The Nicene Creed, composed in part and adopted at the First Council of Nicaea (325) and revised with additions by the First Council of Constantinople (381), is a creed that summarizes the orthodox faith of the Christian Church and is used in the liturgy of most Christian Churches. This article endeavors to give the text and context of English-language translations.
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Versions in current liturgical use
Ecumenical versions
1975 ecumenical version (ICET)
The International Consultation on English Texts published an English translation of the Nicene Creed, first in 1970 and then in successive revisions in 1971 and 1975. These texts were adopted by several churches. The Roman Catholic Church in the United States, which adopted the 1971 version in 1973, and the Catholic Church in other English-speaking countries, which in 1975 adopted the version published in that year, continued to use them until 2011. The 1975 version was included in the 1979 Episcopal Church (United States) Book of Common Prayer, though with one variation: in the line "For us men and for our salvation", it omitted the word "men":
1988 ecumenical version (ELLC)
The English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC), the successor body to ICET, published in 1988 the book Praying Together, which included a revision of the 1975 ICET text. Variations of this text are gaining acceptance among mainline Protestant churches: it is used by the Methodist Church with little if any change, and by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Other denominations use it with modifications that vary between the churches: see, for instance, the discussion within The ELLC Texts: A Survey of Use and Variation, which does not include recent use of the ELLC text by the ELCA in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006).
Roman Catholic Church
Latin Church
The translation for use in Mass of the Roman Rite is found in the Order of Mass. It begins "Credo" - "I believe" - and is a personal (not congregational) affirmation of faith.
Ruthenian Catholic Church
The Ruthenian Catholic Church, a sui iuris Eastern Catholic Church, uses a text which was previously found on their website but has now been archived.
It is as follows:
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, the only-begotten, born of the Father before all ages. Light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in essence with the Father; through whom all things were made. For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven and was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried. He rose on the third day according to the scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he is coming again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Creator of Life, who proceeds from the Father. Together with the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified; he spoke through the prophets. In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I profess one baptism for the remission of sins. I expect the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Oriental Orthodox Churches
Coptic Orthodox Church
The text used by the Coptic Orthodox Church:
In truth we believe in one God, God the Father the Pantocrator, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of light, true God of true God, begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father, by whom all things came into being. This is he, who for us humans and our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and of the Virgin Mary, and became human. And he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried. And he rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures. He ascended into the heavens and sits at the right hand of the Father. And he is also coming in his glory to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end. Yes, we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the Son, we co-worship him and we co-glorify him, who spoke by the prophets. And in one holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. We confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come. Amen.
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
The text used by the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church may be found at their website.
Eastern Orthodox Churches
The text used by the Orthodox Church in America may be found at their website.
The text used by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America may be found at their website.
The text used by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America may be found at their website.
The text used by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia is:
Anglican Communion
The 1979 Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America version has the 1975 ecumenical (ICET) version (see above). The version in the Church of England's Common Worship of 2000 is the 1988 ecumenical (ELLC) version. The Anglican Church of Canada's Book of Alternative Services (1985) uses the 1975 ICET version, but unusually, it omits the Filioque ("and the Son") phrase in accordance with the 1978 Lambeth Conference Statement, and the Anglican-Orthodox Joint Doctrinal Commission. But in many churches of the Anglican Communion the version in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer is still the one in use:
Lutheran churches
The version in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) is the 1988 ecumenical (ELLC) version. But the Lutheran Service Book (2006) of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Lutheran Church-Canada (LCC) uses that of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer with slight changes, substituting the word "Christian" for "catholic" and modernizing the spelling of the word "apostolic", with changes in capitalization of this and other words, and with "Holy Spirit" in place of "Holy Ghost".
Presbyterian churches
The Trinity Hymnal of 1990, published by the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, contains a translation which is used by those denominations and some others.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) uses a slightly different version as subscribed in their Book of Confessions.
Liturgical versions no longer in use
1973 draft ICET text
While working towards the 1975 ecumenical text given above, the International Consultation on English Texts (ICET) published a version, which the Roman Catholic Church in the United States adopted in its English version of the Roman Missal, in use from 1973 to 2011.
"One in Being with the Father" (1973), which, when spoken, could be confused with "one, in being with the Father", was replaced in the 1975 version by "of one Being with the Father".
"He was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man" was altered in 1975 to "He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man": neither Greek "??????????" nor Latin "incarnatus" means "born", and the 1973 text linked hominization ("became man") with birth ("he was born").
"He suffered, died, and was buried" was replaced in 1975 by "he suffered death and was buried": "???????" in Greek and "passus" in Latin are indicative of a suffering demise; but the 1973 text inserted an extra verb, "died", not present in the original Greek or Latin.
Versions by scholars
Philip Schaff
Nicene Creed as adopted in 325
Nicene Creed as altered in 381
J.N.D. Kelly
A translation of the 381 version may also be found in Kelly's Early Christian Creeds.
John Haddon Leith
Translations by John Haddon Leith may be found in his 1982 book Creeds of the Churches.
Mingana's translation of Theodore of Mopsuestia (Creed of 325)
Samuel Noble's translation of Al-Majdalus (Creed of 381)
Versions used in prayer books but not in liturgy proper
A Catholic prayer book of 1850
Note the linking of "under Pontius Pilate" with "suffered", not with "was crucified".
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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