7. The Articles of Faith and the Symbol of the Creed

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Necessity of the Creed #

• The truth of faith is contained in Sacred Scripture diffusely (diffusae), in various ways, and obscurely
• Extracting these truths requires long study and exercise (longum studium) to which many are unable to devote themselves due to other occupations
• Therefore, it is necessary to collect (colligere) the positions of Sacred Scripture into a manifest summary that can be proposed to all to believe
• This collection is not an addition to Scripture but rather an assumption from Scripture (non addita sed assumpta)
• The name “Symbolum” (Creed) derives from this act of gathering/throwing together (σύμβολον: συν + βάλλω)

Structure of the Fourteen Articles #

• Seven articles on the Divinity: Unity of God, and the Trinity of Persons (three articles distinguishing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)
• Seven articles on the Humanity of Christ: Incarnation/conception, nativity, passion/death/burial, descent to hell, resurrection, ascension, coming for judgment
• Some traditions enumerate twelve articles by combining certain articles (e.g., joining the passion, death, and burial into one; joining conception and nativity into one)
• Articles are distinguished where there is a special reason for something not being seen or where special difficulties arise

Authority to Define and Modify the Creed #

• Only the Supreme Pontiff (Summum Pontificem) has authority to add to or explicate the Symbol of Faith
• This authority derives from Christ’s commission to Peter: “I have prayed for you, Peter, that your faith may not fail; and you, being converted, confirm your brethren” (Luke 22)
• General councils can explicate the faith, but only under papal authority and confirmation
• The Council of Ephesus prohibited private persons from formulating new creeds, but this does not prevent subsequent councils (under papal authority) from expounding what was previously defined
• New explicitations become necessary when heresies arise requiring clarification

Why the Creed Was Not Always Explicit #

• In the Old Testament, the Articles of Faith became progressively more explicit according to the succession of times, drawing closer to Christ
• Once Christ has come and the faith is fully revealed, there is no temporal reason for greater and greater explication
• However, because perverse men (perversi homines) pervert the apostolic doctrine and scriptures to their own perdition, it becomes necessary at times to provide explicit explanation against errors that arise

Distinction Between the Apostles’ Creed and the Creed of the Fathers #

• The Apostles’ Creed (Symbolum Apostolorum) was edited in times of persecution and was published secretly (secreto)
• The Creed of the Fathers (Nicene Creed) is declarative of the Apostles’ Creed and was given when the faith was already manifested and the Church enjoying some peace
• On account of this, the Nicene Creed is publicly sung in church, while the Apostles’ Creed may be published in the compilatory manner
• The descent to hell (descensus ad inferos), though not explicitly mentioned in all creeds, was not necessary to reiterate in the Nicene Creed because no heretical error arose concerning it—it was already contained in the Apostles’ Creed

The Article on the Holy Catholic Church #

• The phrase “I believe in the Holy Catholic Church” should be understood as: “I believe in the Holy Spirit sanctifying the Church”
• However, according to more common usage, it is better understood as “I believe the Holy Catholic Church” (a declaration of belief in the Church itself)
• The Church is a creature, not a divine being; therefore, strictly speaking, we believe in God, not in the Church—yet the formulation reflects the Church’s sanctifying role by the Holy Spirit

The Athanasian Creed #

• Athanasius (Patriarch of Alexandria, not Supreme Pontiff) composed a manifestation of faith “not by way of a symbol, but more by way of a certain teaching”
• Because the whole truth of faith is contained briefly in his doctrine, it was accepted by the authority of the Holy Pontiff to be held as a rule of faith
• This exemplifies the principle that ultimate authority to confirm a creed or doctrinal statement rests with the Supreme Pontiff, even when composed by others

Key Arguments #

Against the Necessity of the Creed (Objections) #

1. Sacred Scripture is the rule of faith: Deuteronomy 4:2 prohibits adding to or subtracting from God’s word; therefore, the Creed seems illicit as an addition
2. One faith, multiple creeds is confusing: Ephesians 4 speaks of “one faith”; therefore, multiple creeds seem unsuitable
3. Not all believers have formed faith: The Creed is expressed in the form “I believe in one God,” but this expression of formed faith (fides formata) belongs only to those whose faith is informed by charity, not all believers
4. Descent to hell is missing: The descent to hell is an article of faith, yet it is not mentioned in the Apostles’ Creed
5. Belief should be only in God: Augustine teaches that we should believe in God, not in the Church; therefore, the clause about the Catholic Church seems unsuitable
6. All creeds should be sung in Mass: If the Creed is a rule of faith, it should be publicly proposed; therefore, all creeds (not just the Nicene) ought to be sung in the Mass
7. The Creed seems to add to Scripture: All the faith is in Scripture; why is a new summary necessary?
8. The Supreme Pontiff should not add to the Creed: In the Old Testament, articles became more explicit only because of temporal proximity to Christ; this reason no longer applies; therefore, new creeds should not be formulated
9. The Council of Ephesus forbade new creeds: The prohibition with anathema against new creeds is binding on all, including the Supreme Pontiff
10. Athanasius was not Supreme Pontiff: If Athanasius, a mere patriarch, could compose a creed, it does not seem that this authority belongs uniquely to the Supreme Pontiff

Thomas’s Response to Objections #

1. The Creed is not an addition but a gathering: The truth of faith is proposed in the Creed not as something added to Scripture but as something assumed from Scripture and made manifest in a summary form for all
2. Multiple creeds are explicitations, not contradictions: All creeds teach the same truth of faith; the multiplicity arose from the necessity of answering heresies and instructing the faithful more diligently. Subsequent creeds differ only insofar as they make more fully explicit what was contained implicitly in preceding ones
3. The Creed expresses the faith of the whole Church: The confession of faith in the Creed is treated “as it were from the person of the whole church,” which is united by faith. The faith of the Church as a whole is formed faith (fides formata), because such faith is found in those who have merit in the Church; therefore, even those without formed faith might strive to attain this form
4. The descent to hell required no new explication: Because no heretical error arose concerning the descent to hell, it was not necessary to reiterate it in a new creed; it was already predetermined (praenotatum) in the Apostles’ Creed
5. The Church is understood as sanctified by the Holy Spirit: The clause should be understood according to how our faith is referred to the Holy Spirit who sanctifies the Church
6. The Apostles’ Creed was for a different context: Because the Apostles’ Creed was edited in times of persecution and published secretly, it was not sung publicly in the Mass. The Nicene Creed, being declarative and given in times of peace, is publicly sung
7. Scripture provides sufficient explication for the apostolic age: The teaching of Christ and the apostles contains the truth of faith sufficiently explicitly; however, because perverse men pervert apostolic doctrine, it became necessary at times to provide explanation of faith against errors that arise
8. The authority to add creeds belongs to the Supreme Pontiff: To determine matters of faith that are not to be shaken requires authority over the whole Church. This pertains to the Summum Pontificem, to whom greater and more difficult questions of the Church are referred. Christ’s prayer over Peter—“I have prayed for you, Peter, that your faith do not fail, and you, being converted, confirm your brethren”—establishes this authority. One faith of the whole Church can be maintained only if questions of faith are determined by the one who is over the whole Church, so that his judgment is firmly held by all. Therefore, to the authority alone of the Supreme Pontiff pertains the new addition of a symbol, just as all other things pertaining to the whole Church
9. The Council of Ephesus prohibition applies to private persons: The prohibition and judgment of the synod extends to private persons, to whom it does not belong to determine about the faith. This prohibition does not take away the power of a subsequent synod under papal authority to make a new addition to the symbol containing the same faith more exposed
10. Athanasius’s authority was confirmed by papal acceptance: Athanasius composed his creed not as a symbol but as a teaching; because the whole truth of faith is contained briefly in it, it was accepted by the authority of the Holy Pontiff to be held as a rule of faith. This demonstrates that ultimate authority rests with the Supreme Pontiff

Important Definitions #

• Symbolum (Creed): From Greek σύμβολον (symbolon), meaning “thrown together” (συν + βάλλω). Better understood as a gathering or collection of the positions of faith from Scripture, made manifest in summary form for easy proposal to all, rather than a mere throwing together
• Diffusae: Diffusely; scattered throughout Scripture in various ways and obscurely
• Fides formata: Formed faith; faith informed by charity, which belongs to those who have meritorious standing in the Church
• Fides informis: Unformed faith; faith not yet animated by charity; faith held but not yet fully operative
• Declarative: A subsequent creed is declarative of a preceding one, meaning it makes explicit and clear what was contained implicitly or obscurely in the earlier formulation
• Distinctio formalis: Formal distinction; the kind of distinction between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which is not material (not a division of a body) but by relations of origin (relationes originis)
• Perversi homines: Perverse men; those who warp apostolic doctrine and Scripture to their own perdition, necessitating explicit explanation of faith
• Summum Pontificem: The Supreme Pontiff; the Pope, to whom sole authority belongs to determine and add to the Symbol of Faith

Examples & Illustrations #

The Apostle’s Creed and Traditional Attribution #

• Berquist mentions the tradition that each of the twelve apostles contributed one article to the Apostles’ Creed
• He references a “beautiful little story” that children (and perhaps adults) should hear: each apostle wrote one article
• He notes that Thomas seems to recognize both the twelve-article tradition and the fourteen-article structure

Heretical Errors Necessitating Explicit Creeds #

• Arius believed the Father was omnipotent and eternal but denied that the Son was co-equal and consubstantial to the Father; therefore, an article explicitly affirming the Son’s divinity became necessary (“God from God, true God from true God”)
• Macedonius denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit; therefore, a third article explicitly affirming the Holy Spirit as equally God and equally to be adored became necessary
• Muhammad misunderstood the Christian Trinity as polytheism, thinking Christians believed in three gods; this historical misunderstanding illustrates why the Church emphasizes that there is one God before explaining the Trinity

The Eucharist and Its Articles #

• The Eucharist presents a unique case: as a sacrament, it is covered under the article of sanctification by grace; as containing the body of Christ, it falls under the article on divine omnipotence (miracles)
• Berquist quotes a hymn: “Fast and pray he did as man; great deeds he performed as God,” which expresses both the sacramental grace and the miraculous presence contained in the Eucharist

The Numbering of Articles and Symbolism #

• Thomas begins his consideration of God’s perfection in chapter 28 of the Summa Contra Gentiles; Berquist notes that 28 is the second perfect number (after 6) and wonders if this is by chance
• The Trinity is taken up beginning in question 27 of the Summa Theologiae, and Berquist notes that 27 is the cube of 3, which “has the same significance as that of which is a cube,” aiding memory
• Berquist admits to being “a fanatic” about such numerical patterns, whereas Thomas is not so particular

The Prayer of the Three Persons #

• Berquist recites a prayer expressing the threefold operation: “May God the Father strengthen you; may God the Son enlighten you; and may God the Holy Spirit fill your heart with his love,” illustrating the appropriation of different divine operations to each person
• He also references his “trochaic tetrameter”: “Move us, God, to know and love you; no one is the Son, and no one is the Holy Spirit,” addressing the Father in a poetic form

Questions Addressed #

Why is the Creed necessary if all truth is in Scripture? #

• Answer: Because Scripture contains the truth of faith diffusely, obscurely, and in various ways, and not all people have the ability or time for the long study required to extract these truths. A manifest summary gathered from Scripture is necessary for all to believe easily and securely

Why are there multiple creeds if there is only one faith? #

• Answer: All creeds teach the same faith, but different creeds became necessary as the Church encountered different heresies requiring explicit clarification. Subsequent creeds do not contradict but rather make more fully explicit what was contained implicitly in earlier creeds

Who has authority to add to or modify the Creed? #

• Answer: Only the Supreme Pontiff (the Pope) has this authority. This derives from Christ’s commission to Peter (Luke 22: “I have prayed for you, Peter, that your faith do not fail, and you, being converted, confirm your brethren”). General councils may explicate the faith, but only under papal authority and confirmation

Why wasn’t the descent to hell included in the Nicene Creed? #

• Answer: Because no heretical error arose concerning it, there was no need to reiterate it in the Nicene Creed. It was already contained in and predetermined by the Apostles’ Creed

How can the Church say “I believe in the Holy Catholic Church” when we believe only in God? #

• Answer: This phrase should be understood as expressing faith in the Holy Spirit sanctifying the Church, or more commonly, as a declaration of belief that the Church is holy and catholic, with the understanding that this sanctity comes from the Holy Spirit’s action. We do not believe in the Church as a divine being, but we believe in the Church’s sanctification by the Holy Spirit

Did Athanasius have authority to compose a creed? #

• Answer: Athanasius composed his creed not as an official symbol but as a teaching expressing the truth of faith. It was subsequently accepted by papal authority to be held as a rule of faith, demonstrating that ultimate authority for confirming creeds rests with the Supreme Pontiff, even when the initial composition comes from others

Why was the Apostles’ Creed not sung publicly in the Mass as the Nicene Creed is? #

• Answer: The Apostles’ Creed was edited and published secretly during times of persecution. The Nicene Creed, being declarative and established when the Church had peace, is publicly sung in the Mass as a clear public profession of faith

Notable Quotes #

“The truth of faith in sacred scripture is contained diffusae, in various ways, and in some obscurely. Thus, that to elicit the truth of faith from sacred scripture requires longum studium, a long study and exercise to which not all… are able to give themselves over.” — Thomas Aquinas, on why the Creed is necessary

“I have prayed for you, Peter, that your faith do not fail, and you, being converted, confirm your brethren.” — Christ to Peter (Luke 22), cited as the biblical foundation for papal authority to define and add to the Symbol of Faith

“The truth of faith is sufficiently explicit in the teaching of Christ and the apostles; but because perverse men pervert apostolic doctrine and scriptures to their own perdition, it is necessary at times to provide an explanation of faith against errors that arise.” — Thomas Aquinas, on the development of doctrine

“It was accepted by the authority of the Holy Pontiff to be held as a rule of faith.” — Thomas Aquinas, on how the Athanasian Creed was confirmed, illustrating that ultimate doctrinal authority rests with the Supreme Pontiff