26. Creeds are brief formulas of faith.

Creeds are brief formulas of faith.

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 26

Ave Maria Series

26.  What are creeds?

Creeds are brief formulas of faith that make it possible for all believers to make a common profession.  [185-188, 192-197]

The Emperor Constantine, accompanied by the bishops of the First Council of Nicaea (325 a.d.)and holding the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381 a.d.  …... 26

Brief formulas of this kind can be found already in the letters of St. Paul.  The early Christian Apostles’ Creed has a special dignity, because it is thought to be a summary of the faith of the apostles.  The Nicene Creed is highly esteemed because it resulted from the great councils of the Church when Christendom was still undivided (Nicaea, 325; Constantinople, 381) and is to this day the common basis for the Christian in the East and the West.

[185-188, 192-197]

THE CREEDS

185  Whoever says "I believe" says "I pledge myself to what we believe." Communion in faith needs a common language of faith, normative for all and uniting all in the same confession of faith. --Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

186  From the beginning, the apostolic Church expressed and handed on her faith in brief formula normative for all (Compare Romans 10:9; 1 Corinthians 15:3-5, etc.).¹  But already very early on, the Church also wanted to gather the essential elements of her faith into organic and articulated summaries, intended especially for candidates for Baptism:

This synthesis of faith was not made to accord with human opinions, but rather what was of the greatest importance was gathered from all the Scriptures, to present the one teaching of the faith in its entirety. And just as the mustard seed contains a great number of branches in a tiny grain, so too this summary of faith encompassed in a few words the whole knowledge of the true religion contained in the Old and the New Testaments (St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catech. Illum. 5, 12: Patrologia Graeca 33. 521-524).² --CCC

187  Such syntheses are called "professions of faith" since they summarize the faith that Christians profess. They are called "creeds" on account of what is usually their first word in Latin: credo ("I believe"). They are also called "symbols of faith". –CCC

188  The Greek word symbolon meant half of a broken object, for example, a seal presented as a token of recognition. The broken parts were placed together to verify the bearer's identity. The symbol of faith, then, is a sign of recognition and communion between believers. Symbolon also means a gathering, collection or summary. A symbol of faith is a summary of the principal truths of the faith and therefore serves as the first and fundamental point of reference for catechesis. --CCC

192  Through the centuries many professions or symbols of faith have been articulated in response to the needs of the different eras: the creeds of the different apostolic and ancient Churches,(Compare Denzinger-Schonmetzer 1-64)⁸ e.g., the Quicumque, also called the Athanasian Creed;(Compare Denzinger-Schonmetzer 1-64)⁹ the professions of faith of certain Councils, such as Toledo, Lateran, Lyons, Trent;(Compare Denzinger-Schonmetzer 525-541; 800-802; 851-861; 1862-1870.)¹⁰ or the symbols of certain popes, e.g., the Fides Damasi(Compare Denzinger-Schonmetzer 71-72.)¹¹ or the Credo of the People of God of Paul VI.(Paul VI, Credo of the People of God (1968).)¹² --CCC

193  None of the creeds from the different stages in the Church's life can be considered superseded or irrelevant. They help us today to attain and deepen the faith of all times by means of the different summaries made of it.  Among all the creeds, two occupy a special place in the Church's life:

194  The Apostles' Creed is so called because it is rightly considered to be a faithful summary of the apostles' faith. It is the ancient baptismal symbol of the Church of Rome. Its great authority arises from this fact: it is "the Creed of the Roman Church, the See of Peter the first of the apostles, to which he brought the common faith" (St. Ambrose, Expl. Symb. 7: Patrolgia Latina 17m 1196).¹³ --CCC

195  The Niceno-Constantinopolitan or Nicene Creed draws its great authority from the fact that it stems from the first two ecumenical Councils (in 325 and 381). It remains common to all the great Churches of both East and West to this day. --CCC

196  Our presentation of the faith will follow the Apostles' Creed, which constitutes, as it were, "the oldest Roman catechism". The presentation will be completed however by constant references to the Nicene Creed, which is often more explicit and more detailed. –CCC

197  As on the day of our Baptism, when our whole life was entrusted to the "standard of teaching" (Romans 6:17),¹⁴  let us embrace the Creed of our life-giving faith. To say the Credo with faith is to enter into communion with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and also with the whole Church which transmits the faith to us and in whose midst we believe:

This Creed is the spiritual seal, our heart's meditation and an ever-present guardian; it is, unquestionably, the treasure of our soul (St. Ambrose, Expl. Symb. 1: Patrologia Latina 17, 1193.).¹⁵ --CCC