The Nicene Creed is named after the ancient city of Nicaea, in which the creed was first officially accepted by a council of the Church’s bishops in the year 325, and then affirmed by another council about fifty years later. It is this creed that is proclaimed by Catholics during the celebration of every Sunday Mass. Also, this same creed has been accepted as official teaching not only by Roman Catholics but also by Eastern Orthodox Catholics, Anglicans, Episcopalians, and the members of all major Protestant Churches. For over 1600 years, tens of millions of Christian believers have been solemnly repeating this creed as a summary statement of their faith in Jesus and the God he revealed to us.

The Nicene Creed was originally written in Greek. Over thousands of years, that language has evolved and countless others have emerged, including our own. Because of this, words and phrases that had very profound meaning for Greek-speaking people over 1600 years ago can seem stilted and foreign to us today. But the Church is not inclined simply to rewrite a statement of faith that has been a source of unity for Christian churches for hundreds of years. It is far better, in light of that history, to respect those words, struggle to understand them, and apply them to our lives today.