Christology of the Early Church Creeds

Evidence ID: HIS-EV48

Evidence: Christology of the Early Church Creeds

Summary: The oral and written creeds of the New Testament were common, shared statements of faith held by the early church. They originated with the preaching of the Gospel by Peter and Paul just after Jesus' resurrection and ascension (30 AD), then later developed by the church fathers. They were readily adopted by the early Christian church for recitation and confession. Because creeds (and creedal statements) were based on eyewitness accounts and attested by hundreds of Jesus' contemporaries, they offer strong evidence that Jesus was the Son of God.

Description: Creeds in the New Testament provide a synopsis of what the early church believed. Creeds were common, shared statements (or declarations) of faith held by the New Testament church. These statements serve as the fundamental teachings regarding God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit to the first century church. Creedal statements regarding Jesus form a Christology about the person, nature and work of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

The earliest creeds originated in the Book of Acts (ca. 33 AD) with the preaching of Peter and Paul. Later these apostolic creeds were written down in the New Testament epistles. They were further developed by the early church fathers in the second and third centuries. According to New Testament scholars Martin Hengel [REF-HGL01], C. F. D. Moule [REF-MOU01] and others, the fully formed Christology emerged 20 years after the resurrection.

Creeds are easily recognized within biblical texts because they use a different literary style than other passages. Most creeds exhibit poetic features such as stanzas much like ancient hymns. Below, the cited creeds are formatted to illustrate individual stanzas. Bold font is used to illustrate Christological statements concerning the divinity of Jesus.

Creedal Declarations of Peter (33-65 AD)

Peter's Sermon at Pentecost Acts 3:22-36 ▼

22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

29 "Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

Peter Speaks in Solomon's Portico Acts 3:12-26 ▼

12 "Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

17 "And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ 24 And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness."

Peter's Confession (Based on an Early Christian Hymn) 1 Peter 2:22-25 NLT ▼

22He never sinned,
nor ever deceived anyone.

23He did not retaliate when he was insulted,
nor threaten revenge when he suffered.

He left his case in the hands of God,
who always judges fairly.

24He personally carried our sins>
in his body on the cross

so that we can be dead to sin
and live for what is right.

By his wounds
you are healed.

25Once you were like sheep
who wandered away.

But now you have turned to your Shepherd,
the Guardian of your souls.

Creedal Statements of Paul (50-65 AD)

(1 Timothy 3:16} ▼

16 Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith:

Christ was revealed in a human body
and vindicated by the Spirit.
He was seen by angels
and announced to the nations.
He was believed in throughout the world
and taken to heaven in glory.

Romans 1:3-4 ▼

3Concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and 4was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 ▼

3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received:

that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

Philippians 2:5-11 NIV ▼

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,
 did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7 rather, he made himself nothing
 by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man,
 he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
 and gave him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
 in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
 to the glory of God the Father.

(Also Romans 1:3-4, Romans 10:9, 2 Timothy 2:8)

Creed of the Church Father (ca. 100-400 AD)

Irenaeus’ "Rule of Faith" (Late 2nd Century) ▼

"…this faith: in one God, the Father Almighty, who made the heaven and the earth and the seas and all the things that are in them; And in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who was made flesh for our salvation; And in the Holy Spirit, who made known through the prophets the plan of salvation, and the coming, and the birth from a virgin, and the passion, and the resurrection from the dead, and the bodily ascension into heaven of the beloved Christ Jesus, our Lord, and his future appearing from heaven in the glory of the Father to sum up all things and to raise anew all flesh of the whole human race…"

Hippolytus' the "Interrogatory" Creed (ca. 215 AD) ▼

"Do you believe in God the Father All Governing? Do you believe in Christ Jesus, the Son of God, Who was begotten by the Holy Spirit from the Virgin Mary, Who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and died (and was buried) and rose the third day living from the dead, and ascended into the heavens, and sat down on the right hand of the Father, and will come to judge the living and the dead? Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, in the holy Church and in the resurrection of the body?"

The Apostles' Creed (ca. 390 AD) ▼

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;

He descended into hell. (Torment/Suffering)

The third day He arose again 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 believe in the Holy Ghost;
the holy catholic church; (Universal Church)
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.

Amen.

In summary, the Christological statements established by the first century church include:

These oral and written creeds of the New Testament church serve as foundational statements of what the early church believed and confessed regarding the divinity of Jesus. They are based on eyewitness accounts of the apostles and many of Jesus' contemporaries. They validate Jesus' claims of being the Son of God, the Messiah.

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