THE APOSTLE'S CREED
-------------------
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again 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 the life everlasting. Amen.
(BCP, pg. 120)
THE CREED OF NICAEA (325)
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We believe in one God the Father All-sovereign,
maker of all things.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
begotten of the Father, only-begotten,
that is, of the substance of the Father,
God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God,
begotten not made, of one substance with the Father,
through whom all things were made,
things in heaven and things on the earth;
who for us men and for our salvation came down
and was made flesh,
and became man, suffered, and rose on the third day,
ascended into the heavens,
and is coming to judge living and dead.
And in the Holy Spirit.
And those that say 'There was when he was not,'
and, 'Before he was begotten he was not,'
and that, 'He came into being from what-is-not,'
or those that allege, that the son of God is
'Of another substance or essence'
or 'created,'
or 'changeable'
or 'alterable,'
these the Catholic and Apostolic Church anathematizes.
(Bettenson, pg. 25)
THE NICENE CREED (Constantinople, 381)
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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 in 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 worshiped 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.
(BCP, pp. 358-359)
STATEMENT OF CHALCEDON (451)
----------------------------
Definition of the Union of the Divine and Human Natures in the
Person of Christ. Council of Chalcedon, A.D. 451, Act V.
Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord
teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus
Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood,
truly God and truly man, consisting of a reasonable soul and
body; of one substance (homoousios) with the Father as regards
his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as
regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as
regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but
yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our
salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer (Theotokos); one
and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two
natures, without confusion, without change, without division,
without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way
annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each
nature being preserved and coming together to form one person
and substance, not as parted or separated into two persons, but
one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus
Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him,
and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of
the Fathers has handed down to us.
(BCP, pg. 864)
QUICUNQUE VULT
--------------
commonly called "The Creed of Saint Athanasius"
Whoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that
he hold the Catholic Faith.
Which Faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, without
doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
And the Catholic Faith is this: That we worship one God in
Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, neither confounding the
Persons, nor dividing the Substance.
For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and
another of the Holy Ghost.
But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,
is all one, the Glory equal, the Majesty co-eternal.
Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost.
The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate, and the Holy Ghost uncreate.
The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensile, and the
Holy Ghost incomprehensible.
The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Ghost eternal.
Any yet they are not three eternals, but one eternal.
As also there are not three incomprehensibles, nor three
uncreated, but one uncreated, and one incomprehensible.
So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the
Holy Ghost Almighty.
And yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.
So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God.
And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
And likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy
Ghost Lord.
And yet not three Lords, but one Lord.
For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to
acknowledge every Person by himself to be both God and Lord,
So are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion, to say, There be
three Gods, or three Lords.
The Father is made of none, neither created, nor begotten.
The Son is of the Father alone, not made, not created, but begotten.
The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son, neither made,
nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three
Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts.
And in this Trinity none is afore, or after other; none is
greater, or less than another.
But the whole three persons are co-eternal together and co-equal.
So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and
the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.
He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.
Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he
also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess, that our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man.
God, of the Substance of the Father, begotten before all worlds;
and Man, of the Substance of his Mother, born in the world;
Perfect God and Perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human
flesh subsisting.
Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead; and inferior to
the Father, as touching his Manhood.
Who although he may be God and Man, yet he is not two, but one Christ.
One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking
of the Manhood into God.
One altogether; not by confusion of Substance, but by unity of Person.
For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man
is one Christ.
Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again
the third day from the dead.
He ascended into heaven, he sittith on the right hand of the
Father, God Almighty, from whence he shall come to judge the
quick and the dead.
At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies and
shall give account for their own works.
And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting and
they that have done evil into everlasting fire.
This is the Catholic Faith, which except a believe faithfully,
he cannot be save.
(BCP, pp. 864-865)