The Apostles' Creed

The Church's Oldest Summary of Faith

The Apostles' Creed grew out of the baptismal questions asked of catechumens in the early Roman Church — by the 2nd century, new Christians were asked to affirm belief in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit before being baptized, in that three-part structure. Legend once held that each of the Twelve Apostles contributed one line; historians now understand it as a gradual crystallization of that baptismal formula, reaching close to its current wording by around the 8th century. The Catechism organizes its entire first Part around this creed's three articles (CCC 199-1065).

It is prayed at the start of every Rosary and is one of two creeds Catholics use at Mass (alongside the longer Nicene Creed, used on Sundays and solemnities).

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; on 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 there he will 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. Amen.

Helper

1. Notice the three-part shape: belief in the Father (creation), the Son (Incarnation through Judgment), and the Holy Spirit (Church, forgiveness, resurrection, eternal life).
2. "He descended into hell" refers to Sheol/the realm of the dead, not the hell of the damned — Christ went to free the righteous who died before him (CCC 632-635).
3. "Catholic" here means universal — this line predates, and is not a claim about, any specific denominational label.