Affirming Faith in Our Own Words

Deacon’s Corner

Affirming Faith in Our Own Words

Summary: Affirming the Nicene Creed is not as simple as it seems.

Have you ever stumbled over words in the Nicene Creed? It’s not surprising that it sometimes feels awkward to us since it was written in the year 325. At that time, 300 bishops from “all Christendom” got together to try and come up with a consensus on what was and wasn’t a Christian belief. One main issue was the Trinity, described then as “Theos, Logos, Sophia.” This translates to “God, Word, Wisdom.” Even at the time, there was much disagreement about what all these statements meant and what it meant to “affirm” the Creed.

In our tradition, the Trinity has historically been described as the “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” My favorite Creed, the Iona Creed, describes it as “God above us, God beside us, and God within us.” If you were to update the Creed from 325, what would you have it say?

Deacon Joanie+

The Rev. Dcn. Joanie Cahill+

Deacon, St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church