A Church History Series: The Ecumenical Creeds - An Overview
Updated: Oct 7
The Ecumenical Creeds: Foundations of Christian Orthodoxy
Throughout the early centuries of Christianity, the church faced a host of theological controversies and questions about the nature of God, Christ, salvation, and Scripture. In response, Christian leaders gathered to articulate the core truths of the faith in concise, authoritative statements known today as the ecumenical creeds. These creeds have shaped Christian identity and doctrine for nearly two millennia and remain central to the faith of countless believers across denominations.
A Creed is a formal statement of faith.
The word ‘creed’ comes from the Latin [ˈkreːdoː]; Latin for "I believe".
In Christian liturgy, the creeds are recited or sung.
The purpose of the creeds is to declare and safeguard, for all generations, essential truths about God, the Church, and the world as revealed in Holy Scripture. They are a summary, and faithful echo, of Scripture.
The three primary ecumenical creeds recognized throughout much of the Christian world are:
The Apostles’ Creed
The Nicene Creed
The Athanasian Creed
Many theologians also include the Definition of Chalcedon because of its enduring doctrinal importance.
"Once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.”
Jude 3-4
3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. 4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
It is not our job today to re-interpret the faith, which was "once for all entrusted to God’s holy people", or to re-interpret Holy Scripture. Those who do so are the ones who end up destroying Christianity and/or drifting into heresies. God did not choose our 21st Century American culture as the ones to whom he would deliver the Scriptures, their interpretations, and the creeds which are derived from them. To deny the authority of the ecumenical creeds, in order to just make up whatever statement of faith we feel like, 2,000 years from the lifetime of Christ, is a dangerous practice and an incredible exercise in hubris.
(And yes, statements like "No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible" are, in fact, creeds.)
The Scriptures were written by/to specific people thousands of years ago. The early church fathers interpreted them, passed those interpretations down to their successors, guarded orthodox doctrine from attacks of heretics, and have continued to pass orthodox Christian doctrines down (via Apostolic Succession, church tradition, and creeds), through the generations, all the way to us.
Why the Ecumenical Creeds Matter
The early church did not develop these creeds as mere summaries, they were forged in the fires of debate and doctrinal struggle. Not every aspect of Christianity is contained within the creeds and just because something isn’t included within the creeds doesn’t mean it’s not important. The focus of the creeds is to talk about the essential faith that has been handed over to Christ’s Church.
Belief in the creeds signifies acceptance of God’s revealed truth and the intention to live by it. To reject any element of the creeds, signifies a departure from the Christian faith. When you say the creeds in worship, you are accepting them as God’s revealed truth.
The significance of the Ecumenical Creeds continues to resonate today:
A Response to Heresy
The church faced numerous challenges from heretical teachings such as Arianism, which denied Christ’s full divinity, and Gnosticism, which rejected the goodness of creation and denied the incarnation. The creeds provided clear, unified answers to these distortions. They respond to modern heresies of today.
A Standard of Orthodoxy
The creeds served, and still serve, as a doctrinal compass, helping Christians discern truth from error. They offered the church a way to articulate correct belief in a world overflowing with competing ideas.
A Source of Unity
The term ecumenical means “universal.” These creeds were accepted across the Christian world, forming a shared confession that transcended geography, culture, and later denominational divisions.
Tools for Worship and Instruction
Many of the creeds emerged from early baptismal rites and quickly entered the church’s liturgy and catechesis. They helped new believers understand the essentials of the Christian faith.
The Apostles’ Creed: The Oldest Christian Confession
Origin
The Apostles’ Creed is rooted in the early Roman baptismal tradition (the Old Roman Symbol). While its earliest form may date back to around 180 AD, the standardized version used today likely took shape in the late 5th century.
Purpose
It served primarily as a baptismal confession of faith simple, memorable, and comprehensive.
Key Themes
The Trinity
The virgin birth
Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension
The universal church
Forgiveness of sins
The resurrection of the body
Its enduring simplicity explains why it remains one of the most widely used statements of faith in the world today.
The Nicene Creed: The Global Standard of Christian Orthodoxy
Origin
Formulated at the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) to combat Arianism, and expanded at the Council of Constantinople (381 AD), this creed unified the church's teaching on the Trinity.
Purpose
To clarify the divine nature of Christ using precise theological language, especially the claim that He is “of one essence” (homoousios) with the Father.
Key Doctrines
One God in three persons
Jesus Christ as “begotten, not made”
Christ’s full divinity and humanity
The Holy Spirit as the divine “giver of life”
Today, the Nicene Creed is professed across Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran and other Protestant traditions.
The Athanasian Creed: The Most Detailed Trinitarian Statement
Origin
Despite the name, this creed was not written by Athanasius. It emerged in the Western church, likely in Gaul or Spain, between the 5th and 7th centuries.
Purpose
To offer a comprehensive and unambiguous defense of:
The Trinity
The full divinity and humanity of Christ
Key Doctrines
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are coequal and coeternal
Christ is one person in two natures, fully God and fully man
While longer and less frequently used liturgically, it has played a critical role in shaping Western Christian theology.
The Definition of Chalcedon: Christ, Fully God and Fully Man
Origin
Issued by the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD), this statement addressed the ongoing debates about how Christ’s divine and human natures relate.
Purpose
To correct errors such as:
Nestorianism (which split Christ into two persons)
Monophysitism (which merged His natures into one)
Key Doctrine: The Hypostatic Union
Christ is:
One person
In two distinct natures
Without confusion, without change, without division, without separation
This definition remains one of the most important Christological statements in Christian history.
A Lasting Legacy
From ancient councils to modern congregations, the ecumenical creeds continue to anchor Christian belief. They safeguard the church from error, unite believers in shared confession, and provide a timeless summary of the faith once delivered to the saints. Whether recited in liturgy, studied in catechesis, or used in personal devotion, these creeds remain pillars of Christian orthodoxy, bridging centuries and cultures with the unchanging truth of the gospel.
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