Jump to content

Creed

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected fromChristian creed)
This article is about a statement of belief. For other uses, seeCreed (disambiguation).
"Articles of Faith" redirects here. For other uses, seeArticles of Faith (disambiguation).
"Confession of faith" redirects here. Not to be confused withProfession of faith.
IcondepictingEmperor Constantine(center) and the Fathers of theFirst Council of Nicaea(325) as holding theNiceno-Constantinopolitan Creedof 381

Acreed,also known as aconfession of faith,asymbol,or astatement of faith,is a statement of the sharedbeliefsof a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets.

ManyChristian denominationsuse three creeds: theNiceno-Constantinopolitan Creed,theApostles' Creedand theAthanasian Creed.Some Christian denominationsdo not use any of those creeds.

The termcreedis sometimes extended to comparable concepts in non-Christian theologies. The Islamic concept ofʿaqīdah(literally "bond, tie" ) is often rendered as "creed".[1]

History

[edit]

The earliest known creed inChristianity,"Jesus is Lord",originated in the writings ofPaul the Apostle.[2]One of the most significant and widely used Christian creeds is theNicene Creed,first formulated in AD 325 at theFirst Council of Nicaea[3]to affirm the deity of Christ and revised at theFirst Council of Constantinoplein AD 381 to affirm the trinity as a whole.[4]The creed was further affirmed in 431 by the Chalcedonian Definition, which clarified the doctrine of Christ.[4]Affirmation of this creed, which describes theTrinity,is often taken as a fundamental test oforthodoxyby manyChristian denominations,and was historically purposed againstArianism.[5]The Apostles' Creed, another early creed which concisely details the trinity, virgin birth, crucifixion, and resurrection, is most popular withinwestern Christianity,and is widely used in Christianchurch services.

InIslamictheology, the term most closely corresponding to "creed" isʿaqīdah(عقيدة).[1]

Terminology

[edit]
See also:Credo

The wordcreedis particularly used for a concise statement which is recited as part ofliturgy.The term is anglicized from Latincredo"I believe", theincipitof the Latin texts of theApostles' Creedand theNicene Creed.A creed is sometimes referred to as asymbolin a specialized meaning of that word (which was first introduced toLate Middle Englishin this sense), after Latinsymbolum"creed" (as inSymbolum Apostolorum= the "Apostles' Creed",a shorter version of the traditional Nicene Creed), after Greeksymbolon"token, watchword".[6]

Some longer statements of faith in theProtestanttradition are instead called "confessions of faith", or simply "confession" (as in e.g.Helvetic Confession). WithinEvangelical Protestantism,the terms "doctrinal statement" or "doctrinal basis" tend to be preferred. Doctrinal statements may include positions onlectionaryandtranslations of the Bible,particularly infundamentalistchurches of theKing James Only movement.[citation needed]

Christianity

[edit]
Part ofa serieson
Christianity
Principal symbol of Christianity
Theology
Nicene
Restorationist
Related topics

The first confession of faith established withinChristianitywas theNicene Creedby theEarly Churchin325.[7]It was established to summarize the foundations of the Christian faith and to protect believers from false doctrines. VariousChristian denominationsfromProtestantismandEvangelical Christianityhave published confession of faith as a basis for fellowship among churches of the same denomination.[8][9]

ManyChristian denominationsdid not try to be too exhaustive in their confessions of faith and thus allow different opinions on some secondary topics.[10]In addition, some churches are open to revising their confession of faith when necessary. Moreover,Baptist"confessions of faith" have often had a clause such as this from theFirst London Baptist Confession(Revised edition, 1646):[11]

Also we confess that we now know but in part and that are ignorant of many things which we desire to and seek to know: and if any shall do us that friendly part to show us from the Word of God that we see not, we shall have cause to be thankful to God and to them.

Excommunication

[edit]

Excommunicationis a practice of theBibleto exclude members who do not respect the Church's confession of faith and do not want to repent.[12]It is practiced by mostChristian denominationsand is intended to protect against the consequences ofheretics'teachings andapostasy.[13]

Christians without creeds

[edit]

Some Christian denominations do not profess a creed. This stance is often referred to as "non-creedalism".

Anabaptism,with its origins in the 16th centuryRadical Reformation,spawned a number of sects and denominations that espouse "No creed, but the Bible/New Testament".[14]This was a common reason for Anabaptist persecution from Catholic and Protestant believers.[15]Anabaptist groups that exist today include theAmish,Hutterites,Mennonites,Schwarzenau Brethren(Church of the Brethren),River Brethren,Bruderhof,and theApostolic Christian Church.

TheReligious Society of Friends,the group known as theQuakers,was founded in the 17th century and is similarly non-creedal. They believe that such formal structures, “be they written words, steeple-houses or a clerical hierarchy,” cannot take the place of communal relationships and a shared connection with God.[16]

Similar reservations about the use of creeds can be found in theRestoration Movementand its descendants, theChristian Church (Disciples of Christ),theChurches of Christ,and theChristian churches and churches of Christ.Restorationists profess "no creed but Christ".[17]

TheSeventh-day Adventist Churchalso shares this sentiment.[18]

Jehovah's Witnessescontrast "memorizing or repeating creeds" with acting to "do what Jesus said".[19]

Christian creeds

[edit]
Main article:List of Christian creeds

Several creeds originated inChristianity.

  • 1 Corinthians 15:3–7 includes an early creed about Jesus' death and resurrection which was probably received by Paul. The antiquity of the creed has been located by most biblical scholars to no more than five years after Jesus' death, probably originating from theJerusalem apostolic community.[20]
  • TheOld Roman Creedis an earlier and shorter version of theApostles' Creed.It was based on the 2nd century Rules of Faith and the interrogatory declaration of faith for those receivingbaptism,which by the 4th century was everywhere tripartite in structure, following Matthew 28:19.
  • TheApostles' Creedis used inWestern Christianityfor bothliturgicalandcatecheticalpurposes.
  • TheNicene Creedreflects the concerns of theFirst Council of Nicaeain 325 which had as their chief purpose to establish what Christians believed.[21]
  • TheChalcedonian Creedwas adopted at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 in Asia Minor. It defines that Christ is 'acknowledged in two natures', which 'come together into one person and hypostasis'.
  • TheAthanasian Creed(Quicunque vult) is a Christian statement of belief focusing on Trinitarian doctrine and Christology. It is the first creed in which the equality of the three persons of the Trinity is explicitly stated and differs from the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds in the inclusion of anathemas, or condemnations of those who disagree with the Creed.
  • TheTridentine Creedwas initially contained in thepapal bullIniunctum Nobis,issued byPope Pius IVon 13 November 1565. The creed was intended to summarise the teaching of theCouncil of Trent(1545–1563).
  • TheMaasai Creedis a creed composed in 1960 by theMaasai peopleof East Africa in collaboration with missionaries from theCongregation of the Holy Ghost.The creed attempts to express the essentials of the Christian faith within the Maasai culture.
  • TheCredo of the People of Godis a confession of faith thatPope Paul VIpublished with themotu proprioSolemni hac liturgiaof 30 June 1968. Pope Paul VI spoke of it as "a creed which, without being strictly speaking a dogmatic definition, repeats in substance, with some developments called for by the spiritual condition of our time, thecreed of Nicea,the creed of the immortal tradition of the holy Church of God. "

Christian confessions of faith

[edit]

Protestant denominations are usually associated with confessions of faith, which are similar to creeds but usually longer.

Controversies

[edit]

In theSwiss Reformed Churches,there was a quarrel about the Apostles' Creed in the mid-19th century. As a result, most cantonal reformed churches stopped prescribing any particular creed.[31]

In 2005, BishopJohn Shelby Spong,retiredEpiscopalBishop of Newark, has written that dogmas and creeds were merely "a stage in our development" and "part of our religious childhood." In his book,Sins of the Scripture,Spong wrote that "Jesus seemed to understand that no one can finally fit the holy God into his or her creeds or doctrines. That is idolatry."[32]

Similar concepts in other religions

[edit]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

[edit]
Main article:Articles of Faith (Latter Day Saints)

Within thesectsof theLatter Day Saint movement,theArticles of Faithare contained in a list which was composed byJoseph Smithas part of an 1842letterwhich he sent to"Long" John Wentworth,editor of theChicago Democrat.It is canonized along with theKing James Versionof theBible,theBook of Mormon,theDoctrine & Covenantsand thePearl of Great Price,as a part of thestandard worksofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[citation needed]

Islamicaqīdah

[edit]
Main articles:ʿAqīdahandIman (concept)

In Islamic theology, the term most closely corresponding to "creed" isʿaqīdah(عقيدة).[who?]The first such creed was written as "a short answer to the pressing heresies of the time" is known asAl-Fiqh Al-Akbarand ascribed toAbū Ḥanīfa.[33][34]Two well known creeds were theFiqh Akbar II[35]"representative" of theal-Ash'ari,andFiqh Akbar III,"representative" of theAsh-Shafi'i.[33]

Iman(Arabic:الإيمان) inIslamic theologydenotes a believer's religious faith.[36][37]Its most simple definition is the belief inthe six articles of faith,known asarkān al-īmān.

  1. Belief in God
  2. Belief in the Angels
  3. Belief in Divine Books
  4. Belief in the Prophets
  5. Belief in the Day of Judgement
  6. Belief in God's predestination

JewishShema Yisreal

[edit]
See also:Jewish principles of faith

RabbiMilton Steinbergwrote that "By its nature Judaism is averse to formal creeds which of necessity limit and restrain thought"[38]and asserted in his bookBasic Judaism(1947) that "Judaism has never arrived at a creed."[38]The 1976 Centenary Platform of theCentral Conference of American Rabbis,an organization ofReformrabbis, agrees that "Judaism emphasizes action rather than creed as the primary expression of a religious life."[39]

Still, the opening lines of the prayerShema Yisraelcan be read as a creedal statement of strictmonotheism:"Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One" (Hebrew:שמע ישראל אדני אלהינו אדני אחד;transliteratedShema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad).[40][41][42]

A notable statement ofJewish principles of faithwas drawn up byMaimonidesas his13 Principles of Faith.[43]

Religions without creeds

[edit]

Following a debate that lasted more than twenty years, the National Conference of theAmerican Unitarian Associationpassed a resolution in 1894 that established the denomination as non-creedal.[44]The Unitarians later merged with theUniversalist Church of Americato form theUnitarian Universalist Association(UUA). Instead of a creed, the UUA abides by a set of principles, such as “a free and responsible search for truth and meaning”.[45]It cites diverse sources of inspiration, including Christianity, Judaism,Humanism,andEarth-centered traditions.[46]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^abHalverson, J. (2010).Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam: The Muslim Brotherhood, Ash'arism, and Political Sunnism.New York, NY: Springer. p. 39.ISBN978-1-349-28721-5.
  2. ^Harn, Roger van (2004).Exploring and Proclaiming the Apostles' Creed.A&C Black. p. 58.ISBN9780819281166.
  3. ^Hanson, Richard Patrick Crosland; Hanson, R. P. (2005).The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God: The Arian Controversy 318-381 AD.London: A&C Black.ISBN978-0-567-03092-4.
  4. ^abCone, Steven D.; Rea, Robert F. (2019).A Global Church History: The Great Tradition through Cultures, Continents and Centuries.Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. lxxx.ISBN978-0-567-67305-3.
  5. ^Johnson, Phillip R. "The Nicene Creed."Archived2009-03-14 at theWayback MachineAccessed 17 May 2009
  6. ^Justo L. Gonzalez,The Story of Christianity,2nd ed., Vol. 1, p. 77.
  7. ^Everett Ferguson,Encyclopedia of Early Christianity,Routledge, Abingdon-on-Thames, 2013, p. 418
  8. ^J. Gordon Melton,Encyclopedia of Protestantism,Infobase Publishing, USA, 2005, p. 170
  9. ^Walter A. Elwell,Evangelical Dictionary of Theology,Baker Academic, USA, 2001, p. 286-289
  10. ^Walter A. Elwell,Evangelical Dictionary of Theology,Baker Academic, USA, 2001, p. 289
  11. ^Barrington Raymond White,Pilgrim Pathways: Essays in Baptist History,Mercer University Press, USA, 1999, p. 275
  12. ^Ronald F. Youngblood,Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary: New and Enhanced Edition,Thomas Nelson Inc, USA, 2014, p. 378
  13. ^Chad Brand, Eric Mitchell,Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary,B&H Publishing Group, USA, 2015, p. 521-522
  14. ^Biblical Inspiration and Authority 1979 Church of the Brethren Statement
  15. ^Swora, Mathew (24 April 2019)."Of creeds and confessions".Retrieved11 March2023.
  16. ^"Creeds and Quakers".quaker.org.Retrieved11 March2023.
  17. ^Scott, Harp."George A. Klingman".Restoration History.Buford Church of Christ.Retrieved2015-09-19.
  18. ^"Creeds".
  19. ^"Creeds—Any Place in True Worship?",Awake!,October 8, 1985, ©Watch Tower, page 23, "The opening words of a creed invariably are, “I believe” or, “We believe.” This expression is translated from the Latin word “credo,” from which comes the word “creed.”...What do we learn from Jesus’ words? That it is valueless in God’s eyes for one merely to repeat what one claims to believe....Thus, rather than memorizing or repeating creeds, we must do what Jesus said "
  20. ^see Wolfhart Pannenberg, Jesus—God and Man translated Lewis Wilkins and Duane Pribe (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1968) p. 90; Oscar Cullmann, The Early church: Studies in Early Christian History and Theology, ed. A. J. B. Higgins (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1966) p. 66; R. E. Brown, The Virginal Conception and Bodily Resurrection of Jesus (New York: Paulist Press, 1973) p. 81; Thomas Sheehan, First Coming: How the Kingdom of God Became Christianity (New York: Random House, 1986) pp. 110, 118; Ulrich Wilckens, Resurrection translated A. M. Stewart (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew, 1977) p. 2; Hans Grass, Ostergeschen und Osterberichte, Second Edition (Gottingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, 1962) p. 96; Grass favors the origin in Damascus.
  21. ^Kiefer, James E. "The Nicene Creed."Archived2009-03-14 at theWayback MachineAccessed 17 May 2009
  22. ^"The Belgic Confession".Reformed.org.Archivedfrom the original on November 9, 2020.Retrieved2013-01-23.
  23. ^"Guido de Bres".Prca.org. 2000-04-20.Archivedfrom the original on October 6, 2020.Retrieved2013-01-23.
  24. ^Ford, Alan (2007).James Ussher: Theology, History, and Politics in Early-Modern Ireland and England.OUP Oxford.ISBN9780199274444.RetrievedNovember 19,2020.{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help)
  25. ^"The Savoy Declaration 1658 – Contents".Reformed.org.Archivedfrom the original on May 26, 2020.Retrieved2013-01-23.
  26. ^abChute, Anthony L.; Finn, Nathan A.; Haykin, Michael A. G. (2015).The Baptist Story: From English Sect to Global Movement.B&H Publishing Group.ISBN978-1-4336-8316-9.
  27. ^Coffey, John (29 May 2020).The Oxford History of Protestant Dissenting Traditions, Volume I: The Post-Reformation Era, 1559-1689.Oxford University Press. p. 399.ISBN978-0-19-252098-2.
  28. ^A Short Account of the Life and Writings of Robert Barclay.Tract Association of the Society of Friends. 1827. p. 22.
  29. ^"Confession of Faith of the Calvinistic Methodists or Presbyterians of Wales".Archived fromthe originalon 2018-07-06.Retrieved2013-07-18.
  30. ^Hill, Samuel S., ed. (1997).Encyclopedia of Religion in the South(Paperback ed.). Macon, Georgia:Mercer University Press.p. 533.ISBN0-86554-588-X.LCCN97214301.OCLC37706204.OL305677M.
  31. ^Rudolf Gebhard:ApostolikumsstreitinGerman,FrenchandItalianin the onlineHistorical Dictionary of Switzerland,2011-01-27.
  32. ^John Shelby Spong,The Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible's Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love,Harper Collins, USA, 2005, p. 227
  33. ^abGlasse, Cyril (2001). New Encyclopedia of Islam (Revised ed.). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 105.
  34. ^Abu Hanifah An-Nu^man."Al- Fiqh Al-Akbar"(PDF).aicp.org.Archived(PDF)from the original on 2009-08-16.Retrieved14 March2014.
  35. ^"Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar II With Commentary by Al-Ninowy".Archived fromthe originalon 2014-03-15.Retrieved2017-09-08.
  36. ^Farāhī, Majmū‘ah Tafāsīr, 2nd ed. (Faran Foundation, 1998), 347.
  37. ^Frederick M. Denny,An Introduction to Islam, 3rd ed., p. 405
  38. ^abSteinberg, Milton; World, Harcourt, Brace & (1947).Basic Judaism.Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 35.ISBN978-0-15-610698-6.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  39. ^"The Tenets of Reform Judaism".www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org.Retrieved2020-11-19.
  40. ^"Shema - Judaism 101 (JewFAQ)".www.jewfaq.org.Retrieved2023-11-14.
  41. ^"The Shema".www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org.Retrieved2023-11-14.
  42. ^"The Opening of the Shema Prayer Explained".www.brandeis.edu.Retrieved2023-11-14.
  43. ^"Maimonides' Principles: The Fundamentals of Jewish Faith", inThe Aryeh Kaplan Anthology, Volume I,Mesorah Publications, 1994
  44. ^Meyer, Carol D. (1996). Anastos, M. Elizabeth (ed.).Our Unitarian Universalist Story: A Six-session Program for Adults.Boston, Mass: Unitarian Universalist Association. p. 41.ISBN978-1558963429.RetrievedFebruary 23,2023.
  45. ^"Principles".Unitarian Universalist Association.RetrievedFebruary 23,2023.
  46. ^"Sources of Our Living Tradition".Unitarian Universalist Association.RetrievedFebruary 23,2023.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Christian Confessions: a Historical Introduction,[by] Ted A. Campbell. First ed. xxi, 336 p. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1996.ISBN0-664-25650-3
  • Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition.Edited by Jaroslav Pelikan and Valerie Hotchkiss.Yale University Press2003.
  • Creeds in the Making: a Short Introduction to the History of Christian Doctrine,[by]Alan Richardson.Reissued. London: S.C.M. Press, 1979, cop. 1935. 128 p.ISBN0-334-00264-8
  • Ecumenical Creeds and Reformed Confessions.Grand Rapids, Mich.: C.R.C. [i.e.Christian Reformed Church] Publications, 1987. 148 p.ISBN0-930265-34-3
  • The Three Forms of Unity (Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, [and the] Canons of Dordrecht), and the Ecumenical Creeds (the Apostles' Creed, the Athanasian Creed, [and the] Creed of Chalcedon).Reprinted [ed.]. Mission Committee of the Protestant Reformed Churches in America, 1991. 58 p. Without ISBN
[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related toCreed.
Wikisourcehas the text of the1911Encyclopædia Britannicaarticle "Creeds".
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Creed&oldid=1236511902#Christian_creeds"