The Nicene Creed: Full Text

The Nicene Creed exists in two historic forms: the original creed from the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) and the expanded version from the Council of Constantinople (381 AD). Most Christians today recite the 381 version, often called the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, though both remain important to church history.

The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (381 AD)

This is the version most commonly used in worship today across Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches:

We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.

Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.

He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.

The Original Nicene Creed (325 AD)

The first Council of Nicaea produced this shorter version, focused primarily on clarifying Christ's divine nature against the Arian heresy:

We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of God,
begotten from the Father, only-begotten,
that is, from the substance of the Father,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten not made,
of one substance with the Father,
through whom all things came into being,
things in heaven and things on earth,
who because of us men and because of our salvation came down and became incarnate,
becoming man,
suffered and rose again on the third day,
ascended to the heavens,
and will come to judge the living and the dead.

And in the Holy Spirit.

Understanding the Differences

The 381 Council of Constantinople built upon the original framework by providing enhanced treatment of the Holy Spirit's person and work, elaborating on both Christ's incarnation and His promised return, and articulating the Church's understanding of baptism, the resurrection of the dead, and ecclesiology. Rather than altering the original confession, these enhancements served to answer questions raised due to theological controversies that had emerged in the half-century separating the two ecumenical gatherings.

The fundamental orthodoxy remains consistent across both formulations: God exists as three distinct persons in one divine essence (The Trinity), Jesus Christ embodies complete deity and complete humanity in one person (Fully God and Fully Man), and the Holy Spirit exercises genuine divine activity in the world and the Church. The Constantinople expansion articulated with greater precision what the apostolic community had progressively discerned through sacred Scripture and apostolic tradition.

A Note on Translation

The creeds above use modern English translations from the original Greek. Various Christian traditions employ slightly different wording, but the theological content remains consistent. Some traditions also include the phrase "and the Son" (Filioque) regarding the procession of the Holy Spirit—a matter of historical and ongoing discussion between Eastern and Western churches.