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Nicene Creed Across Denominations: Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Differences

Rev. C•D•F• Warrington, M.Div.
By Rev. C•D•F• Warrington, M.Div.

Ordained Minister, M.Div.

July 27, 2026

3 min read

nicene creed
A Catholic priest, Orthodox bishop, and Protestant pastor holding the same Nicene Creed text together

The Nicene Creed is the closest thing Christianity has to a universal confession. It is recited in Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, and most Protestant liturgies around the world. Yet Christians who use the same creed do not always use the same text — and the differences are theologically significant.

The Filioque: The Great Divide

The most significant textual difference in the Nicene Creed is the Filioque — the Latin phrase meaning 'and the Son.' The original Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (381) states that the Holy Spirit 'proceeds from the Father.' The Western church added 'and the Son' (Filioque) to the creed gradually, with the phrase appearing in Spanish liturgy by the sixth century and being universally adopted in Western Christianity by the eleventh. The Eastern church never accepted this addition, and the Filioque remains a primary theological point of division between East and West.

The Theological Issue at Stake

The Filioque dispute is not merely about a few words. It reflects different understandings of the Trinity's inner life, the procession of the Holy Spirit, and — more fundamentally — the authority of ecumenical councils. Eastern Orthodoxy insists that the Council of Nicaea and Constantinople together produced a creed that no local council or pope has authority to alter. The Western addition, regardless of its theological merits, was therefore an act of ecclesiological overreach.

Catholic Use of the Creed

Roman Catholic liturgy uses the Nicene Creed (with Filioque) at Sunday Mass, though it recites 'I believe' (Credo) in the singular rather than the conciliar 'we believe.' The 1994 Catechism of the Catholic Church notes the Filioque dispute respectfully and acknowledges the legitimacy of the Eastern formulation, distinguishing the theological tradition from the doctrinal claim. Catholic-Orthodox dialogue has produced significant convergence on the theology, if not yet the liturgical text.

Protestant Variations

Most Protestant traditions use the Nicene Creed with the Filioque — inheriting the Western liturgical tradition without necessarily investing the addition with dogmatic weight. Some Reformed traditions have moved away from the creed in worship, preferring Scripture readings and confessional summaries. Baptist churches typically do not use the creed at all, emphasizing direct Scripture engagement. The diversity of Protestant creedal practice reflects both the absence of a magisterium and the different weightings of tradition and Scripture.

The Creed as Ecumenical Resource

Despite these differences, the Nicene Creed remains the most powerful ecumenical resource the church possesses. When Catholic and Orthodox, Anglican and Lutheran, stand together and confess 'I believe in one God,' they are affirming a shared doctrinal foundation that transcends their divisions. The creed does not resolve the disputes that divide Christians — but it names the faith that, despite those disputes, they continue to share.

Tags:nicene creedecumenismchurch history

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main differences in how Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants use the Nicene Creed?

Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox both recite the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed in the Mass and Divine Liturgy respectively, but they differ on the filioque clause — Catholics include 'and the Son' (filioque) in the description of the Spirit's procession, while Orthodox reject this addition as an unauthorized alteration to the Council's original text. Most Protestants who use the creed liturgically follow the Western filioque tradition, though some ecumenical bodies have proposed omitting it for the sake of unity.

When and where was the Nicene Creed written?

The original Nicene Creed was produced at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, convened by Emperor Constantine to address the Arian controversy over whether the Son was fully divine or a created being. The expanded form used today — properly called the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed — was developed at the First Council of Constantinople in 381 AD and is the version recited in Catholic, Orthodox, and most liturgical Protestant worship. The filioque clause was added gradually in the Western church between the 6th and 9th centuries.

What does the Nicene Creed say about the Holy Spirit?

The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381 expanded considerably on the Spirit compared to the 325 version, confessing the Holy Spirit as 'the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father (and the Son, in the Western text), who together with the Father and Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.' This language was carefully crafted to affirm the Spirit's full deity without using the word homoousios, which the council did not apply to the Spirit explicitly.

Why did the Council of Nicaea reject Arianism?

Arius of Alexandria taught that the Son was the greatest of God's creatures — divine in a secondary sense but not coeternal and consubstantial with the Father. The Council of Nicaea in 325 rejected this as incompatible with Scripture and the apostolic faith, affirming instead that the Son is 'of the same substance' (homoousios) as the Father. The theological stakes were soteriological: if Christ is not fully God, he cannot save; only God can redeem humanity from sin and death.

Which denominations do not use the Nicene Creed in worship?

Anabaptist-descended traditions such as Mennonites and many Baptists generally avoid creedal recitation in worship, preferring Scripture alone as their confessional touchstone, though they may affirm the creed's content. Pentecostal and charismatic churches often prioritize experiential and spontaneous worship over fixed liturgical forms, including creeds. Jehovah's Witnesses explicitly reject the Nicene Creed because their theology affirms a form of Arianism — the subordination of the Son to the Father as a created being.

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