We believe in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
The Church of England is part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, worshipping the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It professes the faith uniquely revealed in the Holy Scriptures and set forth in the catholic creeds*, which faith the Church is called upon to proclaim afresh in each generation. Led by the Holy Spirit, it has borne witness to Christian truth in its historic formularies, the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, The Book of Common Prayer and the Ordering of Bishops, Priests and Deacons.
The opening sentences of the ‘Preface to the Declaration of Assent’.
©2007, The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England
*The three ‘Catholic’ or ‘Ecumenical’ creeds are the Nicene Creed, the Apostles’ Creed and the Athanasian Creed. They express the received faith of the universal church in the Holy Trinity, God revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
Apostles’ Creed
The ‘Apostles’ Creed’ was first written in Latin and is likely to have most likely originated in 5th-century but has much earlier origins in the baptismal rites of the early Greek-speaking church. The following version is closely based on the agreed international text used by most English-speaking churches, including the Church of England:
Nicene Creed
The longer Nicene Creed (or Nicaean Creed, also known as the Creed of Constantinople and the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed) was composed in the Greek language and adopted in its first, shorter form, by the First Council of Nicaea in 325. It was amended in 381 at a second ecumenical Council, held in Constantinople. The form below, as used in the Church of England since 1999, is based on the ecumenical text published in 1988 by the English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC):
Creed of Saint Athanasius
Also known as the Quicunque vult, after its Latin opening words, the so called ‘Athanasian Creed’ is found in Book of Common Prayer (first published in the Tudor period and last substantially revised in 1662, under the reign of Charles II). This analytical statement of the relationship between the the Father, Son and Holy Spirit was composed in the sixth or late fifth century, some hundred years after the death (in May 373) of St Athanasius of Alexandria died. In its full form, the Quicunque vult is rarely used in current worship, except in the responsorial form (in the box) below:
Inspiring Faith
If you are interested in a basic, easy-to-follow, introduction to Christian beliefs, you may like to sign up here for ‘Inspiring Faith‘, a resource introduced by Bishop Martin, Bishop of Chichester, for those wishing to become more involved in the Anglican church family through confirmation. Or be in touch with the Vicar for more information.