The Creeds:  The Nicene Creed

Before we go on in this series of short articles to talk about the content of the two major creeds, let us first have a better look at the Nicene Creed.

This second creed that we use more frequently in the Mass is the Nicene Creed. It is longer and more detailed and represents the resolution of controversies in which the Church was engaged during the third, fourth and fifth centuries.

Technically it is called the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed!! It is given this name because of the two Ecumenical Councils in the course of which it was formulated: the Council of Nicea and the First Council of Constantinople. 

During the fourth century the Church was convulsed by a heresy called Arianism after its founder Arius of Alexandria. Arianism denied the divinity of Christ seeing him as godlike rather than himself divine. This way of thinking was fairly widespread and so there was a need to clarify the fundamental Christian faith in Christ and in the Trinity. The Council of Nicea was in 325 and the first Council of Constantinople was in 381. These two Councils set out to clarify the faith of the Church which they had received. Nicea concentrating on the person of Christ and thus the Trinity. Constantinople I ‘s task was to clarify the divinity of the Holy Spirit.

In fact, the controversies continued after these Councils and two further Councils were called to continue to clarify and affirm the faith of the Church: Ephesus in 431 and Chalcedon in 451.

This creed is used by all the major Christian churches and is indeed a symbol in the sense that I mentioned last week – it is a formula around which Christians are drawn together. 

By Father Frank O’Loughlin

Published 12 November 2023