In Orthodoxy, there are many prayer texts, the reading of which is usually resorted to in various life circumstances or on certain days. In this article we will tell you what the “Creed” prayer is and in what cases it should be said.

General Information and Importance of Prayer

The “Creed” is one of the fundamental prayers in Christianity, and therefore enjoys special respect among believers. This is a brief summary of the fundamentals of Christian doctrine, which was approved many centuries ago during the Ecumenical Councils. During the First Ecumenical Council, the first seven dogmas were approved, and at the Second, the remaining five were recognized.

The peculiarity of the text under consideration is that in fact it is not a prayer, since it does not address any of the saints. The fact is that in Orthodoxy there are twelve dogmas, and this text consists of twelve parts - one for each of the dogmas.

Thus, the first of the dogmas speaks of God the Father, and the praying person gives him praise from a pure heart. This is followed by six parts devoted to Jesus Christ, which glorify his divine origin, the sacrifice he made for humanity, and the Second Coming. The next two parts tell about the Holy Spirit and about the Catholic Apostolic Church, in which the person praying believes. Afterwards it talks about the sacrament of baptism and the resurrection of the dead, which will occur at the time of the Second Coming.

This prayer is considered one of the most important in Christianity, since it contains the main aspects of the Christian faith. It serves as a reminder to believers of the core principles of this religion and glorifies the Trinity as well as other important aspects of Christianity. With its help, a person can repeat to himself again who and what he believes in in order to remove all doubts from his heart.

It should be noted that the “Creed” is intended to be read only at certain times, since the text has a sacred meaning and is not aimed at solving worldly issues. It is appropriate to read it during morning and evening prayer rules. In addition, it is an important aspect of the Divine Liturgy.

Since we are talking about the sacrament of baptism, prayer is proclaimed during its celebration. This means that the child’s godparents must know the text (if a girl is baptized, then the godmother pronounces it, and if a boy, the godfather pronounces it). An adult who is undergoing the sacrament of baptism must read the text independently.

Video “Prayer “Creed” in Orthodoxy”

From this video you will learn how to correctly read a very powerful prayer that describes the basics of Christian doctrine.

Reading text

I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of everything visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only Begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages: Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not created, one being with the Father, by Him all things were created.

For the sake of us people and for the sake of our salvation, He came down from heaven, and took flesh from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried. And rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; His Kingdom will have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son, who spoke through the prophets. Into one holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I recognize one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
I look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come. Amen (truly so).

Prayer “Creed” in Church Slavonic with accents:

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 for our salvation, who 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.

Preparation for the Sacrament of Baptism is a very important time in the life of future godparents. During public conversations, they talk in great detail about, as well as what the recipient must know. The Creed also falls into this category.

At its core, the Creed is not a prayer. There is no appeal, no prayer request to God, the Mother of God or the Saints. The “Creed” contains a brief and very precise statement of the foundations of the entire Christian doctrine, which was compiled and approved at the First and Second Ecumenical Councils.

The “Creed” must be learned by godparents by heart, since during Baptism it is pronounced by the recipients in the church. But it is very important not only to learn, but also to understand what is said in the prayer.

1 I believe in one God the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. 2 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, born, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to Whom all things were. 3 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. 4 She was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried. 5 And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. 6 And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. 7 And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end. 8 And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets. 9 Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. 10 I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. 11 I drink the resurrection of the dead, 12 and the life of the next century. Amen.

12 dogmas of the Orthodox Creed with interpretation

The “Creed” consists of twelve dogmas. Each contains a special truth of the Orthodox faith:
The 1st dogma speaks about God the Father, from the 2nd to the 7th it talks about God the Son, the 8th - about God the Holy Spirit, the 9th - about the Church, the 10th - about Baptism, the 11th and 12th -th - about the resurrection of the dead and eternal life.

Let us consider each statement of the Creed in detail.

1st dogma: I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, everything visible and invisible. First of all, with these words we recognize the existence of God as an Infinite Essence, which cannot be cognized, explored, or known to man to the end. Everything that exists has received “life” from Him. For a Christian there are no other “gods” (Perun, Krishna, Zeus, etc.). God is Almighty because the whole world rests on His power. God is called the Creator of Heaven and earth because He created the Universe out of nothingness in six days. Everything is subject to Him, both the visible world (material Universe) and the invisible. By invisible we mean, of course, the immortal souls of people, as well as the life of Angels who do not have a material body. 2nd dogma: 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, born, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to Whom all things were. It says here that Jesus Christ is the equivalent “Person” of the Holy Trinity, true God, born of true God. He is consubstantial (of the same essence) with the Father. 3rd dogma: 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. Beginning with this statement, the Creed contains a detailed exposition of the Salvation of all mankind by Jesus Christ. The Eternal Son "comes down from heaven." But it does not move in space, but is incarnated by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. Takes on human flesh. Being a perfect God becomes a Perfect Man.

A card with the text of the Creed, the prayers “Our Father” and “Hail to the Virgin Mary” is included in each baptismal set in our workshop.

4th dogma: He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried.

The first man brought death into the world, but Christ gave eternal life. By mentioning a specific person “under Pontius Pilate,” a real historical moment is emphasized. Christ really suffered on the Cross, endured terrible torment, in order to save us from death. He truly died and was buried. But He is Risen. Thus the wall between God and people collapsed - the wall of sin. And so the cause of eternal death disappeared.

5th dogma: And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.

It tells here that on the third day Christ, by the power of His Divinity, rose from the dead. Death was destroyed. On Easter morning, the reverse course of world history began - the process of resurrection of all the dead. The ancient prophets also predicted this. Their words have come down to us in Holy Scripture.

6th dogma: And ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father.

On the fortieth day after His resurrection, Christ ascended into heaven in the flesh, paving the way for us to the eternal fatherland. The Lord Jesus sits on the right side (right hand) of the Father, and, as a Man, participates in the government of the world. He awaits the end of the preaching of the Church, which gathers all the saved into the Kingdom.

7th dogma: And again the one who comes will judge the living and the dead with glory, His Kingdom will have no end. This speaks of the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He will come to earth no longer as a Savior, but as a Righteous Judge. At His word, with the sound of the archangel’s trumpet, all the dead will rise again. All living ones will be instantly transformed. So humanity from the first man to the last will be gathered before His throne. Then the Lord will reward everyone according to his deeds. The righteous will receive eternal life, and the sinners, along with Satan, will be thrown into eternal fire. And after the judgment there will come an eternal Kingdom of glory that will never end again. There will be no death, no sickness, no sorrow, no sin, but only ever-increasing joy. 8th dogma: And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets. Now the “Creed” speaks of another “Person” of the Holy Trinity - the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit eternally emanates from the Father, from His essence, and this is His personal property by which He differs from the Father and the Son. But at the same time He is equal to Them. Therefore, it is said that we worship the Holy Spirit and glorify Him together with the Father and the Son. He also leads the Church, which he created, descending in the form of tongues of fire on the apostles on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit at the end of the world will transform creation and give life to all the dead. Through Him we received Divine Revelation, which is why it is said that He spoke through the prophets.

Listen to the text of the Creed Two versions are presented - performed by the choir and read by the priest. Audio files can also be downloaded.

9th dogma: Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

On earth, the Church is a collection of Christians. We are all united by the Orthodox faith, liturgical communion, and adherence to God's law. The Church is called one - the only one, since She is one and there are no others.

The Church is called conciliar or universal because She brings the light of salvation to the whole universe for all times and all peoples without exception. There are no nationalities or social differences in Her.

It is called Apostolic because it was founded through the apostles. And the gift of the Holy Spirit is continuously transmitted in Her through the ordination of bishops and priests from the disciples of Christ themselves.

10th dogma: I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.

This speaks of the significance and importance of the Sacrament of Baptism, because through it a Christian receives a “new birth” from water and the Holy Spirit. After this, a person can participate in all Church Sacraments (Confession, Communion, Wedding, Unction)

11th dogma: I hope for the resurrection of the dead.

Every Christian looks forward to the resurrection of the dead. We know that the human soul is immortal. Full retribution will take place on the Day of Judgment. The bodies of people, the very ones who died, will reunite with their souls. They will be accomplished. Eternity will come in which the resurrected will forever remain with their bodies, for there will be no more death.

12th dogma: And the life of the next century. Amen.

It says that all Christians expect eternal life. Only the righteous will receive it. They will always contemplate God and receive more and more knowledge, happiness and pleasure from Him. The saints will reign with Christ in the new universe.

Sinners will be thrown into eternal fire along with the devil and his “angels.” An unquenchable flame awaits them there. And their torment will never end.

We hope that this brief interpretation of the “Creed” will help future godparents take the first steps towards knowing the Law of God, following the commandments of Christ, and, perhaps most importantly, becoming full-fledged Christians.

INTERPRETATION OF MORNING PRAYERS

Symbol of faith

1 I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. 2 And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light from Light, true God from true God, born, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to Whom all things were. 3 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. 4 She was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried. 5 And he rose again on the third day according to the Scripture. 6 And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. 7 And the one who is to come will judge with glory the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end. 8 And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father, who is with the Father and the Son, is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets. 9 Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. 10 I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. 11 I look forward to the resurrection of the dead, 12 and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Believe in God- means to have living confidence in His being, properties and actions and to accept with all my heart His revealed word about the salvation of the human race. God is one in essence, but trinity in Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Trinity is consubstantial and indivisible. In the Creed, God is called Almighty, because everything that is, He contains in His power and His will. Words Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible mean that everything was created by God and nothing can exist without God. Word invisible indicates that God created the invisible, or spiritual, world to which the Angels belong.

Son of God is called the second Person of the Holy Trinity according to His Divinity. It's named Lord because He exists true God, for the name Lord is one of the names of God. Son of God named Jesus, that is, the Savior, this name was given by the Archangel Gabriel himself. Christ, that is, the Anointed One, the prophets called Him - this is how kings, high priests and prophets have long been called. Jesus, the Son of God, is so called because all the gifts of the Holy Spirit are immeasurably imparted to His humanity, and thus to Him belong in the highest degree the knowledge of a prophet, the holiness of a high priest, and the power of a king. Jesus Christ is called the Son of God Only Begotten, because He alone is the Son of God, born from the being of God the Father, and therefore He is one being with God the Father. The Creed says that He was born of the Father, and this depicts the personal property by which He differs from the other Persons of the Holy Trinity. Said before all ages so that no one would think that there was a time when He was not. Words Sveta from Sveta in some way they explain the incomprehensible birth of the Son of God from the Father. God the Father is eternal Light, from Him is born the Son of God, Who is also eternal Light; but God the Father and the Son of God are one eternal Light, indivisible, of one Divine nature. Words God is true from God is true taken from Holy Scripture: We also know that the Son of God came and gave us light and understanding, so that we may know the true God and may we be in His true Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life(1 John 5:20). Words born, uncreated added by the holy fathers of the Ecumenical Council to denounce Arius, who wickedly taught that the Son of God was created. Words consubstantial with the Father mean that the Son of God is one and the same Divine being with God the Father. Words That's all it was show that God the Father created everything by His Son as His eternal wisdom and His eternal Word. For our sake man and our sake for salvation- The Son of God, according to His promise, came to earth not for one particular people, but for the entire human race in general. Came down from heaven- as he speaks about himself: No one has ascended into heaven except the Son of Man, who is in heaven, who came down from heaven.(John 3:13). The Son of God is omnipresent and therefore was always in heaven and on earth, but on earth He was previously invisible and became visible only when He appeared in the flesh, became incarnate, that is, took on human flesh, except for sin, and became a man, without ceasing to be God . The Incarnation of Christ was accomplished with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, so that the Holy Virgin, just as she was a Virgin before conception, remained a Virgin at conception, after conception, and at birth itself. Word becoming human added so that no one would think that the Son of God took on one flesh or body, but so that in Him they would recognize a perfect man, consisting of body and soul. Jesus Christ was crucified for us - by His death on the cross He delivered us from sin, curses and death.

Words under Pontius Pilate indicate the time when He was crucified. Pontius Pilate is the Roman ruler of Judea, which was conquered by the Romans. Word suffering added to show that His crucifixion was not just a kind of suffering and death, as some false teachers said, but real suffering and death. He suffered and died not as a Deity, but as a man, and not because he could not avoid suffering, but because he wanted to suffer. Word buried certifies that He really died and rose again, for His enemies even placed a guard at the tomb and sealed the tomb. AND resurrected on the third day according to Scripture- the fifth member of the Creed teaches that our Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of His Divinity, rose from the dead, as it is written about Him in the prophets and in the psalms, and that He rose again in the same body in which He was born and died. Words according to Scripture mean that Jesus Christ died and rose again exactly as was prophetically written about in the books of the Old Testament. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father- these words are borrowed from Holy Scripture: He who descended is also He who ascended above all the heavens, to fill all(Eph. 4:10). We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven(Heb. 8:1). Words sitting at the right hand, that is, sitting on the right side, must be understood spiritually. They mean that Jesus Christ has equal power and glory with God the Father. And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end- Holy Scripture speaks about the future coming of Christ: This Jesus, who has ascended from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him ascending into heaven.(Acts 1:11).

Holy Spirit called Lord because he, like the Son of God, - true God. The Holy Spirit is called Life-giving, because He, together with God the Father and the Son, gives life to creatures, including spiritual life to people: unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God(John 3:5). The Holy Spirit comes from the Father, as Jesus Christ Himself says: When the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.(John 15, 26). Worship and glorification befits the Holy Spirit, equal with the Father and the Son - Jesus Christ commanded baptism in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit(Matt. 28:19). The Creed says that the Holy Spirit spoke through the prophets - this is based on the words of the Apostle Peter: prophecy was never pronounced by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke it, being moved by the Holy Spirit(2 Pet. 1:21). You can become a participant in the Holy Spirit through the sacraments and fervent prayer: if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him(Luke 11:13).

Church united, because There is one body and one spirit, just as you are called to one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all(Eph. 4:4-6). Church Holy, because Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her in order to sanctify her, cleansing her with the washing of water through the word; to present it to Himself as a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it might be holy and without blemish(Eph. 5:25–27). Church Cathedral, or, what is the same, catholic, or Ecumenical, because it is not limited to any place, time, or people, but includes true believers of all places, times and peoples. Church Apostolic, because it continuously and unchangeably from the time of the apostles preserves both the teaching and the succession of the gifts of the Holy Spirit through sanctified ordination. The True Church is also called Orthodox, or Orthodox believer.

Baptism- this is a Sacrament in which a believer, by immersing his body three times in water, with the invocation of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, dies to a carnal, sinful life and is reborn from the Holy Spirit into a spiritual, holy life. Baptism united, because it is a spiritual birth, and a person is born one day, and therefore is baptized one day.

Resurrection of the Dead- this is the action of God’s omnipotence, according to which all the bodies of dead people, uniting again with their souls, will come to life and will be spiritual and immortal.

Life of the next century- this is the life that will happen after the Resurrection of the dead and the General Judgment of Christ.

Word Amen, which completes the Creed, means “Truly so.” The Church has kept the Creed since apostolic times and will keep it forever. No one can ever subtract or add anything to this Symbol.

Each prayer in Christianity has its own specific purpose and meaning. As for the “Creed,” it is one of the most important for Orthodoxy as a whole.

For a believer, prayers are a way of communicating with God, a source of salvation. This applies to all prayers, especially the basic ones, such as “Our Father”, “Living Help” and, of course, “Creed”. There is no need to wait until you can visit the temple. Read prayers at home before going to bed and in the morning, not only on difficult days, but also in pleasant moments as gratitude.

Text and meaning of the prayer “Creed”

The text of one of the most important prayers in Orthodox Christianity consists of 12 parts. The prayer begins with the word “I believe,” and then goes on to list what a real Christian needs to believe. In other words, this prayer is a direct answer to the question of what Orthodox people believe in.

Here is the text of the prayer itself, divided into 12 main parts, the main components of the faith of every Christian:

“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 Only Begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all time; Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not created, consubstantial with the Father, by Him all things were created.

For our sake, man and for our salvation came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man.

Crucified for our sins under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and buried.

And rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.

And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.

And He will come again with glory to judge 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 worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son, who spoke through the prophets.

Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.

Tea of ​​the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the next century. Amen."

The first line says that you believe in God, who created everything living and inanimate, Heaven and Earth, as well as everything visible and invisible. The whole world in which we exist is a gift from Heaven.

The second part of the prayer is lines about the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was born of God and is his continuation, his human image.

In the third part it is sung that our God came down from heaven and became a man for the sake of us, people.

The fourth line of the prayer recalls the crucifixion of Christ, our Savior, and the taking upon ourselves of our sins.

Then we are reminded of the miraculous Resurrection of Christ.

The sixth part of the prayer talks about Jesus taking his place next to the Father in Heaven.

There will be no end to the reign of the Lord. The Lord is eternal and will judge us, the living and the dead.

Part nine tells us that a believer must believe in the church.

The tenth line glorifies the sacrament of baptism.

The penultimate part says that all the dead will be resurrected.

The last part is completion. I believe in a future life.

The Mystery of the Creed Prayer

Faith itself is a great mystery. No one knows whether God gives a person faith, or whether he acquires it himself. There are constant debates about what awaits people born in a different culture. They believe in something different, so what is their fate? The answer is simple - the fate of those who live surrounded by infidels, but live according to the rules of morality and with love in their hearts, will go to the heaven of the Lord. Everyone deserves this, because there is goodness inside all of us. This is a choice that we make ourselves, and not that someone else makes for us.

As for the “Creed” prayer, its secret is the unity of all believers. It’s as if she makes one big family out of us all, which goes towards the light of God. It contains everything that every Orthodox Christian should believe.

To believe means not to take into account everything that the enemies of religion say. Yes, none of us have seen God, but everyone believes that this will happen. Everyone believes that after death something warm and beautiful awaits us, and not a cold and black void. The secret meaning of this prayer is contained in the first word - “I believe.” Without our faith we are only human. With faith in God, we are children of God, his incarnations and reflections.

Believe in God, in love, in goodness, in yourself and in everything that makes you happy. Believe in the light of God, that he cares for us and protects us.

This prayer is sung at every service in all churches, so you should have heard it. Usually everyone sings it together. It is not necessary to learn it, but it is better to read it as often as possible. This is not a prayer of gratitude, but rather a prayer of glorification, which should be read before bedtime and in the morning. This way you will remind yourself of what you believe. In its purpose, this prayer is similar to the “Our Father.” By reading these lines you strengthen your faith in God. Good luck and don't forget to press the buttons and

The Creed Prayer is a brief and precise statement of the fundamentals of Christian doctrine, compiled and approved at the 1st and 2nd Ecumenical Councils.

What is the Creed Prayer?

The entire Creed consists of twelve members, and each of them contains a special truth, or, as they also call it, the dogma of our Orthodox faith.
The 1st member speaks about God the Father, the 2nd to 7th members talk about God the Son, the 8th - about God the Holy Spirit, the 9th - about the Church, the 10th - about baptism, the 11th and 12th th - about the resurrection of the dead and eternal life.

Text of the prayer “Creed”

In Church Slavonic	In Russian
1. I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible.	I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of everything visible and invisible.
2. 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, born, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to Whom all things were.	And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only Begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages: Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not created, one being with the Father, by Him all things were created.
3. 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.	For the sake of us people and for the sake of our salvation, He came down from heaven, and took flesh from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human.
4. She was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried.	He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried.
5. And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.	And rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.
6. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.	And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.
7. And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end.	And He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; His Kingdom will have no end.
8. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father, who is with the Father and the Son, is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets.	And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son, who spoke through the prophets.
9. Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.	Into one holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
10. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.	I recognize one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
11. I hope for the resurrection of the dead,	I'm waiting for the resurrection of the dead
12. and the life of the next century. Amen.	and the life of the next century. Amen (truly so).

Icon “Symbol of Faith”

How the “Creed” is sung at the Liturgy

Valaam choir

Interpretation of the prayer “Creed”

Archpriest Alexander Shmeman

Explanation of the Creed

Protopresbyter A. Schmemann

1. Introduction

In the life of the Christian Church, the so-called Symbol of faith: A relatively short confession of what the Church believes. The word “symbol” in its original meaning can be translated as follows: something that “holds together, connects, contains.” So, the Creed is precisely contains all these truths that the Church believes are necessary for man, for the fullness of his life and for salvation from sin and spiritual death.

Historically, the Creed arose from the preparation of converts, that is, new believers preparing to enter the Church, for the sacrament of baptism. In ancient times, it was mainly adults who were baptized. As in our days, people came to faith, accepted Christ, wanted to join the Church, become members of the church community - each as a result of their own special path. For every conversion, every meeting of a person with God is a mystery of God’s grace, which we are not given the opportunity to penetrate. Some come to God in suffering and grief, others in joy and happiness. So it was, so it will always be.

The origin of faith in the human soul is a mystery. And yet, faith in Christ itself leads a person to the Church, to the community of those who believe in Christ. Faith itself seeks and demands the unity of believers, who, precisely by this unity and love for each other, testify to the world that they are disciples and followers of Christ. “Therefore everyone will know that you are My disciples,” said Christ, “if you have love for one another.” Love and unity of faith, about which St. Paul says that it constitutes the main joy of Christians: “I greatly desire to see you,” he writes to the Christian Church in Rome, “so that I may be comforted by the common faith with you, yours and mine...”

The Christian life of a new believer thus began with the fact that he was brought to the bishop of the local Church, and he drew a cross with his hand on the forehead of the new Christian, as if putting the mark of Christ on him. A man came to God and believed in Christ. Now, however, he must learn the content of faith. He becomes student it begins, as they say in church books, announce. For Christianity is not an emotion, not just a feeling, no, it is an encounter with the Truth, it is a difficult feat of accepting it with the whole being. Just as a person who passionately loves music, in order to perform it, must go through difficult training, so one who has believed in Christ, who has fallen in love with Christ, must now realize the content of his faith and what it obliges him to do.

On the eve of Easter - for in the early Church baptism was performed on Easter night - everyone preparing for baptism solemnly read the Creed, made a “giving” of it, confessed its acceptance and their entry into the unity of faith and love. Each large local Church - Roman, Alexandrian, Antioch - had its own baptismal creed, and although they were all everywhere an expression of a single and indivisible faith, they differed in style and phraseology from each other. At the beginning of the 4th century, great disputes arose in the Church concerning the basic Christian doctrine of Christ as God. In 325, the first Ecumenical Council met in the city of Nicaea, and at it a common Creed, common to all Christians, was developed. Several decades later, at the Second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople, the Creed was supplemented and received the name Nicene-Constantinople, common to the entire universal Church. Finally, the third Ecumenical Council, in Ephesus in 431, decided that this symbol should remain forever inviolable so that, in other words, no more additions would be made to it.