Russian icon representing the Nicene Creed, 17th century
Ecumenical creeds is an umbrella term used in Lutheran tradition to refer to three creeds: the Nicene Creed, the Apostles' Creed and the Athanasian Creed. These creeds are also known as the catholic or universal creeds.[1][2]
These creeds are accepted by almost all mainstream Christian denominations in the West, including Lutheran, Reformed, Catholic, and Anglican.[1][2][3][4][5] Many Methodist churches accept the Nicene Creed and Apostles' Creed.[6][7]
The Eastern Orthodox Church accepts the Nicene Creed,[8][9] but does not use the Apostles' Creed or the Athanasian Creed.
A creed by definition is a summary or statement of what one believes. It originates from the Latin credo meaning "I believe".[10] The purpose of a creed is to act as a yardstick of correct belief.[11] A creed is an epitome, not a full definition, of what is required for orthodoxy. It was hoped that by memorizing this summary of the faith, lay people without extensive theological training would still be able to recognize deviations from orthodox doctrines based on the Bible as interpreted in Christian tradition.
The term ecumenical[12] can refer to efforts by Christians of different church traditions to develop closer relationships and better understandings. The term is also often used to refer to efforts towards the visible and organic unity of different Christian churches in some form.[13]
^ ab"The Three Ecumenical Creeds - Book of Concord". thebookofconcord.org. Confident.Faith. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
^ ab"Scriptures, Creeds, Confessions". ELCA.org. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
^"Creeds and Authorized Affirmations of Faith". www.churchofengland.org. Church of England. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
^"Creeds and Confessions". www.rca.org. Reformed Church in America. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
^"Is the United Methodist Church a Creedal Church? by G. Richard Jansen". Colorado State University. Archived from the original on 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
^"Guiding Theological Principles | The World Methodist Conference". www.worldmethodistconference.com. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
^"The Nicene Creed". www.orthodoxprayer.org. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
^"The Nicene Creed - Personal and Devotional Prayers - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America". www.goarch.org. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Of America. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
^"creed - definition of creed in English". Oxford Dictionaries. Archived from the original on September 25, 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
^Meager, David (2004). "A brief history of the three creeds" (PDF). Cross†Way - Church Society. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
^"ecumenical - definition of ecumenical in English". Oxford Dictionaries. Archived from the original on April 4, 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
^FitzGerald, Thomas E. (2004). The Ecumenical Movement: An Introductory History. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313306068. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
Ecumenicalcreeds is an umbrella term used in Lutheran tradition to refer to three creeds: the Nicene Creed, the Apostles' Creed and the Athanasian Creed...
by Green, F.W. pp. 15, 26–27 "Creeds of Christendom, with a History and Critical notes. Volume II. The History of Creeds". Ccel.org. Christian Classics...
(250) The Deir Balyzeh Papyrus (200–350) The Arian Creeds and Creeds of Euzoius (320/327) The Creed of Alexander of Alexandria (321–324) The First Synod...
profess "no creed but Christ". Jehovah's Witnesses contrast "memorizing or repeating creeds" with acting to "do what Jesus said". Several creeds originated...
(1877a), The Creeds of Christendom, vol. 1, New York: Harper Brothers, OCLC 2589524, retrieved 2013-09-08 Schaff, Philip (1877b), The Creeds of Christendom...
An ecumenical council, also called general council, is a meeting of bishops and other church authorities to consider and rule on questions of Christian...
authority—such as the ordinary teaching offices of a church, the ecumenicalcreeds, councils of the Catholic Church, or even personal special revelation—sola...
relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjective ecumenical is thus applied to any non-denominational initiative that encourages greater...
Hanson lists twelve creeds that reflect the Homoian faith: The Second Sirmian Creed of 357 The Creed of Nice (Constantinople) 360 The creed put forward by...
containing all things necessary to salvation; the creeds (specifically, the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds) as the sufficient statement of Christian faith;...
which they felt emphasized the humanity of Jesus better than the ecumenicalcreeds. As theologians, they used both modern historical critical and Hegelian...
councils to adopt creeds and canons. This Council is generally considered the beginning of the period of the first seven ecumenical councils in the history...
standard by which doctrine and practice are to be judged. It accepts the ecumenicalcreeds and the Lutheran Confessions as "true witnesses to the Word of God"...
important due to its perceived impact on the formation of Christian ecumenicalcreeds, as discussed below. This event is also seen as a divine fulfilment...
In the history of Christianity, the first seven ecumenical councils include the following: the First Council of Nicaea in 325, the First Council of Constantinople...
heresy. According to confessional evangelicals, subscription to the ecumenicalcreeds and to the Reformation-era confessions of faith (such as the confessions...
orthodox interpretation of Christian faith (as given primarily in the ecumenicalcreeds) was the more radical response to contemporary issues and more rigorous...
CRC officially subscribes to the EcumenicalCreeds—the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed—as well as three Reformed Confessions...
Nicaeno-Constantinopolitan Creed". creeds.net. "Trinity". Britannica Encyclopaedia of World Religions. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. See Creeds of Christendom...
Istanbul, Turkey) in AD 381 by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I. This second ecumenical council, an effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly...
and reflected global trends in student activism. It contributed to the ecumenical movement, as represented internationally by the World Student Christian...
orthodox preterism, thus contrasting their agreement with the creeds of the Ecumenical Councils with what they perceive to be the full preterists' rejection...
Faith". Anglican Church of India. 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019. "EcumenicalCreeds and Authorized Affirmations of Faith". The Church of England. Retrieved...
requires an understanding of the development of orthodoxy and the role of creeds in the definition of orthodox beliefs, since heresy is always defined in...
speculative starting point. For instance, the Bible and the writings of ecumenical councils are considered as historical sources and their contents are treated...
Creed completed at the First Council of Constantinople in AD 381: "[We believe] in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church." This ecumenicalcreed is...
subsequent resurrection. However, Latter-day Saints (LDS) reject the ecumenicalcreeds and the definition of the Trinity. (In contrast, the second-largest...
Gnosticism, establishing safeguards in the form of the monarchic episcopate, the creed, and the canon of holy books. The Gnostic movements may contain information...
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