Two Creeds, One Faith
If you attend Mass regularly, you have noticed that sometimes the congregation recites the Apostles’ Creed and sometimes the Nicene Creed. They cover the same ground — God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Church, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection — but the wording is different, and the Nicene Creed is noticeably longer.
Why two? Are they saying different things? And does it matter which one you pray?
The short answer: they express the same faith, but they were written at different times, for different purposes, and with different levels of detail. Understanding the difference gives you a richer appreciation of both.
The Apostles’ Creed: The Older, Shorter Form
The Apostles’ Creed is the older of the two. Its roots reach back to the second century, when candidates for Baptism in Rome were asked to profess their faith before being immersed. The questions followed a Trinitarian pattern: “Do you believe in God the Father? Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His Son? Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?” The answers gradually crystallised into a fixed text.
The legend that each of the twelve Apostles contributed one line is almost certainly not historical, but it captures something true: the Creed summarises what the Apostles taught. Its language is simple, direct, and personal — it begins with “I believe,” not “we believe.”
The Apostles’ Creed is brief — twelve articles, roughly 110 words. It states each doctrine simply, without elaboration. “I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord” — no further explanation of what “only Son” or “our Lord” means. “He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried” — no discussion of why He suffered or what the Crucifixion accomplished.
This simplicity is its strength. It is easy to memorise, easy to teach to children, and easy to pray. It has been the baptismal creed of the Western Church for over fifteen hundred years.
The Nicene Creed: The Response to Heresy
The Nicene Creed was born from a crisis. In the early fourth century, a priest named Arius began teaching that Jesus Christ was not truly God — that He was the highest of all creatures, created by the Father before the beginning of time, but not of the same substance as the Father. Arianism spread rapidly and threatened to tear the Church apart.
In 325 AD, the Emperor Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea — the first ecumenical council — to resolve the question. The council condemned Arianism and produced a creed that made the Church’s faith unmistakably clear.
Where the Apostles’ Creed says simply “I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,” the Nicene Creed spells it out in precise, anti-Arian language: “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.” Every phrase was chosen to close a loophole. Arius said Christ was “like” the Father. The council said “consubstantial” — homoousios — of the same substance. There is no wiggle room.
The Creed was expanded at the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD, which added the detailed section on the Holy Spirit — “the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets” — in response to those who denied the Spirit’s divinity.
The result is a creed that is more precise, more theologically developed, and considerably longer than the Apostles’ Creed. It begins with “We believe” (though the singular “I believe” — credo — is used in the Latin Mass and in most modern translations) and runs to roughly 220 words.
The Key Differences
Most of the differences are expansions rather than contradictions. The Nicene Creed says more about the same things the Apostles’ Creed says briefly.
On Christ’s divinity. The Apostles’ Creed says Jesus is God’s “only Son.” The Nicene Creed explains what this means: “born of the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.” This is the core addition — the language forged at Nicaea to exclude Arianism.
On the Incarnation. The Apostles’ Creed says Christ was “conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.” The Nicene Creed adds: “For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” The purpose of the Incarnation — “for us and for our salvation” — is made explicit.
On the Holy Spirit. The Apostles’ Creed says simply “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” The Nicene Creed devotes a full paragraph to the Spirit’s identity and work — that He is Lord, that He gives life, that He proceeds from the Father and the Son, that He is co-worshipped and co-glorified, that He spoke through the prophets.
On the Church. The Apostles’ Creed says “the holy catholic Church.” The Nicene Creed says “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church” — adding the marks of unity and apostolicity.
One notable difference. The Apostles’ Creed includes “He descended into hell” — a line the Nicene Creed omits. This does not mean the Nicene Creed denies the doctrine. It simply was not a point of controversy at the time the creed was composed, so it was not included. Both creeds are authoritative. Omission from one does not mean denial.
The Filioque
One word in the Nicene Creed has caused more division than any other: Filioque — “and the Son.”
The original text from Constantinople said the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father.” The Western Church, beginning in Spain in the sixth century and spreading to Rome by the eleventh, added “and the Son” — Filioque — so that the Creed reads: “who proceeds from the Father and the Son.”
The Eastern Orthodox churches objected — and still object — to this addition. They argue that the Western Church altered a creed of an ecumenical council without the consent of the universal Church, and that the theology behind the addition is problematic.
The Catholic Church maintains that the Filioque is theologically correct — the Spirit does proceed from both the Father and the Son — and that the addition was a legitimate development. But the dispute contributed to the Great Schism of 1054 between East and West, and it remains one of the principal obstacles to reunion.
For the ordinary Catholic in the pew, the Filioque is simply what the Creed says. But it is worth knowing that this single word carries the weight of a thousand years of division — and that the Eastern Catholic churches, which are in full communion with Rome, are permitted to omit it when they pray the Creed in their own liturgies.
When Each Creed Is Used
The Nicene Creed is the standard creed of the Mass. It is recited on all Sundays and solemnities throughout the year. It is the creed of the universal Church — used in both East and West (with the Filioque difference noted above).
The Apostles’ Creed may be used at Mass in place of the Nicene Creed, particularly during Lent and Easter season. It is the creed of the Rosary. It is the baptismal creed — recited at Baptisms and when the congregation renews their baptismal promises at the Easter Vigil. It is the creed most Catholics learn first, and many pray it daily.
Both are fully authoritative. Neither contradicts the other. The Apostles’ Creed says the essential things simply. The Nicene Creed says the same things precisely. Together they give you the faith in two voices — one personal and devotional, the other theological and definitive.
Why It Matters
The creeds are not museum pieces. They are living declarations of faith — spoken by millions of Catholics every Sunday, in every language, in every country on earth. When you stand and recite the Creed at Mass, you are joining your voice to a statement that has been spoken continuously since the fourth century — a statement that cost people their careers, their freedom, and their lives to defend.
Every word was fought over. Every phrase was tested against Scripture, against Tradition, against the living faith of the Church. The creeds are not the product of a committee brainstorming session. They are the distillation of centuries of prayer, controversy, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Know them. Understand them. Pray them — not by rote, but with attention, knowing what each word means and what it cost to define. They are the shortest summary of the faith that changed the world.