On the 1700-year anniversary of the Council of Nicaea: what else there is to discover

From the dispute of whether Jesus was of the same essence as the Father to the central Christian creed: this is what the nac.today series has outlined. At the end, there is an overview of the content and the opportunity to delve deeper into the subject. 

The Creed of Nicaea-Constantinople derives from the Council of Nicaea (ad 325) and the First Council of Constantinople (ad 381). This creed brings to expression the foundations of the Christian faith, as they are attested in the Old and New Testaments, in concise and authoritative terms.

The relationship to one another

The Creed expresses that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit together constitute the one and true God. The three divine persons are defined by their relationship to one another: the Father is the Begetter, the Son is the Begotten, and the Holy Spirit is the one who emanates forth from the Father and the Son. The inward works of the Trinity (known as immanent Trinity) are therefore distinguishable or divisible.

Although with respect to economic Trinity, in other words the triune God’s external actions, the principle applies that the outward works of the Trinity are indivisible. And yet here too, the three divine persons are each assigned a point of emphasis (appropriation): God the Father is known as the Creator, the Son as the incarnate Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit as the Maker of the new creation. This makes it clear that the inward works of the Trinity and the external actions of the triune God cannot be completely separated. For it is the Son who became man, not the Father and not the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ is the way to recognising the triune God.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit reveal themselves in the course of history. They are all worshipped equally. 

Church, sacrament, and future

Another object of faith is the church, which is described as the one, holy, universal, and apostolic church. That the church is one, that it is holy, that it is universal, and that it is apostolic expresses essential aspects of what makes the church a church. These are also addressed in the Catechism (6.4.1) under “Distinguishing features of the church”

The Creed of Nicaea-Constantinople emphasises the importance of baptism with water as a fundamental act of Christianity, in which forgiveness of sins is imparted. The forgiveness of original sin is of decisive significance here, because it is through this act that a human being is delivered from a state of remoteness from God to a state of nearness to Him.

The Creed also contains some key eschatological statements: it speaks of the return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal life in the world to come, the new creation. 

Authoritative texts

In addition to the Apostolicum and the New Apostolic Creed, the Creed of Nicaea-Constantinople is among the authoritative confessional texts of the New Apostolic Church. 

A more detailed insight into the background, fundamentals, development, implications, and content of the Creed can be found in the essay, available for download here: 

Photo: Franz Pfluegl – stock.adobe.com