The Old Roman Symbol (), or Old Roman Creed, is an earlier and shorter version of the

Apostles' Creed The Apostles' Creed (Latin: ''Symbolum Apostolorum'' or ''Symbolum Apostolicum''), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith". "Its title is first found c.390 (Ep. 42.5 of Ambro ...

.. It was based on the 2nd-century

Rule of Faith The rule of faith (, ) is the name given to the ultimate authority in Christian belief or fundamental hermeneutic (interpretive) standard (e.g., for biblical interpretation.). It was used by Early Christian writers such as Tertullian. The phrase is ...

and the interrogatory declaration of faith for those receiving

baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

(

3rd century The 3rd century was the period from AD 201 (represented by the Roman numerals CCI) to AD 300 (CCC) in accordance with the Julian calendar. In this century, the Roman Empire saw a crisis, starting with the assassination of the Roman Emperor ...

or earlier), which by the

4th century The 4th century was the time period from 301 CE (represented by the Roman numerals Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Mid ...

was everywhere tripartite in structure, following ("baptizing them in the name of the

Father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...

and of the

Son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current ...

and of the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

"), which is part of the

Great Commission In Christianity, the Great Commission is the instruction of the Resurrection appearances of Jesus, resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciple (Christianity), disciples to spread the gospel to all the nations of the world. The Great Commission i ...

. According to the Church historian

John Norman Davidson Kelly John Norman Davidson Kelly (13 April 1909 – 31 March 1997) was a British theologian and academic at the University of Oxford and Principal of St Edmund Hall, Oxford, between 1951 and 1979, during which the hall transformed into an independent ...

, 2nd-century

church fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical peri ...

Tertullian Tertullian (; ; 155 – 220 AD) was a prolific Early Christianity, early Christian author from Roman Carthage, Carthage in the Africa (Roman province), Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive co ...

and

Irenaeus Irenaeus ( or ; ; ) was a Greeks, Greek bishop noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christianity, Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, more widely, for the development of Christian theology by oppos ...

cite it in their works.

Most ancient witnesses

According to the ''Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'', the first text attesting it is a letter to

Pope Julius I Pope Julius I was the bishop of Rome from 6 February 337 to his death on 12 April 352. He was appealed to by Athanasius when the latter was deposed from his position as patriarch by Arian bishops, Julius then supported Athanasius and condemned hi ...

in 340 or 341, and it has recently been argued that it developed in the context of the

Arian controversy The Arian controversy was a series of Christian disputes about the nature of Christ that began with a dispute between Arius and Athanasius of Alexandria, two Christian theologians from Alexandria, Egypt. The most important of these controversies c ...

. Bettenson and Maunder further comment on this that Marcellus had been exiled from his diocese through Arian influence, thus spending two years at Rome, and finally left his creed with Julius, Bishop of Rome. Additionally c. 400, Rufinus, a priest of Aquileia, left a Latin version in his ''Commentarius in Symbolum Apostolorum'' (P.L. xxi. 335B). He believed this to be the Roman creed as the "rule of faith" written by the Apostles at Jerusalem. About at the same time also

Nicetas of Remesiana Nicetas (c. 335–414) was Bishop of Remesiana (present-day Bela Palanka, Serbia), which was then in the Roman province of Dacia Mediterranea. Biography Nicetas promoted Latin sacred music for use during the Eucharistic worship and reputedly ...

wrote an ''Explanatio Symboli'' (P.L. Lii. 865-874B) based on the Old Roman Symbol, but including also the

communion of saints The communion of saints (Latin: , ), when referred to persons, is the spiritual union of the members of the Christian Church, living and the dead, but excluding the damned. They are all part of a single " mystical body", with Christ as the head, ...

. Though the name "Apostles' Creed" appears in a letter of Saint

Ambrose Ambrose of Milan (; 4 April 397), venerated as Saint Ambrose, was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promoting Roman Christianity against Ari ...

(c. 390), what is now known as the Apostles' Creed is first quoted in its present form in the early

8th century The 8th century is the period from 701 (represented by the Roman numerals DCCI) through 800 (DCCC) in accordance with the Julian Calendar. In the historiography of Europe the phrase the long 8th century is sometimes used to refer to the peri ...

. It developed from the Old Roman Symbol, and seems to be of Hispano-Gallic origin, being accepted in Rome some time after

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

imposed it throughout his dominions..

Latin and Greek versions

The Latin text of

Tyrannius Rufinus Tyrannius Rufinus, also called Rufinus of Aquileia (; 344/345–411), was an early Christian monk, philosopher, historian, and theologian who worked to translate Greek patristic material, especially the work of Origen, into Latin. Life Rufinus ...

: Credo in deum patrem omnipotentem; et in Christum Iesum filium eius unicum, dominum nostrum, :qui natus est de Spiritu sancto ex Maria virgine, :qui sub Pontio Pilato crucifixus est et sepultus, :tertia die resurrexit a mortuis, :ascendit in caelos, :sedet ad dexteram patris, unde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos; et in Spiritum sanctum, sanctam ecclesiam, remissionem peccatorum, carnis resurrectionem. The Greek text of

Marcellus of Ancyra Marcellus of Ancyra (Greek: Μάρκελλος Άγκυρας, died c. 374) was a Bishop of Ancyra and one of the bishops present at the Council of Ancyra and the First Council of Nicaea. He was a strong opponent of Arianism, but was accused of ...

: Πιστεύω οὖν εἰς θεòν πατέρα παντοκράτορα· καὶ εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν, τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ, τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν, :τὸν γεννηθέντα ἐκ πνεύματος ἁγίου καὶ Μαρίας τῆς παρθένου, :τὸν ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου σταυρωθέντα καὶ ταφέντα :καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρα ἀναστάντα ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, :ἀναβάντα εἰς τοὺς οὐρανούς :καὶ καθήμενον ἐν δεξιᾳ τοῦ πατρός, ὅθεν ἔρχεται κρίνειν ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς· καὶ εἰς τò ἅγιον πνεῦμα, ἁγίαν ἐκκλησίαν, ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν, σαρκὸς ἀνάστασιν, ζωὴν αἰώνιον.

Differences between the Latin and the Greek text

The Latin (Rufinus) and the Greek (Marcellus) versions are faithful, literal, ''verbatim'' translations of each other. The only outstanding difference is the concluding clause in the Greek text, ζωὴν αἰώνιον ("life everlasting"), which has no equivalent in the Latin text. This clause is present in the

. The Latin version of

also follows quite closely the version of Rufinus (usually ''verbatim'') but also includes the ''vitam eternam'', as Marcellus, and the ''communionem sanctorum'', omitted by the other two.

English translation

I believe in God the Father almighty; and in Christ Jesus His only Son, our Lord, Who was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, Who under

Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; ) was the Roman administration of Judaea (AD 6–135), fifth governor of the Judaea (Roman province), Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official wh ...

was crucified and buried, :on the third day rose again from the dead, :ascended to heaven, :sits at the right hand of the Father, :whence He will come to judge the living and the dead; and in the Holy Spirit, the holy Church, the remission of sins, the resurrection of the flesh (the life everlasting).

References

Bibliography

* .

External links

* {{Citation , publisher = New advent , contribution-url = http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01629a.htm , title = Catholic Encyclopedia , contribution = The origin of the Apostles’ Creed.
"The Earliest Text of the Old Roman Symbol: A Debate with Hans Lietzmann and J. N. D. Kelly"
D. Larrimore Holland, ''Church History'', Vol. 34, No. 3 (Sep., 1965), pp. 262-281 Christian statements of faith 4th-century Christian texts Christian terminology Pontius Pilate