THE APOSTLES’ CREED

Catholics believe that the Word of God is found not only in the Bible but also in the spoken word, a form of Sacred Tradition.

Sacred Traditions are considered part of the unwritten Word of God because it has been believed for centuries, since the

time of the Apostolic Church.

This period of time in Church history, from the first to the second century AD, is called Apostolic because the Apostles

lived at that time.

• The most influential part of Sacred Tradition is the Creed

• The word creed comes from the Latin word credo, which means “I believe”.

• A creed is a statement of what a person believes; it states what members of a religion believe is essential.

• The two most important creeds are the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed.

• The Nicene Creed is recited at every Mass.

• The oldest creed is the Apostles’ Creed. This creed dates back to the first century AD.

• The Creed is one of the four pillars of faith, along with the Ten Commandments, the seven sacraments, and the Our Father.

• The text of the Apostles’ Creed summarizes all that Catholicism regards as divinely revealed truth.

• The Apostles’ Creed can be divided into twelve articles

• Article 1: I believe in God the Father, almighty, creator of heaven and earth.– This affirms (confirms or states positively) that God

exists, that there is only one God, and that He created the known universe; God created all things out of nothing by His own power

•Article 2: and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord-This attests that Jesus is the Son of God and that he is divine; Jesus has both a divine nature and a human nature.

-Use of the title Christ shows an understanding that Jesus is the Christ, or “anointed one”.

•Article 3: who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary

- This affirms the human nature of Christ; he had a real, human mother. It also affirms Jesus’ divine nature, since it was by the power of the Holy Spirit that he was conceived in Mary’s womb.

- Incarnation – The union of the two natures of Jesus into one divine person; the “Word made flesh”.

• Article 4: He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.– The human nature of Christ could feel pain and

actually die; Jesus experienced actual, physical death on Good Friday.

– The mention of Pilate by name is meant to place the Crucifixion at a point in human history.

• Article 5: He descended to the dead. The third day he rose again. – In some translations, the word “hell” is used. In the

first century, the word hell referred to the place of all the dead, good or bad. Before salvation and redemption, the souls of all the deceased had to wait in the “abode of the dead” until the Redeemer could open the gates of heaven.

– This line of the Creed affirms

that Jesus rose; he came back

from the dead of his own divine power.

Jesus has a glorified, risen body.

• Article 6: He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty– The Ascension reminds us that after the human and

divine natures of Christ were united in the Incarnation, they could never be separated. Where Jesus went, body and soul, into heaven, the faithful hope to follow.

*Article 7: He will come again to judge the living and the dead. - This article affirms the Second Coming of Christ at the end of the world to be its judge. - After death, immediate private judgment occurs; a person is judged by their faith and how the practiced it. - At the end of time, we will experience General Judgment, God’s disclosure of everyone’s private judgment.

• Article 8: I believe in the Holy Spirit– This part reminds us that God exists in three persons –

the Blessed Trinity. The Holy Spirit is equal to God the Father and God the Son.

• Article 9: (I believe in) the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints

- The word “catholic” means “universal”- We believe that the Church is not simply an institution,

but an essential aspect of spiritual life. - The role of the Church continues a three-fold mission

that Christ had when he was on earth: to teach, sanctify and govern. Jesus fulfilled this mission in his role as prophet, priest, and king.

- Communion of saints means that the Church includes the baptized, the saints in heaven, and the souls in purgatory.

• Article 10: (I believe in) the forgiveness of sins…– Christ came to save the world from sin. Belief in the

forgiveness of sins is essential to Christianity. We acknowledge that we are all sinners and that we are in need of God’s mercy. (Mercy means compassionate treatment.)

* Article 11: (I believe in) the resurrection of the body…

- For Catholics, a human being is the union of a body and a soul. Death is just a brief separation of the body and soul which is unique to each person.

• Article 12: (I believe in) the life everlasting.– As Christ died, so we must die, too. As he rose, so shall

we. Death is the way we cross over from this life on earth to eternal life with God.