Was the Nicene Creed divinely inspired?

Apex

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As a succinct statement of faith, those who composed this creed had to make several interpretational and semantic decisions. I happen to agree with them, but...

Was the Nicene Creed divinely inspired?
If so, does this make it equal to divinely inspired Scripture?
If not, how can we trust it is perfectly without error?
 
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2PhiloVoid

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As a succinct statement of faith, those who composed this creed had to make several interpretational and semantic decisions. I happen to agree with them, but...

Was the Nicene Creed divinely inspired?
If so, does this make it equal to divinely inspired Scripture?
If not, how can we trust it is perfectly without error?

...I'm going to have to go with my Restorationist Movement's point of view on this. However, I do very much appreciate how the Nicene Creed sums things up into a tidy, but detailed, statement of faith. :cool:
 
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Kenny'sID

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Was the Nicene Creed divinely inspired?
If so, does this make it equal to divinely inspired Scripture?
If not, how can we trust it is perfectly without error?

Best I can tell, CF does not allow us to speak our minds on this particular subject unless are thoughts are positive.
 
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Albion

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As a succinct statement of faith, those who composed this creed had to make several interpretational and semantic decisions. I happen to agree with them, but...

Was the Nicene Creed divinely inspired?
I don't believe there's any reason to think that.
 
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PloverWing

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As a succinct statement of faith, those who composed this creed had to make several interpretational and semantic decisions. I happen to agree with them, but...

Was the Nicene Creed divinely inspired?
If so, does this make it equal to divinely inspired Scripture?
If not, how can we trust it is perfectly without error?

I see the Nicene Creed, and the other statements that came out of early ecumenical councils, as carrying the authority that comes from the wide agreement of a large group of church leaders who were well-educated in their faith and were trying to be faithful to the God they loved and served. Thus, a human (and fallible) authority, but one well worth listening to.

I don't see the creed as inspired in the sense of dictated word-for-word by God to human scribes; but God was present and active in the lives of the people who produced the creed. You might or might not want to call that "inspiration".
 
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-V-

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It certainly may have been inspired by God, but it is not "divinely inspired" in the same sense as the Bible.

How do we know if it has errors? By comparing what it says to the Bible.

I agree with what it says, but I do think it could have been worded slightly better. The way it's written sounds a bit confused in regards to who God is.

It seems to start out saying the Father is *the* one God, then adds Jesus as also being God (but didn't it just say the Father is the only God?). Then it adds the Holy Spirit as being "worshiped with the Father & Son". Is that supposed to mean He is worshiped, but isn't God? Or is He God also, despite originally saying the Father is the only God?

(Note that *I* don't have these questions, I believe the Trinity. I'm simply pointing out that the specific wording of the Creed seems a bit awkward.)
 
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Apex

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Best I can tell, CF does not allow us to speak our minds on this particular subject unless are thoughts are positive.

I'll have to check the rules. Thanks. I accept the Nicene Creed, but seems odd we can't honestly explore what this means.
 
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Apex

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I've been doing some research on inerrancy. Since the Scriptures are divinely inspired, this also means they are inerrant or infallible. The reverse seems to be true too. I came across this article in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia under Infallibility.

"While such concepts as infallibility, inerrancy, and reliability have commonly been predicated of the Scriptures, they are theological rather than biblical terms. Because they arose within the Church’s theological reflection upon its Scriptures, their validity cannot be deduced from biblical usage. Their validity and justification, therefore, depend on their serviceability in expressing the Bible’s own thought about itself. For only what the Bible thinks about itself belongs to the truth of the Bible and to that faith which must be surely believed. Everything else lacks those qualities of infallibility, inerrancy, authority, and trustworthiness that adhere alone in the nature of the Church’s sacred writings."

I agree with the conclusions of the Nicene Creed, but what does it mean if we can't assign the qualities of inspiration or inerrancy to it?
 
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As a succinct statement of faith, those who composed this creed had to make several interpretational and semantic decisions. I happen to agree with them, but...

Was the Nicene Creed divinely inspired?
If so, does this make it equal to divinely inspired Scripture?
If not, how can we trust it is perfectly without error?
Well of course not. But each person's private interpretation of Scripture on the other hand, those are definitely inspired.
 
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Kenny'sID

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but seems odd we can't honestly explore what this means.

I agree. I've never gotten into any official trouble for it but I have had two mods call me on comments that I simply didn't subscribe to it, one telling me I could get a warning (appreciated). So technically you may not be in violation with the OP, but I'm sure you can understand why my comment.

I think the site doesn't consider one Christian unless they accept the NC.
 
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Apex

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Of course the Nicene Creed isn't immutable.

The implications of this would suggest that the Nicene Creed has the potential to be further modified. Looking at the history of the Nicene Creed, it appears that the one we commonly call the Nicene Creed (Niceno–Constantinopolitan Creed, 381 AD) is actually a modification of the original one first drafted in 325 AD.
 
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The implications of this would suggest that the Nicene Creed has the potential to be further modified. Looking at the history of the Nicene Creed, it appears that the one we commonly call the Nicene Creed (Niceno–Constantinopolitan Creed, 381 AD) is actually a modification of the original one first drafted in 325 AD.
Yes, it has been modified, and the potential exists for it to be modified again.
 
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Apex

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Yes, it has been modified, and the potential exists for it to be modified again.

I sometimes wish God would have inspired Paul to write out a formal and systematic statement of faith.
 
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Apex

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Now this is more like it:

paulsystheo.png
 
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Halbhh

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As a succinct statement of faith, those who composed this creed had to make several interpretational and semantic decisions. I happen to agree with them, but...

Was the Nicene Creed divinely inspired?
If so, does this make it equal to divinely inspired Scripture?
If not, how can we trust it is perfectly without error?

When I first heard it in a church service about 7 years ago, I was surprised to hear the congregation reciting it, as an act, and I felt a need to investigate each phrase that sounded a bit newish to me. I worried about exactly your question -- is it all true, or does it have new error we have introduced?

But, that's not hard, and most anyone will recognize right off that most parts they already know are true, so only some parts might need a close look.
Here are the U.S. conference of Catholic Bishop and the Reformed versions --

The Nicene Creed

(Catholic version)
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
----

(Reformed version)

We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.
 
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Apex

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When I first heard it in a church service for the first time about 7 years ago, I was surprised to hear a congregation reciting it, and I felt I need to very carefully investigate every phrase. I worried about exactly your very question -- is it all true, or does it have new error we have introduced?

But, you can investigate each phrase, and most anyone will recognize right off that most parts they already know are true, so only some parts might need a close look.

I am not saying parts of the creed are not true. I'm just curious about the integrity of the creed itself. For example, CF has deemed it necessary to clarify what "catholic" and "one baptism for the remission of sins" means. Instead of the asterix, why don't modern Christians just add these clarifying marks into the creed itself? Or at least update the wording?
 
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