We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The above words are called the 'Nicene Creed'. In 325 A.D., there was a man named Arius, who was promoting a doctrine of heresy that believed that Jesus was not God in the flesh. Athanasius was a man who preached the doctrine of the deity of Christ, meaning that Jesus was God in the flesh. So Athanasius and Arius were opposed to one another and this opposition resulted in Constantine summoning 300 Christian bishops and deacons from the Eastern half of the Roman Empire to discuss this disputed doctrine of 'Arianism' and attempt to come up with an agreement about it.
These men met at the imperial palace in Nicea in 325 A.D. The Arians believed that, although Jesus was the highest of all creation, that He did not have the attributes of being God (for example, He did not exist in eternity past, is not the same essence as the Father). They believed Jesus was like God, but not really God in the flesh.
The result of the council condemned Arianism as heresy. The writing of the Nicene Creed (above) came out of this council as well. Here is what they concluded: 1. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are One, 2. All three persons of the Godhead existed in eternity past, and 3. Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are God.
Fun Fact: Did you know that the original 'Santa Claus' (St. Nicholas of Myra) actually became angry with Arius and slapped him in the face!?
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