Authorship
Originally composed during the First Council of Nicaea in A.D.325 by church leaders and bishops.

Content
The Apostles’ Creed had assumed prior knowledge of who Jesus and the Holy Spirit were from the bible. However the church became aware that some people from within the church were denying the divinity of  Jesus. Therefore they wished to affirm the teachings that had been faithfully passed down to them through apostolic succession, and state once and for all that the church believed that Jesus was divine. In effect the Nicene Creed became an updated version of the Apostle’s Creed; it followed the same structure but had the necessary additions to ensure clarification of the church’s beliefs.

The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in 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 worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.