The Nicene Creed.
The most ecumenical of the historic creeds — recited every Sunday in Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and many Lutheran and Reformed churches worldwide. Three English translations, the original Greek, and a clause-by-clause commentary. Formulated at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 to settle the Arian controversy, expanded at Constantinople in 381 to spell out the divinity of the Spirit.
The text, in four versions
Anglican traditional
Book of Common Prayer (1662)
I believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And of all things visible and invisible: And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, Begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of very God, Begotten, not made, Being of one substance with the Father, By whom all things were made; Who for us men, and for our salvation came down from heaven, And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, And was made man, And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, And ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead: Whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, The Lord and giver of life, Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spake by the Prophets. And I believe one Catholick and Apostolick Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins. And I look for the Resurrection of the dead, And the life of the world to come. Amen.
Ecumenical contemporary
ICET (1988)
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. 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 worshipped 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.
Contemporary Roman Catholic
USCCB (current Missal)
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. 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; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day 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. 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, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Original
Greek (Constantinople, AD 381 — transliterated)
Pisteuomen eis hena Theon, Patera, Pantokratora, poiētēn ouranou kai gēs, horatōn te pantōn kai aoratōn. Kai eis hena Kyrion Iēsoun Christon, ton Hyion tou Theou ton monogenē, ton ek tou Patros gennēthenta pro pantōn tōn aiōnōn — phōs ek phōtos, Theon alēthinon ek Theou alēthinou, gennēthenta, ou poiēthenta, homoousion tō Patri, di' hou ta panta egeneto. Ton di' hēmas tous anthrōpous kai dia tēn hēmeteran sōtērian katelthonta ek tōn ouranōn, kai sarkōthenta ek Pneumatos Hagiou kai Marias tēs Parthenou kai enanthrōpēsanta. Staurōthenta te hyper hēmōn epi Pontiou Pilatou, kai pathonta, kai taphenta. Kai anastanta tē tritē hēmera kata tas Graphas.
A short history
The creed has two layers. The first was forged at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 to settle the Arian controversy — Arius of Alexandria had taught that the Son was a created being, exalted but not eternal. The bishops at Nicaea answered with the word homoousios: the Son is "of one substance" (or "of one Being") with the Father. Eternal, not created. The same God.
The second layer came fifty-six years later at the Council of Constantinople in AD 381, which expanded the third section on the Holy Spirit (Arius's pupils had moved on to denying the Spirit's divinity too). The result is technically called the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, though everyone just calls it "the Nicene Creed." This is the version still recited today.
One famous later addition: in the 6th-century West, the phrase "and the Son" (Latin filioque) was added to the line about the Spirit's procession. The Eastern church never accepted it. This single Latin word is the formal reason for the Great Schism of 1054.
Clause by clause
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible
Three doctrines compressed: monotheism, divine fatherhood, and creation ex nihilo. "Visible and invisible" is broader than "heaven and earth" — it includes the unseen orders (angels, principalities) that the New Testament takes for granted.
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father
The heart of the creed and the point of the Council. The Greek homoousios (translated "of one Being" or "consubstantial") says the Son shares the Father's very substance. "Begotten, not made" distinguishes the eternal Son from any creature — even an exalted creature is still on the wrong side of the divine/created divide.
For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man
The Incarnation, attributed jointly to the Spirit and Mary. "For us men and for our salvation" makes the entire purpose soteriological — the Incarnation isn't a divine experiment, it's a rescue.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried
Pilate again — the same naming as in the Apostles' Creed, rooting the story in datable history. The creed insists on Christ's true suffering and death against any Docetic claim that he only appeared to die.
And rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures
"According to the Scriptures" — the phrase echoes Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:4. The Resurrection isn't a free-standing event; it's the climax of a story the prophets were already telling.
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
Three movements: Ascension, present session at the Father's right hand, and the future parousia. The closing phrase — kingdom without end — was added at Constantinople against Marcellus of Ancyra, who had taught that the Son's reign would eventually be absorbed into the Father's.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father (and the Son)
The Spirit's divinity affirmed in three titles: Lord (Greek kyrios, the Septuagint's word for the divine name), giver of life (Genesis 1:2; John 6:63), and the One who proceeds from the Father. The Western filioque — "and the Son" — was added in the sixth century and remains the formal sticking point between East and West.
Who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets
The Spirit receives worship alongside the Father and the Son — the strongest possible affirmation of his divinity. "Spoken through the prophets" attributes Old Testament prophecy to the same Spirit who indwells the church (2 Peter 1:21).
I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church
The four marks of the church: unity, holiness, universality, apostolic origin. As in the Apostles' Creed, "catholic" means universal — not Roman Catholic specifically. "Apostolic" means founded on the apostles' teaching, not (necessarily) ruled by an apostolic succession of bishops, though some traditions read it that way.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come
The two great ends. Baptism as the once-for-all sacrament of incorporation into Christ (Romans 6) — "one baptism" rules out repeating it. And the bodily resurrection — the same emphasis as the Apostles' Creed against ancient and modern denials of the body's place in salvation.
Nicene vs Apostles': what's the difference?
The Nicene Creed is longer, more technically precise, and addressed to specific fourth-century controversies (Arianism, Pneumatomachianism). The Apostles' Creed is shorter, older in its core, and used historically as a baptismal confession. Both summarise the same faith; they differ in emphasis and detail. Sunday liturgies in Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox traditions usually use the Nicene; Reformed, Lutheran, and Baptist traditions sometimes use the Apostles' more often. Both are equally orthodox.
FAQ
When was the Nicene Creed written?
The first version was approved at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 to address Arianism. The version recited today was expanded at the Council of Constantinople in AD 381 — technically the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, though everyone calls it "Nicene." It's been the standard Sunday confession of Christian faith for about 1,650 years.
What does "consubstantial" mean?
"Consubstantial" (Greek homoousios, Latin consubstantialis) means "of the same substance" or "of one Being." Older English translations rendered it "of one substance with the Father." The 2011 Roman Missal restored the more literal "consubstantial." It's the central Nicene affirmation against Arianism — the Son shares the Father's very substance and is therefore truly God, not a creature.
What is the filioque controversy?
The original Greek creed said the Spirit proceeds "from the Father." In the 6th century the Western church added "and the Son" (Latin filioque) to emphasise the Son's equality with the Father. The Eastern church never accepted this addition — both because it was added unilaterally without an ecumenical council, and because it shifted the theological grammar of the Trinity. The dispute is the formal cause of the Great Schism between Rome and Constantinople in 1054. Some Western liturgies (including Catholic and most Protestant) include it; the Eastern Orthodox and some Anglo-Catholic liturgies omit it.
Why does the Catholic version say "I believe" while the ecumenical says "we believe"?
The original Greek text used the first-person plural (pisteuomen, "we believe") because it was a corporate confession by the assembled bishops. The first-person singular ("I believe") was adopted in Western liturgical practice over centuries — emphasising each individual's personal confession. The 2011 Roman Missal restored "I believe" in line with this Western tradition; the ICET ecumenical version restored the conciliar "we." Both are defensible.
Is the Nicene Creed in the Bible?
No, the creed itself isn't in Scripture — but every claim it makes is drawn from biblical texts. The Council of Nicaea understood itself as summarising what the apostolic writings already taught, not adding to them. Compare the creed line by line with John 1:1–14, Philippians 2:5–11, 1 Corinthians 15:3–8, and the Trinitarian texts (Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14) and you'll see where every clause comes from.
Related tools
Say it slowly. Then study what's behind each phrase.
Kerygma's Early Church Fathers and Theology categories cover the controversies the creed answered — Arianism, the Council of Nicaea, the Trinity, the Incarnation. Free for seven days.
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