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The Earliest Christian Creed Was Probably the Simple Confession Of The earliest Christian creed was probably The controversy raged throughout the entire And [I believe] in the Holy Spirit, the simple confession of faith that Jesus is the Christian world. the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who Christ, i.e., the Messiah, and that the Christ is proceeds from the Father, Who with Lord. By publicly confessing this belief, the It was the creed of the council called by the the Father and the Son together is person could be baptized into Christ, dying emperor Constantine in the city of Nicea in the worshipped and glorified, Who spoke and rising with Him into the New Life of the year A.D. 325 that was ultimately accepted by by the prophets. In one Holy, Kingdom of God in the name of the Father, and Orthodox Christianity as the proper Symbol of Catholic, and Apostolic Church. of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Faith. This council is called the First Ecumeni- I acknowledge one baptism for the cal Council, and this is what it said: remission of sins. I look for the As time passed, diff erent creedal statements resurrection of the dead, and the began to appear in diff erent places. While I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, life of the world to come. Amen. they professed the identical faith, they Maker of heaven and earth, employed diff erent forms and expressions, and of all things visible and invisible. This complete Symbol of Faith was ultimately with diff erent degrees of detail and emphasis. And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the adopted by the entire Church throughout the These creedal forms usually became more Son of God, the only begotten, begotten world as the formal and official confession of detailed and elaborate in those areas where of the Father before all ages. faith made by a person (or his or her sponsor questions about the faith had arisen and Light of Light; true God of true God; or godparent) at his or her baptism. It is also heresies, or false teachings, had emerged. begotten, not made, of one essence used as the formal statement of faith by indi- with the Father, by Whom all things viduals who convert to Orthodox Christianity. In the fourth century, a great controversy were made; Who for us men and for developed about the nature of Jesus Christ, our salvation came down from heaven, In the same way, the Creed became a part of the Son of God. Some claimed that He is a and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit the life of Orthodox Christians and an essential creature, like and the Virgin Mary, and became element of the Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox everything man. And He was crucified for us Church, during which each member of the else made by under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, faithful formally and officially accepts and God. Others and was buried. And the third day renews his or her baptism and membership in contended He rose again, according to the Scriptures, the Church. Thus, the Symbol of Faith is the that He is and ascended into heaven, and only part of the Liturgy that is in the first per- eternal, di- sits at the right hand of the Father, son. All other hymns and prayers of the Liturgy vine, and un- and He shall come again with glory created. to judge the living and the dead, whose Kingdom shall have no end. Many councils Subsequently, a dispute about the Holy Spirit met, each arose. The following definition of the Council making state- in Constantinople in A.D. 381, subsequently ments of faith known as the Second Ecumenical Council, about the Son was added to the Nicene statement of faith: of God’s true nature. St. Constantine the Great are in the plural, beginning with “we.” Only the For further information on Orthodox Creed begins with “I,” because faith is first Christianity visit the web site of the WHAT personal, and only then corporate Orthodox Church in America at www.oca. and communal. org WE BELIEVE Make our home your home! To be an Orthodox Christian is to affirm the HOLY TRINITY Orthodox Christian faith, not merely the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH words of the Creed, but the essential meaning 369 Green Ave., East Meadow, NY of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Symbol of The Rev. Martin Kraus, Rector Faith. For more information, visit us at: www.htocem.org It also means to affirm all that this statement 516-483-3649 | [email protected] implies, and all that has been expressly developed from it and built upon it in Saturday Evening the 2000-year history of the Orthodox 7:00 PM Great Vespers and Confessions. Church over the centuries, down to our own time. Sunday Morning 9:30 AM Liturgy, Fellowship, and Education The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed was for all ages. (9:00 AM during the summer). formally drawn up at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicea in A.D. 325 and at the Second Please call 516-483-3649 to register as a Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in A.D. member of the parish; to arrange Baptisms, 381. The word creed comes from the Latin Weddings, Memorials, Conversions, word credo, which means “I believe.” Visitations, etc.; and for additional information on Orthodox Christianity In the Orthodox Church, the Creed is usually in general and our parish in particular. called the Symbol of Faith, which means literally the “bringing together” and the “expression” or “confession” of the faith. In the early Church, there were a number of diff erent “creeds,” originally used in relation to baptism. The Nicene- Before being baptized, a person had to state Constantinopolitan what he or she believed. To this day, the Nicene- Creed Constantinopolitan Creed is prayed at infant baptisms and professed by adults converting Holy Trinity Orthodox Christian Church to the faith. East Meadow, NY Orthodox Church in America Diocese of New York & New Jersey.
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