By Professor Mikhail Nikolaevich Skaballanovich
The earliest and most straightforward written formula for the baptismal creed seems to be found in “The Testamentum of Our Lord Jesus Christ,” discovered in a Syriac manuscript by the Catholic Patriarch Rhamani of Antioch and published in 1899. This document dates back to the second century, though others place it later up to the fifth century; we believe it originates no later than the late third century. Its antiquity is suggested by its question-and-answer format, known to St. Cyprian and last seen in the East during the fourth century. It persisted in the West until the sixth century. The creed is recited by the one being baptized while standing in water and is divided into three parts, each followed by immersion. The baptizer asks: “Do you believe in God the Father Almighty?” The baptized responds: “I believe,” and is immersed once. Then the priest asks: “Do you believe in Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who came from the Father, was with the Father from the beginning, was born of the Virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, died, rose on the third day, ascended to heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and will judge the living and dead?” Upon his affirmation: “I believe,” he is immersed a second time. Finally, the priest asks: “Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, in the holy church?” Upon answering: “I believe,” he is immersed a third time. Following handlaying and the Eucharist, the newly baptized are taught the dogma of the resurrection of the bodies. The Syrian creed lacks fourth-century Christological controversies, doesn’t mention “only begotten,” and seems aimed against Svionism and Docetism. The simplest surviving symbol akin to this is the ancient Roman Symbol.
The ancient Roman Creed was first fully recorded by Marcellus of Ancyra (348) and Rufinus (~400). Marcellus’s Greek text, preserved by Epiphanius, is considered older despite showing minor changes. It is rhythmically metered and divided into 12 parts:
1) Credo in Deum, Patrem omnipotentem
2) et in Christum Jesum, filium ejus unicum,
3) qui natus est de Spiritu Sancto et Maria virgine,
4) qui sub Pontio Pilato crucifixus est et sepultus,
5) tertia die resurrexit a mortuis
6) ascendit ad caelos
7) inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos,
8) ol in Spiritum Sanctum,
9) sanctam ecclesiam,
10) remissionem peccatorum,
11) carnis resurrectionem.
The Roman Creed differs from the Syriac Creed in the formulas of the Son’s relationship to the Father: in the Syriac Creed, “the Son of God who came from the Father, who from the beginning is with the Father”; in the Roman Creed, “and in Christ Jesus, His only Son (unicum)”; it also adds “for the remission of sins” and “resurrection of the flesh.” The Roman Creed is both simpler and more complex than the Syriac: the relationship of the Son to the Father is succinctly defined by unicus; the Holy Spirit is mentioned first. The essential difference is that the Latin symbol includes the teaching on the resurrection. The Greek and Latin texts of the Roman Symbol differ slightly: the Greek excludes “Father” at the beginning and adds “eternal life” at the end. Lexical translations such as omnipotentem reflect the Greek concept παντοκρατωρ in Rufinus’s explanation: omnium teneat potestatem. Similarly, unicus stands for μονογενης. Harnack disputes the apostolic origin of the Roman Creed, viewing certain features
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