The Apostles' Creed

The full text of the Apostles' Creed, where it came from, and what each clause is claiming. It is the shortest complete statement of the Christian faith in common use.

The prayer

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

History & tradition

Despite the name, the Apostles did not write it. It grew out of the questions put to candidates at baptism in Rome — do you believe in God the Father? in Christ Jesus? in the Holy Spirit? — and the earliest form we have, the Old Roman Symbol, dates to the second century. The text settled into its present shape by around the eighth. 'Catholic' in the last section means universal, not Roman; every major tradition says the word and means the whole Church.

When to pray it

Say it aloud, in the first person, when belief feels thin. A creed is not a report on how convinced you feel this morning — it is the Church's confession, and you are borrowing it on the days you cannot generate your own.

Three short alternatives

The oldest Christian creed

'Jesus is Lord' (Romans 10:9). Three words, and the whole of the Apostles' Creed is an unpacking of them.

When you doubt a clause

Say the creed anyway, and pray after it: 'Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief' (Mark 9:24). That is a scriptural prayer, not a cop-out.

The Nicene Creed

Longer, from the councils of 325 and 381, and the one said at most Sunday liturgies. The Apostles' Creed is the baptismal one; the Nicene is the eucharistic one.

Pair it with daily practice

See our guides to the Trinity and salvation, and verses about faith for the days the creed is hard to say.

"Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." — Mark 9:24 (KJV)

Other prayers

• Morning Prayer
• Evening Prayer
• The Serenity Prayer
• The Jesus Prayer
• Prayer for Anxiety
• Prayer for Healing
• Prayer for Strength
• Prayer for Protection
• Prayer Before Surgery
• Night Prayer
• Prayer Before Meals
• The Prayer of St Francis
• The Hail Mary
• Prayer for Guidance