Creed of the Council of Nicaea

Reference numbersUrk. 24
Doc. 26
CPG 8512
Incipit Πιστεύομεν εἰς ἕνα θεόν
Date 19th June 325
Ancient source Athanasius, Defense of the Nicene Definition 37

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[The bishops assembled at Nicaea, about 300 in number, condemned the Arian heresy, finding Arius and his followers guilty. They then expounded the church’s faith, inscribing it in such a way as to refute all heresy.]

It seemed appropriate to attach the following which was expounded at Nicaea:

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things seen and unseen.

And in one Lord, Jesus Christ the Son of God, begotten of the Father, the only-begotten, that is, of the essence of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of the same being as the Father, through whom all things came to be, both the things in heaven and on earth, who for us humans and for our salvation came down and was made flesh, becoming human, who suffered and rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven, who is coming to judge the living and the dead. And in the Holy Spirit.

The catholic and apostolic church condemns those who say concerning the Son of God that “there was a time when he was not” or “he did not exist before he was begotten” or “he came to be from nothing” or who claim that he is of another subsistence (hypostasis) or essence (ousia), or a creation (ktistos), or changeable (alloiōtos), or alterable (treptos).

 

Translation by AJW

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