History of the Apostles' Creed by Megan Mason

What is the history of the Apostle's Creed? Who wrote it? Today I'm going down a bit of a theological rabbit hole and share a brief, sometimes vague, history of the Apostle's Creed. 

Regarding authorship, some believe this creed was a joint effort from the Twelve Apostles, supported through the works in the New Testament. In The Catholic Encyclopedia, it says that "throughout the Middle Ages it was generally believed that the Apostles, on the day of Pentecost, while still under the direct inspiration of the Holy Ghost, composed our present Creed between them, each of the Apostles contributing one of the twelve articles." Many also believe it to be an expansion of the Old Roman Creed, or the Romanum. The Romanum is said to be the first known statement of faith in Christianity and was spoken during baptisms. Like many other creeds, the Apostle's Creed discusses questions about God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit; however, the phrases of "descent into Hell" and "communion of saints" are subjects not found in other creeds.

The title of "Apostle's Creed" was first stated by St. Ambrose around 390. An important thing to note about Bishop Ambrose is that he was not even ordained as a priest or baptized when elected bishop. He was a catechumen, meaning he was in the process of taking classes to become baptized. The story goes that the city of Milan was fighting over the election of a bishop. Ambrose stood up amid the fighting, and the city became quiet. Then a child spoke out and proclaimed him the next bishop. Not sure he wanted the job, he was persuaded to take it and was baptized, ordained, and consecrated as a bishop.

In his book Reading the Church Fathers, James Papandrea writes, "Ambrose is less of an innovator and more of a collator and summarizer." His use of the Apostle's Creed would be a testament to this since he was taking a well-known Roman creed, scattering influences from Western and Eastern theologians he followed, and expanding on it to fit the orthodoxy or the generally accepted doctrine of the time.

By the Middle Ages, this creed was used regularly at baptisms and still is used in this way today. In my particular upbringing, the Anglican Church, the Apostle's Creed is recited during baptism by both the candidate for Baptism or parents if it is an infant and the whole congregation. This part of the liturgy is known as the Baptismal Covenant and is also recited during Confirmation. The Baptismal Covenant is a call-and-response liturgy where the priest asks, "Do you believe in God the Father?" and the congregation responds, "I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth." And so on until the entire creed is recited. In The Book of Common Prayer, this creed is also used in the daily offices, such as morning and evening prayer. So, while, for the most part, the Anglican Church uses the Nicene Creed in most of their masses, they still use the Apostle's Creed in baptism and Confirmation and sometimes for funerals. 

Whether we believe the legend of the Twelve Apostles sitting down to each write a piece of the Apostle's Creed, or if it was a slowly evolving piece of work through other creeds, it is easy to understand how in the 20th century, this creed became a symbol of church unity or as Hope Williard writes in The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, "as a binding formulary of faith." Although we may never truly know the complete history of this creed, as many stories come from legends and rumors, it is interesting to see how it has evolved into something that unites so many in Christ. 

One thing to note before I wrap up is that the Apostle's Creed is only spoken in the Western Church and not in the Eastern Orthodox Church, so while it unites most of the denominations we engage with, it is not a truly ecumenical or worldwide, creed. The only genuinely ecumenical creed would be the Nicene Creed, but it is still fascinating to see how rooted in history this creed is and how it connects us to the ancient church. 

Resources: The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (4th Edition), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2nd Edition), James L. Papandrea, Reading the Church Fathers: A History of the Early Church and the Development of Doctrine, The Catholic Encyclopedia: https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01629a.htm, The Book of Common Prayer (1979).