When was the nicene creed established

No mere man, nor half god, could possibly intervene to save fallen and sinful humanity, let alone restore all of creation. Only the Creator can enter creation to fix its brokenness and redeem its original, latent purpose. Athanasius explored this truth in On the Incarnation , defending the claim that the Father and the Son share one common substance homoousios.

Only the Creator can recreate. Only the Maker can remake. Only God can save us from our sins. Because the Father and the Son are one substance, we can also be assured that we actually know God in Jesus Christ. Without confidence that Jesus is God, united in substance with the Father, we could not be sure that Jesus can speak for God, forgive sins for God, declare righteousness for God, or do anything to make us children of the Father.

This post is adapted from material found in the Know the Creeds and Councils online course, taught by Justin Holcomb. Take a look at the free introductory video:. The Nicene Creed: Where it came from and why it still matters.

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This accessible over View Course. Related Posts. Despite what some critics will level against it, the Nicene Creed is more than just metaphysical speculation, and includes important historical confessions. Notice that in addition to being "true God from true God," Jesus is fully human as well. The early Docetists, named from the Greek word "dokeo" "to seem" , heretically believed Jesus only seemed to be human, but was not.

Jesus was resurrected bodily, as the Scriptures say. Just as Jesus truly died, He truly rose from the dead three days later. The bodily resurrection is the keystone of Christian doctrine and experience. However, Jesus was not just physically resuscitated as was Lazarus , but rather His body was transformed at the Resurrection. Rejection of the bodily resurrection is a rejection of the foundation of Catholic Christianity. The word "again" is used because Jesus' first "rising" was His birth.

To "rise again" is be alive again. In ancient science, heaven was thought to be situated above the sky dome. So in the Scriptures, Jesus is said to ascend to heaven. Whatever happened that day, Luke had to render the event into his own scientific paradigm, so he said Jesus "went up" to heaven. Jesus is coming again to righteously judge the living and dead. His kingdom cannot be destroyed, despite all of humanity's efforts.

The creed says Jesus is coming; it does not say when or how, nor does it say to speculate on the date of His return.

The Holy Spirit is also called "Lord. However, most scholars believe that the text of the full creed dates prior to this council, and that the bishops simply gave their approval to a local creed already in use.

The reason these additions were included in the Nicene Creed is that some heretics of the 4th century denied the full divinity of the Holy Spirit. The Son is said to be begotten, while the Spirit is said to proceed. Both words convey that the Son and Spirit are in special relationships to the Father, yet also fully divine. The phrase "and the Son" in Latin, "filioque," was not in the original text of the creed, but was added in many Western Churches in the late 6th century.

The addition likely developed over time as a tool against Arianism. There are theological and historical justifications for the addition or exclusion of the filioque.

The Eastern Churches oppose the addition of the filioque, while many Western churches accept it. Actually, despite current division on the matter, the issue has been pretty much theologically resolved. The Catholic Church acknowledges the Father is the sole source within the Trinity, and admits that "proceeds from the Father and the Son" means "proceeds from the Father through the Son. The creed requires belief in the Catholic universal Church, whose origins go back to the Apostles themselves.

The Church is "holy" on account of Christ's holiness and grace, and not because its members or leaders are perfect. In fact, at times throughout history, the Church has remained holy in spite of its members. Catholics believe that sacramentally, through the waters of baptism, God forgives us of our sins, and we are born again. Learn more about its significance in Church history and why the Nicene Creed was created. The Nicene Creed, also called the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, is a Christian declaration of faith that is the sole ecumenical creed as it is affirmed as dogmatic by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and some mainline Protestant churches.

The Nicene Creed was first recorded in Greek. Its primary liturgical use is in the connection of the Eucharist in the Western Church of Catholicism and in the context of both baptism and the Eucharist in the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is named "Nicene" because it was originally adopted in the city of Nicaea modern-day İznik, Turkey by the First Council of Nicaea in It was then revised at the First Council of Constantinople in , and the updated form is indicated as the Nicene or the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed.

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through Him all things were made.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. 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.