The Apostles' Creed
Quick answer: The apostles creed is a short statement of early Christian belief. It outlines core convictions about God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Though named for the apostles, it developed over several centuries in Western churches.
What it says
This historical text was preserved to give new believers a clear, brief statement of shared faith. Rather than settling a single intense debate, it summarizes essential teachings about God, creation, redemption, and the church. The statement is arranged in three main sections, focusing on God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. It outlines key biblical events, including Christ's birth, death, resurrection, and ascension. By organizing these core truths simply, it provided an accessible baseline for Christian instruction and worship.
The concise structure grew out of baptismal questions asked of converts in early churches. Each part required a thoughtful response before entering the community, shaping the sentences into a personal declaration of faith. Readers today should approach the text as an educational snapshot of early Western Christian history. It offers a structured foundation for reflection rather than a complete system of theology. Approaching it with an open mind helps readers understand how early believers summarized their shared hope and devotion.
Where it comes from
The text grew out of early baptismal practices in Rome during the second and third centuries. It reached its familiar Latin form in Western Europe between roughly 390 and 750. Although early tradition credited the twelve apostles with writing it, historians recognize it as a gradual development of regional church traditions. Today, it is widely used across Western Christianity, including Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and many Protestant congregations, as a shared affirmation during services and personal study.
The oldest summary of Christian belief in wide Western use. It grew out of the Old Roman Symbol, a baptismal confession the church at Rome gave to candidates before they were baptised, and reached its present wording in the early medieval West. Despite the name, it was not written by the twelve apostles.
Four things to notice
- The statement is divided into three distinct parts, focusing individually on the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
- Despite its traditional name, historical records show the text was composed by early church leaders rather than the apostles.
- The phrasing originally served as a series of baptismal questions given to new converts entering the early church.
- It remains one of the most widely recognized summaries of faith across many Western Christian denominations today.
The text
The traditional English text, in full (three articles).
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
Public domain. Read the full document at the source edition.
Scriptures behind it
Verses the creed's three articles rest on — printed verbatim from the public-domain King James Version and World English Bible. These are the passages the wording rests on, not the document's own proof-text list.
- Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
- Matthew 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
- John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
- John 10:11
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
- 1 Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
- 1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- Revelation 21:4
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
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