The Apostles’ Creed
Early Church, c. 2nd–4th century
The Apostles’ Creed is a short statement of Christian belief, used since the early centuries of the Church, that confesses faith in God the Father, in Jesus Christ’s birth, death, resurrection and return, and in the Holy Spirit, the Church, forgiveness, and eternal life.
Full text of the Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his 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 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.
History and background
The Apostles’ Creed is one of the earliest summaries of Christian belief. Though not written by the apostles themselves, it reflects the core teachings passed down from the earliest Christian communities. It has been used in baptismal liturgies and personal devotion across nearly every Christian tradition for centuries.
How the traditions differ
The Apostles’ Creed is a Western text. It is confessed by Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and many Baptist and non-denominational congregations, but it has never been part of Eastern Orthodox liturgy, which uses the Nicene Creed instead. The line "he descended to the dead" is rendered "he descended into hell" in older translations; the underlying Latin is *descendit ad inferos*, "to the place of the dead," and traditions differ on how much weight to place on it.
Common questions
Who wrote the Apostles’ Creed?
No single author wrote it. Despite the name, the creed was not composed by the twelve apostles. It grew out of baptismal questions used in the church at Rome in the second century, and reached something close to its present wording by the fourth century. The text used today was standardised in the West by roughly the eighth century.
What is the difference between the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed?
The Apostles’ Creed is shorter, older in its roots, and framed as a personal confession beginning "I believe." The Nicene Creed is longer, was produced by church councils in 325 and 381, and adds precise language about Christ’s divinity — "God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made" — in order to rule out the Arian claim that the Son was a created being.
What does "the holy catholic Church" mean in the Apostles’ Creed?
Here "catholic" is lowercase and means "universal." It refers to the whole Christian Church across every time and place, not to the Roman Catholic Church specifically. Protestant congregations that recite the creed are confessing the universal Church, and some translations substitute "the holy Christian Church" to avoid the confusion.
When is the Apostles’ Creed used?
Most commonly at baptisms, where it began, and in daily prayer offices. Many Western churches recite it at services where the longer Nicene Creed is not used, and it is the creed most often taught to children and to adults preparing for baptism or confirmation.