As for the atOhori^ of creeds, the Protestant doc- trine is tliat the creed may be norma doctrinai (stand- ard of doctrine), but that the Bible alone is norma fidei (role of faith). So Dr. H. B. Smith {Disoourte on Chrittian Union), speaking of the Westminster Con- fession, says, " We receive the Confession, not as a rule of fitith and lifiB, for this only the Scriptures can be, but as containing our system of £dth, in contrast with Arminianism and Pelagianism, as well as Sodn- ianism and Romanism. We accept it in its legitimate historical sense, as understood and interpreted through the history of our church .... and as ' containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures.' My liberty here is not to be judged of another man's conscience. Any other view not only puis, for all practical purposes, the Confession above the Scrip- tures, but also puts somebody's theological system above the Confession." The experience of the Church has attested the value of creeds as standards of doc- trine. Churches without creeds (e. g. the Society of Friends) have been torn by doctrinal dissensions quite as thoroughly as those which have adopted confessions of faith. See Confessions.
2. The first object of creeds was to distinguish the Charch from the world, from Jews and pagans. In this view, the earliest formularies of this kind con- tamed simply the leading doctrines and fiicts of the Christian religion; and it was only necessary that they should be generally and briefly expressed ; the difference lying not in the exposition, but in the cre^ dmdoy the '* things to be believed" themselves. The second object was to distinguish between persons pro- fessing the Christian fiiith; between those who re- tained the apostolic doctrine, and those who, through unauthorized speculations, had departed from it, and &llen into different errors on important points. Creeds of this kind, therefore, contained tiie fhnda- mental truths, with brief expositions, declaratory of the sense in which they were to be understood, in or- der to the Aill reception of the doctrine of Scripture respecting them. The ApottUs' Creed is of the first class, the Nicene and Athanasian of the second ; the Nicene, especially, having the most solemn sanction of the congregated churches of Christ. Other creeds uid confe^ons have been at later periods adopted by different churches, orthodox in frmdamentals, but dif- fering greatly on some questions of comparatively Ughter moment See Confiessions. These were so extended, in consequence, as to embrace not only the principal doctrines of the fiiith, but the peculiar views
of the churches which agreed upon fhem, on those subjects of controversy by which the age was distin- guished. All these are unquestionably tests, and were designed as such, and idl were necessary; the first class to secure the renunciation of Judabm and paganism ; the second class to exclude those from the Church who had made shipwreck of the faith ; the tiihd class to promote peace, by obliging Christians differing considerably in non-essentials to form them- selves into distinct religious societies (R. Watson, Works, vii, 498). As to tiie tiae of creeds as confes- sions of faith in the Christian Church, see Sartori- us, Nothwendigkeit der HrchHchen GUxubentbekenntwiue (Stuttg. 1846) ; Miller, On Creeds (Fresh. Board) ; Bo- nar, Scottish Catechitms (1866), Preface ; Confessions.
For the three ancient creeds, the Apostles', the Athanasian, and the Nicene, see below ; and also Har- vey, History and Theohgy of the Three Creeds f Gue- ricke, Christl, SymboKk, § 12 ; Coleman, Ancient Chris- tianity, ch. xiv, § 4 ; Walch, BibUoth. Symb, Vetus, ; New EngUmder, July, 1865, art. xi ; Amer, Church Rev, July, 1866, art iv ; Hare, Contest with Borne, p. 318; Burnet, On the Articles (Introduction) ; Shedd, Hisi, of Doctrines, bk. vii ; Bingham, Orig, Ecdes, bk. x, ch. iii; Yossius, Be Tribus SymboUs Opera, t vi ; the authorities cited under each head below ; and the aiw tide Symbolism.
CREED, Apostles', an early summary of the Christian faith, in which all Christian churches, Greek, Roman, and Protestant, agree. Augustine calls it rtg- ula Jidei bretris et grandis ; brevis nmnero verborwn, grcmdis pondere sententianim, * ' The antiquity of this compendium of Christian doctrine, and the veneration in which it has been held in the Qiurch of Christ, are circumstances which deservedly entitle it to be public- ly pronounced from time to time in our assemblies as containing the great outline of the faith we profess, and to be committed to the memory of our children, for the perpetuation of that faith from age to age" (R. Watson, Works, vii, 498). It is as follows, Latin and English:
Symbolum ApottoUcum,
Latin,
Credo in Denin, Patrein om- nipotentem, Creatorem cobU et term. Et in Jesnm Christum, fillum ^as nnicnm, dominum nostrom : qui coooeptus est de Spiritu Sancto; natos ex Ma- ria Tirgloe; pasfus snb Pontio PUato; cmclflxus, mortuus et sepultas; desoendit ad infer- na; tertia die resurrezHa mor- tuis ; asoendit ad celos ; asdet ad deztenim Dei Patrls omni- potentis ; Inde ventnnu est Ju- dicare vivcw et mortnofl. C*re- do in Spiritum Sanctam; sanc- tam ecdesiam catholioain, sanctomm oommunlonefn; re- mlssloniin peccatomin; camiH resurreetionem ; et vltam ster- nanr- Amen.
BngUsh. I beUere in God the Father Ahnighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son onr Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost ; bom of the Virgin Ma- ry ; Buflfored under Pontius Pi- late, was crucified, dead, and buried; hedeacended intohell: the Uiird day he rose from the dead ; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to Judge the quick and the dead. I belies * ~