The Nicene Creed was first adopted at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD to combat Arianism, which denied the full deity of Christ. It was expanded at the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD, adding the article on the Holy Spirit. The 381 version is recited in churches worldwide and remains the most broadly accepted statement of Christian orthodoxy across Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions.
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Adopted at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, this original creed was drafted primarily to counter Arianism by affirming that the Son is consubstantial (homoousios) with the Father. It includes closing anathemas against Arian teachings.
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible.
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 of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made, both in heaven and on earth; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man; he suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven; from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
And in the Holy Spirit.
But those who say: "There was a time when he was not"; and "He was not before he was made"; and "He was made out of nothing"; or "He is of another substance or essence"; or "The Son of God is created," or "changeable," or "alterable," they are condemned by the holy catholic and apostolic Church.
Adopted at the First Council of Constantinople, this expanded version greatly enlarged the article on the Holy Spirit and removed the original anathemas. This is the form most commonly recited in churches today. The phrase "and the Son" (Filioque) was added later by the Western church and is noted below.
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made. Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried; and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and he shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life; who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. And we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Note: The phrase "and the Son" (Latin: Filioque) in brackets was not part of the original 381 text. It was added by the Western church, first appearing in the Third Council of Toledo (589 AD) and eventually adopted throughout the Latin West. The Eastern Orthodox churches do not include it. The bracketed form above preserves both traditions.
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