Apostles' Creed
Also known as: Symbolum Apostolorum The Apostles' Creed
English Text
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.
Translation tradition: Roman Missal (ICEL 2011), as approved by USCCB
Latin Text
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,
carnisque resurrectionem,
et vitam aeternam. Amen.
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:3–5; Acts 2:22–24
When to pray: Opens each Rosary; may replace the Nicene Creed at some Masses; recited during Morning Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours.
History & Background
The Apostles' Creed is the ancient baptismal symbol of the Church of Rome. Its roots trace to the Old Roman Symbol of the 2nd century, attested by Hippolytus of Rome (c. 215) in the Apostolic Tradition as the triple interrogatory formula used at baptism. The current text reached its definitive form by about the 8th century. It is called the Apostles' Creed not because it was written by the Twelve but because it faithfully expresses the apostolic faith. It is used at the beginning of the Rosary and as an alternative to the Nicene Creed at Mass. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is structured around its twelve articles (§§ 185–1065).
The Meaning of the Apostles' Creed
What Kind of Prayer Is This?
The Apostles' Creed is not a petition or a song — it is a profession of faith, a public act of standing with the whole Church in affirming what God has revealed. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 194) calls it 'the ancient baptismal symbol of the Church of Rome,' tracing its roots to the early Church when candidates for Baptism declared its articles before being baptized. Reciting it today at the opening of the Rosary or at Mass is a renewal of that same baptismal commitment. As the Catechism teaches in CCC 197, drawing on St Ambrose: 'This Creed is the spiritual seal, our heart's meditation and an ever-present guardian; it is, unquestionably, the treasure of our soul.'
The Twelve Articles Briefly Explained
Tradition divides the Creed into twelve articles, one for each Apostle. The first concern God the Father and creation: that God is the almighty Father, and that he made heaven and earth — everything visible and invisible. The central articles concern Jesus Christ: his divine sonship, his conception by the Holy Spirit and birth of the Virgin Mary, his suffering under Pontius Pilate, his death, burial, descent to the dead, Resurrection on the third day, Ascension, and coming again in glory. The closing articles concern the Holy Spirit and the Church: the Holy Spirit himself, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. The Catechism itself is built on the same baptismal profession of faith (CCC 14), making the Creed a skeleton key to the whole of Catholic doctrine.
'He Descended into Hell' — What Does This Mean?
This phrase is one of the most misread lines in the Creed. 'Hell' here does not refer to the place of eternal punishment of the damned. The Latin of the Creed is descendit ad inferos — he descended to the realm below, the abode of the dead. Scripture calls this place Sheol (Hebrew) or Hades (Greek), and the Catechism notes those there are 'deprived of the vision of God' (CCC 633). After his death on the Cross and before his Resurrection, Christ — in his human soul united to his divine person — descended to this realm. The Catechism (CCC 633) teaches: 'Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him.' These were the holy souls — the patriarchs, the prophets, all who died in God's friendship — who awaited the Redeemer. Christ descended there as Saviour, proclaiming the Good News to the spirits who awaited him (cf. 1 Peter 3:19; 4:6).
'The Communion of Saints' — More Than a List of Heroes
The phrase 'communion of saints' carries a deliberate double meaning. In Latin, sancta means 'holy things' and sancti means 'holy persons,' and the Creed embraces both. CCC 960 explains: 'The Church is a "communion of saints": this expression refers first to the "holy things" (sancta), above all the Eucharist, by which "the unity of believers, who form one body in Christ, is both represented and brought about".' So the communion of saints is first the sharing in sacred realities — Baptism, the Eucharist, the other sacraments — that knit all believers into one Body. Second, it names the living solidarity among the holy persons themselves: the Church on earth (the pilgrim Church), the souls being purified after death, and the saints in heaven. We pray for the dead; the saints intercede for us; all are united in Christ.
'The Resurrection of the Body' — Not Just the Soul
The Creed's final movement declares two inseparable truths: bodily resurrection and everlasting life. CCC 988 states that the Christian Creed 'culminates in the proclamation of the resurrection of the dead on the last day and in life everlasting.' The Apostles' Creed uses the stark phrase 'resurrection of the flesh' — carnis resurrectionem — to make an unambiguous point. CCC 990 glosses it plainly: 'The "resurrection of the flesh" (the literal formulation of the Apostles' Creed) means not only that the immortal soul will live on after death, but that even our "mortal body" will come to life again.' This is why St Paul insists in 1 Corinthians 15:14 that 'if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.' The body matters. The physical world matters. The Resurrection of Jesus is the first-fruits and guarantee of ours.
Apostles' Creed vs. the Nicene Creed
Catholics profess two ancient creeds. The Nicene Creed — formally the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed — stems from the first two ecumenical Councils, Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381), which settled controversies about Christ's divine nature and the Holy Spirit. CCC 195 explains that it 'remains common to all the great Churches of both East and West to this day' and is normally used at Sunday Mass. The Apostles' Creed is shorter, rooted in the baptismal liturgy, and belongs especially to the Western Church. It may be used at Masses with children, in the Liturgy of the Hours, and at the start of the Rosary. The two creeds do not contradict; the Nicene Creed expands and clarifies the same faith that the Apostles' Creed professes. Both express the one apostolic faith.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'he descended into hell' mean in the Apostles' Creed?
It does not mean Christ was condemned. The Latin phrase is 'descendit ad inferos' — he descended to the realm of the dead. After his death, Jesus descended as Saviour to liberate the souls of the just who had died before his coming — the patriarchs and prophets who awaited the Redeemer. The Catechism (CCC 633) teaches he descended 'to free the just who had gone before him,' not to deliver the damned or destroy the hell of damnation itself.
What is the difference between the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed?
Both express the same apostolic faith, but they come from different contexts. The Apostles' Creed is the ancient baptismal symbol of the Church of Rome (CCC 194). The Nicene Creed (the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed) stems from the Councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381), which addressed controversies about Christ's divinity and the Holy Spirit; it is longer and more theologically precise and remains common to East and West (CCC 195). The Nicene Creed is normally used at Sunday Mass; the Apostles' Creed is used at the Rosary, in the Liturgy of the Hours, and at Masses with children.
What does 'communion of saints' mean in the Apostles' Creed?
It has two layers of meaning. First, 'holy things' (sancta) — especially the Eucharist and the sacraments — by which all believers are united in one Body (CCC 960). Second, it names the bond uniting all the holy persons: the Church on earth, the souls being purified after death, and the saints in heaven. The Church teaches these remain in living solidarity: we pray for the dead, the saints intercede for us, and all share in Christ's one life.
Why do Catholics say the Apostles' Creed at the Rosary?
The Rosary opens with the Apostles' Creed as a declaration of the faith that frames all Marian prayer — we honor Mary as members of the Body of Christ, rooted in the Trinity and the Church. The Creed also sets the meditations on the mysteries of Christ's life (Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, Glorious) within the full sweep of salvation history, from creation through the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.
Related Prayers
Source
https://www.vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html verbatim