Questions with respect to the divinity of the Holy Spirit sparked a fuller elucidation of His role and relationship in the Godhead in the revision largely adopted in AD 381 at a subsequent church council in Constantinople. The affirmation of the divinity of Christ in the Nicene creed of AD 325 did not stop further inquiry into the relationship between his humanity and divinity. Thus, in AD 381, the more broadly known Nicene Creed was adopted, as an affirmation of orthodoxy, following the post-Nicaea debates culminating in the Council of Constantinople.
Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed AD 381 (Nicene Creed)
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds (æons), Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; from thence he shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Ghost (Spirit), the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. In one holy catholic (i.e., universal) and apostolic Church, we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The additions to the Nicene creed of AD 325 can be seen in bold letters. Those words that are merely bolded draw their verbiage from the Apostles’ Creed and have been discussed in that context. They emphasize further aspects of the humanity of Christ and the activity of the Holy Spirit. Of further interest to us are the words that are not only in bold but also underlined. These additions were novel to the council of Constantinople and it is to these clauses that we turn.
before all worlds (æons),
The equality of Father and Son in the Godhead was not completely accepted post-Nicaea. Arius had a significant following and was reinstated into the church. For a time Athanasius was even excommunicated. So, the debate had not been definitive. The addition “before all worlds (aeons)” was added to address this issue again, especially with respect to the gnostic idea of “aeons”. They proposed a regression of aeons back to the beginning with the corresponding idea that God became a father to a son in one of these intervals.
The council wished to make it clear that the Scripture teaches there is no basis for believing the Son came into existence – He is eternally begotten. He is anterior to all creation as its Creator not as its first creature (John 1:1-3). (Note: Some may try to argue that Colossians 1:15, where He is called “firstborn over all creation”, is a text that speaks to him being the first created being, but this belies a lack of understanding of the meaning of firstborn. Firstborn is a term indicating rank and preeminence. Many firstborns in the Bible were not the first to be born (e.g. David, Solomon, Joseph). Thus, Colossians 1:15 is establishing His credentials as the one with authority over creation due to the fact He is both God and Creator).
The integration of further verbiage from the Apostles’ Creed in the paragraph affirming the Lord Jesus Christ was likely in response to a further controversy addressed at this council in AD 381. If Arius and others had been questioning the divinity of Jesus, Apollinarius questioned His humanity. His concept was that the human nature of Jesus was displaced by the divine nature. This meant that effectively Jesus was God covered in flesh, thereby mitigating the reality of His humanity. The council rejected both these errors. The council of Nicaea had affirmed that Jesus was fully divine. The council in Constantinople confirmed this Nicene affirmation and added the affirmation that Jesus was fully human by incorporating these words from the Apostles’ Creed that further emphasize His work accomplished as a human being.
Relatively minor additions to the AD 325 version of the Creed were added with respect to the Lord Jesus Christ. More significant additions were made with respect to the identity and activity of the Spirit; we will turn to these in the next sister article.
References
The Nicene Creed: Every Word Explained by Gavin Ortland on Truth Unites Youtube Channel
Know the Creeds and Councils by Justin Holcomb
