The Apostles' Creed

The Apostles' Creed is the oldest and most widely used baptismal confession in the Christian church. Its earliest form is attested by the second century, and its settled Latin text dates to the late fourth or early fifth century. Though not authored by the apostles themselves, it distills apostolic teaching into three articles tracking the work of Father, Son, and Spirit: the creation, the incarnation and redemption, and the communion of saints and life everlasting.

It is the baptismal creed of the Western church, confessed in liturgy across Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Reformed congregations. The Heidelberg Catechism expounds it in Lord's Days 7–22 as a summary of the true faith; the Westminster Shorter Catechism uses it similarly. AskCredo cites the Apostles' Creed on questions about the person of Christ, the descent into hell, the resurrection of the body, the communion of saints, and the boundary markers of catholic Christianity.

Questions on AskCredo that cite the Apostles' Creed. Creeds are short confessional summaries affirmed by the historic church — they are cited as whole texts rather than by chapter or article.