The Apostle's Creed

[Shin]

"According to tradition, the Apostles, before separating, composed the Apostles' Creed, of which each one furnished a sentence, or proposition. These are inscribed on their scrolls as follows: St. Peter, — Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem, creatorem caeli et terrae; St. Andrew, — Et in Jesum Christum Filium ejus unicum, Dominum nostrum; St. James Major, — Qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine; St. John, — Passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus et sepultus; St. Philip, —- Descendit ad inferos, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis; St. James Minor, — Ascendit ad coelos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis; St. Thomas, — Inde venturus est judieare vivos et mortuos; St. Bartholomew,— Credo in Spiritum Sanctum; St. Matthew, — Sanctam Ecclesiam Catholicam, sanctorum communionum; St. Simon, — Kemissionem peccatorum; St. Matthias,— Carnis resurrectionem; St. Thaddeus, — Et vitam aeternam."

I just read this the other day! An article in the old Catholic Encyclopedia takes issue with it, but I find the issue taken not convincing.  

The Apostle's Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth;
And 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 into hell;
The third day he rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
And is seated at the right hand of God, the Father almighty;
From thence he shall come 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 life everlasting.

Symbolum Apostolorum

Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem,
Creatorem caeli et terrae;
et in Iesum Christum, Filium eius unicum,
Dominum nostrum;
qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto,
natus ex Maria Virgine;
passus sub Pontio Pilato,
crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus;
descendit ad infernos;
tertia die resurrexit a mortuis;
ascendit ad caelos,
sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis;
inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos.
Credo in Spiritum Sanctum;
sanctam Ecclesiam Catholicam,
sanctorum communionem;
remissionem peccatorum;
carnis resurrectionem;
vitam aeternam.

[Brigid]

Does anyone have any evidence that this story is true (not that it couldn't have happened that way). Just curious.

[Shin]

The old Catholic Encyclopedia says:

"Throughout the Middle Ages it was generally believed that the Apostles, on the day of Pentecost, while still under the direct inspiration of the Holy Ghost, composed our present Creed between them, each of the Apostles  contributing one of the twelve articles. This legend  dates back to the sixth century (see Pseudo-Augustine in Migne, P.L., XXXIX, 2189, and Pirminius, ibid., LXXXIX, 1034), and it is foreshadowed still earlier in a sermon  attributed to St. Ambrose (Migne, P.L., XVII, 671; Kattenbusch, I, 81), which takes notice that the Creed was "pieced together by twelve separate workmen". About the same date (c. 400) Rufinus (Migne, P.L., XXI, 337) gives a detailed account of the composition of the Creed, which account he professes to have received from earlier ages (tradunt majores nostri). Although he does not explicitly assign each article to the authorship of a separate Apostle, he states that it was the joint work of all, and implies that the deliberation took place on the day of Pentecost. Moreover, he declares that "they for many just reasons decided that this rule of faith should be called the Symbol, which Greek word he explains to mean both indicium, i.e. a token or password by which Christians  might recognize each other, and collatio, that is to say an offering made up of separate contributions. A few years before this (c. 390), the letter addressed to Pope Siricius by the Council of Milan (Migne, P.L., XVI, 1213) supplies the earliest known instance of the combination Symbolum Apostolorum ("Creed of the Apostles") in these striking words: "If you credit not the teachings of the priests . . . let credit at least be given to the Symbol of the Apostles which the Roman Church  always preserves and maintains inviolate. The word Symbolum in this sense, standing alone, meets us first about the middle of the third century in the correspondence of St. Cyprian and St. Firmilia, the latter in particular speaking of the Creed as the "Symbol of the Trinity", and recognizing it as an integral part of the rite of baptism (Migne, P.L., III, 1165, 1143). It should be added, moreover, that Kattenbusch (II, p. 80, note) believes that the same use of the words can be traced as far back as Tertullian. Still, in the first two centuries after Christ, though we often find mention of the Creed under other designations (e.g. regula fidei, doctrina, traditio), the name symbolum  does not occur."

It then says since there were other names it appeared under in the first two centuries (showing its Apostolic origin I might add), Rufinus was wrong that it had been given the name Symbol, a conclusion which I consider a flying leap, and says since other authorities are silent, the story is improbable. But I don't see silence as a convincing evidence against the tradition. All of tradition is -not- written down.  If that's all the evidence against -- a lack, that's unconvincing to me in the face of it.

[Brigid]

That lack is unconvincing to me, too. As I understand it, word of mouth was practically a different practice then than now. Whereas now it's tantamount to an assurance of something not to be believed due to the difference that people now change things to (think of the game of 'gossip'), more primitive/illiterate cultures apparently could recite what was told them unerringly.

I love St. Ambrose and feel that if he said something about the Faith, then it must be true. Interesting, too, that he terms the Apostles as "twelve different workmen".

[CyrilSebastian]

The Apostle's Creed is trinitarian in structure with sections affirming belief in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.   
 
 

[eschator83]

I give thanks and praise, as we celebrate this Pentecost Sunday, for all our wonderful Catholic tradition, especially this great website.  Best wishes and joy to all.

[CyrilSebastian]

The Apostle's Creed is sometimes titled The Symbol of the Apostles.