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The Apostles' Creed is so called because it is rightly considered to be a faithful summary of the apostles' faith. It is the ancient baptismal symbol [creed to be recited before baptism] of the Church of Rome. It's great authority arises from this fact: it is "the Creed of the Roman Church, the See of Peter, the first of the apostles, to whom he brought the common faith." (St. Ambrose, Expl. symb.

J.P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Latina {Paris: 1841-1855} 17, 1196 ) Catechism of the Catholic Church # 194

The word "creed" comes from the Latin word credo,meaning "I believe." It was called "Apostles" not because the apostles themselves wrote it (although some people may have thought this), but because the Creed was believed to be an accurate summary of what the apostles taught.

The Creed was useful in several ways:

  • The Creed was a public statement of faith, a standardized way in which new people could confess their faith in Jesus Christ.
  • The Creed anchored Christian faith to a tradition, to make it difficult for people or churches to be led astray by strange doctrines.
  • The Creed was a preaching and teaching tool, giving an outline for further discipleship.
  • The Creed was memorized through frequent repetition, which helped the many believers who could not read.
  • The Creed provided a doctrinal basis for different churches to accept one another, and to reject those who did not accept the basic truths.

The Bible itself contains brief creed-like statements (1 Cor. 8:6; 15:3-4; 1 Tim. 3:16).

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