The Need for the Creed: Why Then and Why Now

The Nicene Creed (which incorporates the earlier Apostles Creed) is the culmination of a final statement of core Catholic teaching.  The history of the Creed is one of necessity.  It was not a pedantic construct for instructing catechumens – though it became a useful tool as such – but was demanded to solidify Apostolic teachings in light of various errors that were creeping into the early Church.  The compilation of, and subsequent approvals (in 325 and 381 A.D.), provided a universal standard against certain errors.  It was very much a defensive maneuver to maintain the integrity of the hereditary faith, then and later.

During the first 300 years of the Church, when she was outlawed in the Roman Empire, error ran rampant, particularly in the East where the Church was first established.  The inability to publicly congregate and openly discuss critical issues negatively impacted the purity of Apostolic teaching, Sacred Scripture, and Sacred Tradition.   Particularly impacted by error were those congregations furthest from Jerusalem, such as Alexandria in Egypt, and places where Paul had established churches in and near Greece.  Even during the time of the Apostles we find Paul exclaiming to churches he had founded – that they had slipped into error (e.g. Colosse). Most of Paul’s letters were for correction of error and edification of truths previously taught to them by him.

The veil of criminality associated with Christianity was lifted in 313 A.D. by Emperor Constantine and the issuance of the Edict of Milan.  This edict not only allowed for the official observance of Christianity (they could now come out of the catacombs), but also made the faith legal to any Roman citizen who chose to convert.  For the Church, it meant that the bishops from Rome to Alexandria, were able to openly meet.  By then, many of the concerns of the earliest Church Fathers, such as Justin Martyr and Clement of Alexandria, were only just now able to be addressed beyond the local level.  Likewise, what was a local error, no longer constrained by illegality, spread within a greater geographic region.   

Prior to 313 A.D. there were many erroneous theories regarding the Nature of God, the Person of Jesus Christ, and the most basic Scriptural and Apostolic teachings.  Something had to be done on a universal (Catholic) level.  The Church needed a Standard of Faith that clearly delineated between truth and error; the often-contradictory teachings were tearing the Church apart – both from within and without.

There can be no doubt that many of these teachers of error, such as Marcion (Galatia), Arius (Alexandria), and Paul of Samosata (Antioch) actually believed what they were teaching was true.  If we are to be objective, we cannot think that every error proffered was a malicious intent to destroy the Faith.  While I cannot see the intent of their hearts, I doubt that Arius woke up one day and proclaimed, “I plan to ruin the Church of Jesus Christ!”  A benefit of doubt is due to those who were truly searching for answers – but in the wrong direction. 

At the Council of Nicaea (325 AD), where 318 bishops of the Church met, the Nicene Creed was adopted.  This Creed addressed specifically in positive language what the Church believes based on Sacred Scripture and Apostolic Tradition.  At the same time, the Creed negates the most profound of erroneous arguments taught by men, such as Marcion, Paul of Samosata and Arius.  Of these three, as an example of the many heretical teachers, we see specific language intended to correct their specific errors. For example, some or all may be applied to the men referenced above:

• I believe in one God (Refutes those who taught Two Gods; one Evil and one Good)
• I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
  the Only Begotten Son of God,
  born of the Father before all ages.
  God from God, Light from Light,
  true God from true God,
  begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; (Refutes those who denied the true Divinity of Jesus and the Trinity)
• he came down from heaven,
  and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
  and became man. (Refutes those who did not believe Jesus was fully human)
• and rose again (Refutes those who denied a bodily resurrection)
• I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
  who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
  who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, (Refutes those who did not believe in the Trinity, and that the Holy Spirit was simply an “emanation” from God)

That’s the history, in a nutshell, of the who, what, when and why the Nicene Creed was written and adopted by the Catholic Church.  Yet, one may ask - this is ancient history, we already "get it" and so why do we have to repeat it over and over?  The short answer is that there are still some “Christians” who do not believe parts of this Creed.  Three that I can think of immediately are the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints, and the Oneness Pentecostals.  There are literally MILLIONS of people who claim to be Christian today – just as Arius claimed to be a Christian. We can never take the Nicene Creed for granted; it was forged in the fires of truth versus error.  At the very least, it provides us with a quick litmus test for those who “claim” to be Christian so that we may remain true to our Apostolic roots.