Icon depicting Constantine the Great, accompanied by the bishops of the First Council of Nicaea (325)
An Introduction to the Creed from Wikipedia; and the First Council of Nicaea, 325 AD
The Nicene Creed ("for Evangelical Lutheran Worship" ELCA)
*May 20, 325: Emperor Constantine convenes the first Ecumenical Council in Nicaea (see Christian History magazine, issue 51)
JSTOR (Luther Sem access) has over 1700 journal articles and 2900 book chapters on Nicaea or the Nicene Creed
Nicaea: 125 Select Full-text Articles from ATLA Religion
Open Access Digital Theological Library: 340 full-text articles, 92 book chapters on Nicaea or Nicean Creed
The Nicene Creed (For Evangelical Lutheran Worship)**:
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father, God from God,
Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father, through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate.
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures.
he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,*
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
……………………………………………………………
**Or, "who proceeds from the Father." The phrase "and the Son" is a later addition to the creed. The Nicene Creed from Evangelical Lutheran Worship © 2006, originally prepared by the English Language Liturgical Consultation in Praying Together (1988) and commended for use in the ELCA
The original Nicene Creed read as follows: Nicene Creed (original)
First Council of Nicaea, with Arius depicted as defeated by the council, lying under the feet of Emperor Constantine.
"The Nicene Myth"--article from Modern Age Journal (Nov 2024, by Philip Jenkins)
Nicea and the Nicean Fathers: overview from Christian History Magazine, by Bruce Shelley
LibGuide links to select Church Fathers:
| Athanasius | Gregory of Nazianzus, |
| Origen of Alexandria | John Chrysostom |
| Gregory of Nyssa | Saint Jerome |
