The Apostles' Creed

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Oldest Known Statement of Christian Faith

According to ancient church tradition, "The Apostles' Creed" was written by the Apostles 10 days after the ascension of Christ. The creed was originally used as a baptismal confession. The copy below is from Caesarius of Arles (AD 542).

The Apostle's Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic¹ Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. AMEN.

¹Lower case "catholic", not "Roman Catholic Church", simply means 'universal' and is used in that sense.

Philip Schaff, in his "The Creeds of Christendom", says this about The Apostles' Creed:

"(The Apostles' Creed) contains all the fundamental articles of the Christian faith necessary to salvation, in the form of facts, in simple Scripture language, and in the most natural order...It is by far the best popular summary of the Christian faith ever made within so brief a space."

Interrogatory Creed of Hippolytus (AD 215)

The earliest known written form is the "Interrogatory Creed of Hippolytus" (AD 215), which presents the Creed as questions to be answered by a baptismal candidate.

Do you believe in God the Father All Governing?

Do you believe in Christ Jesus, the Son of God,
Who was begotten by the Holy Spirit from the Virgin Mary,
Who was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
and died (and was buried)
and rose the third day living from the dead.
and ascended into the heavens,
and sat down on the right hand of the Father,
and will come to judge the living and the dead?

Do you believe in the Holy Spirit,
in the holy Church,
and (in the resurrection of the body,
life everlasting?

I had difficulty finding this, the only source I found is from https://andersontheologyblog.wordpress.com/the-interrogatory-creed-of-hippolytus-c-a-d-215, accessed 12/05/2025. That website cites their source as "Leith, John H., ed. Creeds of the Churches. p. 23. Third ed. Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1982." I have removed some bracketed Greek text and reformatted slightly.