Apostles' Creed

General information

A Christian creed from the fifth century, in its current Latin form from the eighth century. It was preceded by the Old Roman Creed, first in Greek cited by Marcellus of Ancyra in 340, translated into Latin by Tyrannus Rufinus around 400 (Kelly 1960); surely it existed earlier, as it was referenced in the second century.

See Wir glauben all an einen Gott for a metrical paraphrase by Martin Luther.

Text and translations

Greek text Πιστεύω οὖν εἰς θεòν πατέρα παντοκράτορα· καὶ εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν, τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ, τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν, τὸν γεννηθέντα ἐκ πνεύματος ἁγίου καὶ Μαρίας τῆς παρθένου, τὸν ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου σταυρωθέντα καὶ ταφέντα καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρα ἀναστάντα ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, ἀναβάντα εἰς τοὺς οὐρανούς καὶ καθήμενον ἐν δεξιᾳ τοῦ πατρός, ὅθεν ἔρχεται κρίνειν ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς· καὶ εἰς τò ἅγιον πνεῦμα, ἁγίαν ἐκκλησίαν, ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν, σαρκὸς ἀνάστασιν, ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Marcellus, Bishop of Ancyra, 340

Latin translation Credo in deum patrem omnipotentem; et in Christum Iesum filium eius unicum, dominum nostrum, qui natus est de Spiritu sancto ex Maria virgine, qui sub Pontio Pilato crucifixus est et sepultus, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis, ascendit in caelos, sedet ad dexteram patris, unde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos; et in Spiritum sanctum, sanctam ecclesiam, remissionem peccatorum, carnis resurrectionem. Tyrannus Rufinus, ca. 400

Latin text Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli et terrae, et in Iesum Christum, Filium Eius unicum, Dominum nostrum, qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine, passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus, descendit ad inferos, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis, ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis, inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos. Credo in Spiritum Sanctum, sanctam Ecclesiam catholicam, sanctorum communionem, remissionem peccatorum, carnis resurrectionem, vitam aeternam. Amen. St. Pirmin, 710-714

English translation I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord, which was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. He descended into Hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholick church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. Westminster Confession of Faith, 1646

External websites:

• View the Wikipedia article on Apostles' Creed.

• Wikipedia article: Old Roman Credo

References

• Holland, D. Larrimore. 1965. The Earliest Text of the Old Roman Symbol: A Debate with Hans Lietzmann and J. N. D. Kelly. Church History 34(3):262-281.
• Kelly, J. N. D. 1960. Early Christian Creeds, Second Edition. London: Longmans, Green and Company. 446 pp.