Some Brief, Personal Reflections on the Apostles’ Creed

I’ve been putting off writing about our Christian creeds because I’m not sure how original any of my thoughts would be and to truly address them would require several books of material. But recently I’ve had a few questions come up regarding the Apostles’ Creed and I also recommended Karl Barth’s Dogmatics in Outline to a friend wherein Barth uses the Apostle’s Creed to frame the book (originally a series of lectures). So instead of writing something original, I decided to write something personal. First, a word about my own approach to the creeds and second in a later post, a word about Barth’s introduction to the creeds in Dogmatics in Outline.

You are probably the most familiar with the Apostles’ Creed. Here it is in a form from the English Language Liturgical Commission, 1988:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
      creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
      who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
      born of the Virgin Mary,
      suffered under Pontius Pilate,
      was crucified, died, and was buried;
      he descended to the dead.
      On the third day he rose again;
      he ascended into heaven,
      he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
      and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
      the holy catholic Church,
      the communion of saints,
      the forgiveness of sins,
      the resurrection of the body,
      and the life everlasting. Amen.

Some Background on the Apostles’ Creed

What even is a creed? Creeds first started as a way to make it easy to define and preserve the identity of the Christian community. That is something many of us take for granted these days. America is not now, nor was it ever, a Christian nation; however, Christianity in various forms is so prevalent many people assume that American and Christian identity go hand in hand. You have layers of identity today you didn’t have in the early days of faith, like denominations and even your local church buildings. Most denominations have carefully defined leadership structures. For example, the ELCA has a network of synods led by bishops. In the days where you didn’t have these more obvious markers of faith, memorizing a statement of faith provided unification. The creeds let us articulate the beliefs that made us unique as Christians. They are brief, accessible statements of doctrine, hence Barth’s genius in using the Apostles’ Creed to frame his book.

What were the early days of the Apostles’ Creed? Well, the current version we’re familiar with has its roots in a Latin text from the eight century, though many scholars think it had shape and form in the third century. You must decide for yourself if 700 years still counts as the early days. But it seems like creeds caught on early as Christians travelled around baptizing people in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as Jesus commanded. This is sometimes called the Trinitarian formulation for baptism. Saying things in the creeds like, “I believe,” demonstrates its close connection to baptism and later to confirmation in some traditions.

Things start to expand quickly because these creedal statements are handy for transmitting the core ideas that make Christianity unique. But there are even early creedal statements as early as Paul’s writing.

1 Corinthians 15:3-7

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures and that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

One lovely way to think of the creeds is how Paul describes it here. Creeds are a way to pass this tradition on in public ways. They provide a way to enter a faith and reaffirm our belonging.

Hey, Some Words Are Changed

You will probably notice some words in the above version are different from the one you’ve memorized or say in your own local church or denomination. Some other words and phrases may give you pause. It’s important to note that every single one of us has a different meaning in our heads when we say these words. Despite starting each article with, “I believe,” the creeds are more of a framework for theological contemplation and an identity marker than they are a rigid statement with only a single interpretation.

Maker vs. Creator: Maker is usually said in the Nicene Creed as well, but creator has the advantage of implying creation ex nihilo, not just assembling things.

Conceived by the Holy Spirit: This is generally how we say it today in a lot of churches, but I memorized it as, “conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.” The arguments on both sides are a little wild. If I have this right, the words, “power of,” were added to avoid implying a sexual relationship between Mary and God’s spirit. But then, “power of,” seems to some to take away Mary’s decision and agency. According to our Christmas stories, Mary in fact gave her consent. I think we’re all alive, moved and sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit, so I like saying, “power,” and I’m not making a philosophical statement about agency or free will when I do so.

Born of the Virgin Mary: Do I have to omit this part when saying the creed? Nope. Sure, I think the whole idea of a virgin birth was probably just a misunderstanding of a translation. On the other hand, I’m convinced that a wandering Jewish mystic in first century Palestine was resurrected and alive for us today, so who am I to critique a virgin birth? The proper word probably should have been, “young woman,” based on the Hebrew scripture it is referring to and besides, there wasn’t a prophecy that pertained to Jesus’ birth anyway. Early Christians were just pouring over their old texts to try to make sense of Jesus, and they found one about a young mother and thought, “yeah that fits, let write a birth story.” But to me, the word, “virgin,” can be rich with meaning that includes miraculous uniqueness, innocence and youth even if it makes no biological sense how a woman who gives birth is a virgin. I’m not hung up on virginity here, other than it is a traditional way to say that the God of all creation became human which is a miracle in all our lives no matter how you decide to phrase it.

Dead or Hell: Many churches prefer saying that Jesus, “descended to the dead,” instead of mentioning the very emotionally loaded word, “Hell.” The original says, “Hell,” but it is closer in meaning to, “Sheol,” the realm of the dead and not a statement of eternal conscious torment. It may surprise you that as a universalist, I prefer the word, “Hell,” and the richness of the tradition here, even though I consider it largely metaphorical. If I’m wrong and there is a literal Hell, I still believe it is either empty or a temporary place to refine our souls, not a place of torture. But I totally understand why the modern church generally prefers saying, “descended to the dead,” because it is less fraught with problematic theology. But you know, who is to say we aren’t in Hell right now? There is a wonderful quality to this part of the creed that demonstrates that God was willing to humble themselves into the lowest part of the human condition.

Judging the quick or the living: Most people say, “living,” because “quick,” is quite archaic. I learned it as, “quick,” and continue to say it for a very specific reason. There are three times that different Christians think that a baby becomes a fully ensouled human. Many conservatives think that it happens at conception. This is a new and politically motivated belief, not one from tradition. God breathed life into creation, so most Jewish believers think that life begins with the first breath. Yet, in Luke, John leaps in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary greets Elizabeth. So, some believe there is something unique about the “quickening,” when a fetus has developed enough to move and respond. So, I like to say, “quick,” here but you do you.

Catholic: Some people get confused here. The word simply means universal, the entire body of Christ, not one sect or denomination. You don’t have to be a Roman Catholic to be part of the universal body of Christ.

Communion of saints: Does this mean people who have been named saints? All dead Christians? Does it mean current believers? Does it mean participation in the sacraments? Yes.

Invitation, not Dogma

You probably got the idea from reading my interpretations above that I don’t think the creeds are rigid interpretations. Instead, they invite reflection. The purpose is identity not conformity. We’ve been contemplating theology for two millennia and that isn’t going to stop. As you saw above, the language is more complex and nuanced than we typically imagine on a Sunday morning. The precise meaning and intention isn’t always clear, like most of our faith, and it requires personal engagement. Understand these things in community and in light of your own experience. There is no other way to understand it. It’s a framework, a cheat sheet, an anchor and more than anything, it’s alive. There was struggle put into formulating the creeds, they are worthy of your struggle every time you say them. The creed doesn’t list rules or represent a lack of diversity. It is simply a way for you to stand up and declare you are a part of the tribe.