This is he, who for us humans and our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and of the Virgin Mary, and became human. And he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried. And he rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures. He ascended into the heavens and sits at the right hand of the Father. And he is also coming 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. We co-worship him and we co-glorify him with the Father and the Son, who spoke by the prophets. And in one holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. We confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come. Amen.

[edit] Anglican Communion

The 1979 Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America version has the 1975 ecumenical (ICET) version (see above).[10] The version in the Church of England's Common Worship of 2000 is the 1988 ecumenical (ELLC) version.[11] But in many churches of the Anglican Communion the version in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer is the one in use:

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.[12]

[edit] Lutheran churches

The version in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) is the 1988 ecumenical (ELLC) version. But the Lutheran Service Book(2006) of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC) is that of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer with modernized spelling of the words "catholic" and "apostolic", with changes in capitalization of these and other words, and with "Holy Spirit" in place of "Holy Ghost". It is as follows:

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 worshipped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy catholic[note 1] 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.[13]

[edit] Presbyterian churches

The Trinity Hymnal of 1990, published by the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, uses the following translation:

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
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 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 is seated at the right hand of the Father;
and he shall come again, with glory, to judge both the living and the dead;
whose kingdom shall have no end.
And we 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 worshipped and glorified;
who spoke by the prophets;
and we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church;
we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins;
and we look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen. [14]

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) uses this slightly different version as subscribed in their Book of Confessions:

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. [15]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Some Lutherans may replace "catholic" with Christian to avoid confusion, however it is understood as meaning the entire Church as it confesses the wholeness of the universal doctrine.

[edit] References

Wikisource has original text related to this article:
  1. ^ "The Holy Eucharist". Bcponline.org. http://www.bcponline.org/. Retrieved 2012-01-08. 
  2. ^ "The Nicene Creed". Christian-bible.com. http://christian-bible.com/Exegesis/creeds.htm. Retrieved 2012-01-08. 
  3. ^ 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, Sexist language, , Richard J. Schuler, Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi: the Outrage of Inclusive Language
  4. ^ "Order of Mass". Catholic.org.au. http://www.catholic.org.au/index.php?option=com_docman&Itemid=464. Retrieved 2012-01-08. 
  5. ^ "Catholic Church, Byzantine-Ruthenian Rite: The Creed". Patronagechurch.com. 2006-05-27. http://www.patronagechurch.com/HTML/creed.htm. Retrieved 2012-01-08. 
  6. ^ "Malankara Orthodox Church - Nicene Creed". Malankaraorthodoxchurch.in. http://malankaraorthodoxchurch.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=104&Itemid=217. Retrieved 2012-01-08. 
  7. ^ Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom[dead link]
  8. ^ "Liturgical Texts". Goarch.org. http://www.goarch.org/en/chapel/liturgical_texts/creed.asp. Retrieved 2012-01-08. 
  9. ^ "The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed | Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese". Antiochian.org. http://www.antiochian.org/674. Retrieved 2012-01-08. 
  10. ^ "1979 Book of Common Prayer, Episcopal Church". Anglicansonline.org. 2011-12-30. http://anglicansonline.org/resources/bcp.html. Retrieved 2012-01-08. 
  11. ^ "Common Worship, Church of England". Cofe.anglican.org. http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/liturgy/commonworship/texts/word/creeds.html. Retrieved 2012-01-08. 
  12. ^ "Book of Common Prayer - 1662 (Church of England)". Vulcanhammer.org. http://www.vulcanhammer.org/anglican/bcp-1662.php. Retrieved 2012-01-08. 
  13. ^ The Commission on Worship of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Lutheran Service Book, (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006), 158.
  14. ^ Trinity Hymnal, (Atlanta: Great Commission Publications, 1990), 846.
  15. ^ Book of Confessions, (Louisville: Office of the General Assembly Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 2004), 1.1-3
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