Apostles' Creed | Followers of Jesus

The Apostles' Creed

To tell you the truth, it never was the apostles’ creed. Most of the words go back to a Roman ‘symbolum' from perhaps the second century, when persecuted Christians were looking for a way to recognize each other. Neither Jesus, nor any one of his friends ever spoke these exact words in this order. If you read the New Testament from the perspective of Jesus' followers, you can see how they were scrambling to make sense of the astonishing life of Jesus and the powerful experiences of Holy Spirit in the communities of his followers. But scattered across the writings of these Jews who wrote in Greek, we find all the elements of the Apostles' Creed.

One God, three ways to have faith

The Apostles' Creed is about faith. I was told that there are 12 articles of faith that you had to believe as a Christian. But how can you force yourself into believing something? Faith means so much more than believing: to have faith, to trust, to be loyal. We could also say that God has given us three ways to have faith in Him? He enters into a relationship with us in Creation, in the story of Jesus and in the experience of Holy Spirit in our life and community.

A new generation

Every generation receives a legacy from the past and challenges for the future. Young people today live in an increasingly global and pluralistic world. I wrote this in 2016 when my children brought home partners who had not received a Christian upbringing. As a father and biblical scholar, I felt the need to present the spiritual treasure from previous generations in an open way, so that a new generation can use it as building materials for their own world views.

Symbolum Apostolorum

Credo in deum

patrem omnipotentem

creatorem caeli et terrae.

Et in Jesum Christum,

Filium ejus unicum, Dominum nostrum,

qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto,

natus ex Maria Virgine,

passus sub Pontio Pilato,

crucifixus,

mortuus, et sepultus,

descendit ad inferos,

tertia die resurrexit a mortuis,

ascendit ad caelos,

sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis,

inde venturus est

judicare vivos et mortuos.

Credo in Spiritum Sanctum,

sanctam Ecclesiam catholicam,

sanctorum communionem,

remissionem peccatorum,

carnis resurrectionem,

vitam aeternam.

Amen.

The Apostles’ Creed

I have faith in God:

the Father Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth;

And (I have faith) in Yeshu, the Messiah:

his Son, his one and only, our Lord,

who was received of Holy Spirit,

born of Miryam, a virgin girl.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified,

dead and buried.

He went down to the below,

on the third day he rose again from the dead,

he went up to the heavens,

siting at the right (hand) of God, the Father Almighty,

from where he is to come

to judge the living and the dead.

I have faith in Holy Spirit:

a dedicated assembly throughout the whole (world),

community of dedicated people,

forgiveness of sin(ner)s,

resurrection of flesh,

life eternal.

Amen.

The Creed as a Drama in Three Acts

The Apostles’ Creed can be read in three parts, as it is an expansion of ancient Christian baptism, with people baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

As these words were expanded into a Creed, they came to form a cosmic drama in three acts:

1. In the first act, the stage is set: we live in a world created by a loving father, even when we forget that we are His children.

2. In the second act, we see two movements: First, the descent of Jesus, the father’s son and our older brother into our world and into the grave. Second, his resurrection and ascent, opening the way to a meaningful life towards a hopeful future.

3. The third act shows us the consequences of following in his spirit.