What is the Creed?
The Creed is a concise and understandable statement of what Christians should believe.
What does the Creed say?
About God the Father, about the Son of God, about His incarnation, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension into heaven, about His second coming to earth, about the Holy Spirit, about the Church, about the sacraments, about the resurrection of the dead and about the future eternal life.
Who composed the Creed?
Holy Fathers of the First and Second Ecumenical Councils.
What is an Ecumenical Council?
A meeting of pastors and teachers of the Church, if possible, from all over the earth, the universe, to affirm the true Christian teaching.
How many such meetings or councils were there?
Seven. At the first two councils (Nicaea in 325 and Constantinople in 381), the Creed was compiled.
How is this Creed read?
I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, who was born of the Father before all ages; Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to whom all things were.
For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human.
Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried.
And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.
And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And the one who is to come will judge with glory the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father, who is with the Father and the Son, we are worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets.
Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.
I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen.
In Russian
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of everything visible and invisible.
(I believe) in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, who before all ages was born of the Father, (as) Light from Light, true God from true God, born, not made, and has one being with the Father, and by whom all things were created.
(I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ) for us people and for our salvation, He came down from heaven, received a body from the Virgin Mary through the influx of the Holy Spirit on Her and became human.
(I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ) who was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried.
(I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ) and rose again on the third day according to the scriptures (of the prophets).
(I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ) and ascended into heaven and sits on the right side of the Father.
(I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ) and who will come again with glory, (to) judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.
(I believe) also in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, who gives life to all, who proceeds from the Father, is honored and glorified along with the Father and the Son, who spoke through the prophets.
(I believe) in one (one) Holy, Universal and Apostolic Church.
I recognize one baptism for the remission of sins.
I'm waiting for the resurrection of the dead
And the life of the next century.
Amen.
How many parts or members is the Creed divided into?
At twelve.
How is the first clause of the Creed read?
I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible.
I believe - I am convinced, I undoubtedly admit. In one - in one.
What does this term say?
About the first person of the Holy Trinity, God the Father.
What does it say about Him?
That He is essentially God alone, that He is the Almighty and Creator of everything visible and invisible.
How should we think about God?
God is Spirit, that is, He has neither flesh nor bones; therefore it is impossible for us either to see Him or to imagine Him in our minds as He is in His being.
If God is a Spirit without flesh, then how does the Holy Scripture attribute to Him certain members of the human body, for example, eyes, hands...?
If certain members of the human body are attributed to God in the Holy Scriptures, this is not because He actually has them; but this is how God is spoken about visually, in a human form, so that we can, as much as possible, understand the infinite and incomprehensible properties of God; for example, the eyes of God mean that God sees everything and knows everything; the hands of God mean that God can do anything.
If God is Spirit, then how did He proclaim His will to people?
He made His will known to the people in various ways. To do this, He appeared to them in the form of a man (to Abraham in the form of three wanderers, with Jacob he fought in the form of a stranger), or invisibly - among flames, smoke and trumpet sounds (on Mount Sinai, when he gave the law to the Jewish people), or simply talked invisibly (with Moses), or inspired them in dreams (to Jacob on the way to Mesopotamia). In accordance with these various manifestations of God, God is depicted in different ways on icons.
What other properties of God?
God is eternal, i.e. He always was, is and will be. He is wise, merciful, just; He can do anything. He sees everything, knows everything, in general He has all perfections and has no shortcomings.
Where is God present?
As omnipresent, He is present everywhere. But there is a special glorious presence of Him - in heaven, where the holy angels and holy people are, and there is a special mysterious presence of Him in the holy church, where Christians gather for public prayer.
Why does the Creed not simply say: I believe in God, but also add one thing?
In order to affirm this truth, that God in His essence is only one, and thus to reject the false teaching of the pagans, who recognize many gods.
What truth does the word in the Creed refer to: the Father?
To the truth that in God, who is one in essence, there is more than one person.
How many persons are there in God?
Three persons (or hypostases).
What are these faces?
First person: God the Father; second person: God the Son; third person: God the Holy Spirit. These three persons of the Holy Trinity are in one God; That is why the one God is called threefold in persons or triune God.
Which of these persons of the Holy Trinity is greater and which is less?
None of them are more, and none of them are less. They are all of equal Divine dignity. Just as God the Father is true God, having all Divine properties, for example, eternity, omnipotence, so God the Son (Son of God) is true God with all Divine properties, and the Holy Spirit is also true God with the same Divine properties; however, not three Gods, but one God.
What is the difference between the persons of the Holy Trinity?
God the Father is not born and does not come from another person; The Son of God is eternally born from the Father; The Holy Spirit proceeds eternally from the Father.
How is God the Father depicted in icons?
God the Father is sometimes depicted in angelic form, for example, in the Old Testament Trinity icon. The most famous such image is the icon of the “Trinity”, or “Hospitality of Abraham”, which St. Andrei Rublev wrote in the 15th century.
Sometimes on frescoes and icons we see the image of God the Father in the form of a gray-haired old man (Dan.7:9). However, in modern times such images are considered non-canonical. In 1551, the Council of the Hundred Heads was held in Moscow, at which an instruction was given to icon painters not to depict God the Father. Later, in 1666–1667, the Great Moscow Council agreed with this postulate.
How is God the Son Jesus Christ depicted in icons?
In the same form as it was on earth. Thus, He is depicted as a Baby lying in a manger, sitting in the arms of His Mother, the Most Pure Virgin Mary; depicted as a Teacher teaching the people, blessing children, crucified on the cross, rising from the grave, ascending to heaven, etc.
In what form is the Holy Spirit depicted on icons?
In the form of a dove, because in this form He appeared on the Jordan River during the baptism of Jesus Christ; It is also depicted in the form of tongues of fire, because in this form He descended on the day of Pentecost on the apostles and other believers.
Why is God called Almighty in the Creed?
Because He holds everything in the world by His power and will and controls everything.
Why is God called the Creator?
Because He created the visible and invisible (angelic) worlds.
What is meant by the word: visible?