The Faith Confessed
The Nicene Creed
The confession of faith every Orthodox Christian recites at the Divine Liturgy — given by the Councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381), unchanged in the East for seventeen centuries.
The full text of the Creed
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible; And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father, through whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man; And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; And He rose on the third day, according to the Scriptures; And ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father; And He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end; And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father, who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets; In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church; I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; I look for the resurrection of the dead; And the life of the age to come. Amen.
The Orthodox text of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, confessed without the Filioque, as the Ecumenical Councils delivered it.
Where the Creed came from
In the early fourth century a priest of Alexandria named Arius taught that the Son of God was a created being — that "there was a time when He was not." To answer him, the Emperor Constantine called the bishops of the whole Church to Nicaea in 325 AD: the First Ecumenical Council. The fathers confessed that the Son is homoousios — "of one essence" — with the Father, fully God and not a creature. In 381 AD the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople completed the Creed with its fuller confession of the Holy Spirit, the Church, baptism, and the resurrection. Read the full story of the Council of Nicaea →
The Creed, line by line
“I believe in one God, the Father Almighty”
The Creed opens where the Scriptures open: one God, and not an abstract force but a Father. "Almighty" (Pantokrator) is one of the most beloved names of God in Orthodox worship, depicted in the great domes of the churches.
“Begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father”
This is the heart of the Council of Nicaea. Against Arius, who taught that the Son was a creature made in time, the Church confessed that the Son is homoousios — "of one essence" — with the Father: fully God, eternally begotten, never made.
“Incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary”
The confession of the Theotokos: the Virgin Mary truly bore God in the flesh. Because of this line, the Church calls her Mother of God, and the mystery of the Incarnation stands at the center of Orthodox theology and iconography.
“Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate”
Naming a Roman governor anchors the faith in history. Christianity is not a myth but a confession about events that happened in a real place, under a datable official.
“Who proceedeth from the Father”
The Orthodox Church confesses the Holy Spirit as proceeding from the Father alone, as the Lord says in John 15:26. The later Western addition "and the Son" (the Filioque) was never accepted by the East and remains one of the great differences between Orthodoxy and Rome.
“One, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church”
"Catholic" here means whole and universal — the fullness of the faith kept in every local church — not a denomination. The Church is one in faith, holy in her Head, and apostolic in her unbroken succession from the Apostles.
“I look for the resurrection of the dead”
The Creed ends not with death but with hope: the general resurrection and the life of the age to come. Every funeral in the Orthodox Church echoes this expectation.
The Orthodox Creed and the Filioque
Western churches later added the words "and the Son" (Latin: Filioque) to the clause on the Holy Spirit. The Orthodox Church never accepted this addition: it was inserted without an Ecumenical Council, and it alters the theology of the Trinity as the fathers confessed it. The difference is one of the lasting divides between Orthodoxy and Rome. See how Orthodoxy and Catholicism differ →
Frequently asked questions
What is the Nicene Creed?
The Nicene Creed is the statement of Christian faith drawn up by the Ecumenical Councils of Nicaea (325 AD) and Constantinople (381 AD). It confesses belief in the Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — and in the Church, baptism, and the resurrection. Orthodox Christians recite it at every Divine Liturgy and in daily morning prayers.
When was the Nicene Creed written?
The first part was composed at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 325 AD to answer the teaching of Arius. The Second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in 381 AD completed it with the fuller confession of the Holy Spirit. This is why it is properly called the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.
Do Orthodox Christians say the Filioque?
No. The Filioque ("and the Son") is a later Western addition to the Creed, first appearing in Spain and gradually adopted in Rome. The Orthodox Church confesses the Creed as the Councils gave it: the Holy Spirit "proceedeth from the Father," following the words of Christ in John 15:26.
Why is it called a "creed" or "symbol" of faith?
The word "creed" comes from the Latin credo, "I believe." The Greek term is symbolon — a token by which believers recognized one another. The Creed is recited at baptism and at every Liturgy as the boundary-mark of the Christian faith.
When do Orthodox Christians recite the Creed?
At every Divine Liturgy, at baptisms, and in the daily morning prayer rule. Many of the faithful also say it before receiving Holy Communion. It is the one text every Orthodox Christian is expected to know by heart.
Keep learning the faith
Explore the Liturgy where the Creed is sung, and the catechism that explains it.