I.
Following the reading of the Lessons, what typically follows is the congregation joining together to confess their common Christian faith using the words of one of the three ecumenical creeds, namely, the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creed. These are called “ecumenical” because they are used by all those in the “oikumene”, that is, the “household” of faith. While the use of these creeds is an historic practice of the church, confessing the faith is not merely a matter of tradition. It comes from Christ himself.
In Jesus’ Galilean ministry, he comes to Caesarea Philippi and here asks his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Jesus’ question is met with a myriad of answers: John the Baptist raised from the dead, Elijah to come, Jeremiah reborn, or simply another of the great prophets. After some discussion, Jesus finally puts the question to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replies, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus lauds this confession as revealed by the Father in heaven and, indeed, the rock upon which Jesus will build his church (Mt 16:13-20). In this way, the church— if it is the church— is founded upon the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and thus the church of every age is bound to take up Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” and give her reply. The faith which believes Christ (fides qua creditur) gives voice to what is believed about Christ (fides quae creditur). As St. Paul writes, “with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Rm 10:10).
Not only does personal faith give rise to a personal confession, but this confession and faith stands together with the faith and confession of all believers. As St. Paul writes again, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph 4:4-5). The faith of the body of Christ is one, because she has received one Spirit from her one Lord through one baptism. This faith, then, is also one of the essential aspects of the “communion” that the congregation shares. The “doctrine” of the apostles is the foundation for the “fellowship” of the church (Ac 2:42). Not only does this common confession or doctrine give rise to the church’s unity, it also serves the health and life of the church. St. Paul writes to Timothy, “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tm 4:16). The true doctrine of Christ unites and enlivens the church. Contrariwise, false doctrine divides and mortifies it. The truth saves and lies damn. Therefore, our confession is spoken against all those who would deny or persecute the truth, as much as with those who believe and confess it (Lk 12:11; 24:48).
Theologian John Kleinig summarizes this biblical evidence by describing confession according to four orientations: 1) Confession is made in the presence of the Triune God and the holy angels, 2) with all the members of the congregation and the church of all times and places, 3) to the peoples and powers of this world, and 4) against the devil, evil spirits, and heretics. If our confession of faith does not embody all four of these orientations, then it falls short of what the bible demands and gives as the true confession of faith.
II.
The ease with which we can recall the history of our three creeds varies from creed to creed. The Apostles’ Creed has perhaps the most ambiguous history of the three. In 404 AD Tyrannius Rufinus tells of an old tradition concerning its origin that on Pentecost the twelve apostles proclaimed the creed under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and with complete unanimity. This legend was widely accepted during the Middle Ages, however, by the time of the Reformation it came under serious historical scrutiny and was quietly dismissed as pious fiction. That said, while not penned by the apostles themselves, it was penned very early in church history. In the early third century, the Apostolic Tradition provides the Greek text of an old Roman creed in an interrogative form which was used as part of the baptismal rite. Around this time, we’ve also found a declarative form as part of catechesis for baptism. The oldest and most complete version in Greek that we have is from Marcellus of Ancyra in the 4th century, but after this the creed persists and develops in Latin. The old Roman creed settles into the form that we know and confess about the 8th century as evidenced in the writing of St. Pirminius of Reichenau. Throughout its history, the Apostles’ Creed has maintained its original association with the Rite of Holy Baptism. St. Augustine encouraged reciting the Apostles’ Creed daily, and in the Middle Ages it was included in the daily prayer offices at Compline and later at Prime as well. Luther takes up specifically the Apostles’ Creed for his children’s catechism as the simplest and best explanation of the Gospel. No other catechism or explanation has surpassed Luther’s little catechism.
The Nicene Creed is easier to track historically, however, there is a great deal of misinformation about its origin. The Nicene Creed was first adopted at the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) and later expanded/altered at the Council of Constantinople (380 AD). Because of this, some scholars refer to it as the Niceno-constantinopolitan Creed, however, even this doesn’t accurately relate its origin. In comparing the editions provided by Nicaea and Constantinople (which differ considerably) it becomes clear that independent local creeds were brought to bear, edited, and adopted at each of the Councils. The complete Greek text of what we call the Nicene Creed doesn’t appear until the Council of Ephesus (451 AD). Though not literally the creed that Nicaea or Constantinople individually produced, it does reflect the faith of Nicaea and Constantinople together. These councils met chiefly to combat the threats of Arianism, Sabellianism, Monophysitism, and Nestorianism which deny various aspects of the doctrine of Christ, e.g. his full divinity, his unique personhood, the distinction between Jesus’ two natures, or the union of his two natures. In its earliest liturgical usage, the Nicene Creed was used as a prelude to the Lord’s Supper after the catechumenate was dismissed and the doors were locked, thus serving the early practice of closed communion.
The Athanasian Creed originates in the 5th century in southern Gaul (modern day France). Though it bears Athanasius’ name, it was composed nearly a century after his death and on the opposite side of the Mediterranean, and as such it could not have been written by him. Some of the earliest documentation that we have of the creed comes from the catechetical sermons of Caesarius of Arles in the 6th century who used the creed as a basis for teaching the basics of the faith. Its prominence and acceptance would grow over the subsequent centuries and is listed by the Reformers of the 16th century as one of the three chief creeds of the church. This creed is by far the longest, comprising 40 lines compared to the 10 of the Nicene and 8 of the Apostles’. Lines 1-2, and 40 of this creed (“This is the catholic faith; a person cannot be saved without believing this…”) have merited quite a bit of criticism from the proponents of an undogmatic and open Christianity, however, these perfectly accord with the teaching of Christ and the apostles, especially Acts 4:12, John 8:21, and John 14:6. By contrast to its modern dissenters, Luther held the Athanasian Creed as the most important document of the New Testament church.
III.
In Lutheran Service Book these creeds have been preserved for our liturgical use in the Divine Service and in the Daily Offices. The Apostles’ and Nicene are given for the settings of the Divine Service. The Apostles’ Creed alone is also provided for the Service of Prayer and Preaching (260), and Responsive Prayer 1 & 2 (282, 285). The brief outlines for daily prayer (294) encourage the use of the Apostles’ Creed for morning and evening prayers. Finally, Luther prescribes reciting the Apostles’ Creed in both the morning and evening prayers given in the Small Catechism (327). It is typical within the Lutheran tradition to use the Nicene Creed for feast days and the Apostles’ Creed for non-festive days, which also then runs along the lines of Communion and non-Communion Sundays. This maintains the original association of the Apostles’ Creed with Baptism and the Nicene with the Lord’s Supper. However, this practice also runs the risk of excluding the Apostles’ Creed entirely if a church receives Holy Communion every Sunday. In order to remedy this, the Nicene Creed can be used during the festive time of the year (Advent-Easter) and the Apostles’ Creed during the non-festive time (the season after Pentecost). The Athanasian Creed is typically recited once a year on Trinity Sunday, although technically nothing prohibits us from using it more often!
Regardless of which creed is used, during the Divine Service the confession of a creed should by no means be omitted, especially when the sacrament is given. Although this ought to go without saying, no other words or creed should be used other than those given by the Lutheran Confessions. Likewise, no variation in verbiage ought to be tolerated for the sake of clarity of confession and the instruction of young and old.
Rev. Philip D. Bartelt
Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd
The Feast of the Holy Innocents, 2024
