Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed is a Christian statement of faith affirming one God in three persons and the full divinity of Jesus Christ. Its text derives from the councils of Nicaea in 325 and Constantinople in 381.

Trinity: The Christian doctrine that one God exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The creed’s central confession describes these three persons as sharing one divine nature.
First Council of Nicaea: A Christian council convened in 325 to address disputes including the status of Jesus Christ. It produced an early creed condemning Arian teaching about the Son.
Apostles' Creed: An early Christian baptismal confession widely used in Western churches. It is shorter and less explicit about the disputes over Christ’s divine status.
Christian liturgy: The established forms and practices of public worship in Christian churches. Many traditions recite the creed as part of regular communal worship.
Arianism: A Christian theological position that the Son is not coeternal or equal in divinity with the Father. The creed rejects its claim that the Son was created and is not fully divine.
First Council of Constantinople: A Christian council held in Constantinople in 381 that reaffirmed Nicene theology. Its creed expanded the earlier confession, especially its statements about the Holy Spirit.
Athanasian Creed: A Western Christian creed emphasizing the Trinity and the two natures of Christ. It states Trinitarian doctrine at greater length than the Nicene Creed.
Eucharist: A Christian rite commemorating Jesus’s Last Supper through bread and wine. Churches including the creed in worship often place it within the Eucharistic service.
Homoousion: A Greek theological term meaning “of the same substance” or “of the same essence.” The creed uses this term to affirm the Son’s full divinity with the Father.
Constantine the Great: Roman emperor from 306 to 337 who supported Christianity and convened the Council of Nicaea. He summoned the council that issued the creed’s earliest form.

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