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The Nicene
Creed
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Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed, also called the Nicaeno-Constantinopolitan Creed, is a
statement of the orthodox faith of the early Christian church in opposition
to certain heresies, especially Arianism. These heresies, which disturbed
the church during the fourth century, concerned the doctrine of the trinity
and of the person of Christ. Both the Greek (Eastern) and the Latin
(Western) church held this creed in honour, though with one important
difference: the Western church insisted on the inclusion of the phrase and
the Son (known as the filioque) in the article on the procession of the Holy
Spirit; this phrase still is repudiated by the Eastern Orthodox church. In
its present form this creed goes back partially to the Council of Nicea
(A.D. 325) with additions by the Council of Constantinople (A.D. 381). It
was accepted in its present form at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, but the
filioque phrase was not added until 589. However, the creed is in substance
an accurate and majestic formulation of the Nicene faith. This translation
of the Greek text was approved by the CRC Synod of 1988.
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We
believe in one God, |