Many of us know that the shape of the fish is one of the very early Christian symbols. In ancient times, it was used as a sign of recognition among Christians who lived in a pagan environment. For a Christian to recognize another, he would draw an arc on the ground as if he were playing, and if the person standing before him was also a Christian, he would complete the arc to form a fish. The fish represented the condensed expression of the Christian faith.

The word fish in Greek is pronounced “Ichthys” (ΙΧΘΥΣ), consisting of five letters, each being the first letter of a phrase: “Ἰησοῦς Χριστός Θεοῦ Υἱός Σωτήρ,” meaning “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.”

When we refer to the fish as being the Creed, we are not far from the truth, for the Creed that we recite in our prayers is prayed while standing, and any act done while standing is an expression of prayer. Therefore, before it is a creed, it is a prayer.

We recite the Creed on many occasions—virtually in all our prayers and rituals, whether in times of joy or sorrow, and in the celebration of the sacraments and liturgical services.

The Creed is A Declaration of Love:

Faith in the Christian understanding is not merely the acceptance of a set of doctrines, but in its true Christian meaning it is a life that a person lives. More precisely, it is a doctrine that leads to life. By this faith, we live, act, interact, and practice all the affairs of life that God has granted us.

Why was faith placed in the form of a creed?

A creed always has a concise and comprehensive formulation—one that is inclusive yet excludes any ambiguity, alteration, or misunderstanding. On this basis, every Christian in the world who recites the Creed is distinguished from others. For instance, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not recite the Creed, and therefore they are not Christians. The Creed is recited by every Christian, East and West, and it is the distinctive mark of a Christian person.

The Creed contains 178 phrases—all of which are taken from the Bible. It is a biblical formulation, and more importantly, all these 178 phrases were defined and completed within 106 years—from the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD, through the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. The difference between 325 and 431 is 106 years, and thus every word in the Creed is chosen with the precision of gold. 668 patriarchs and bishops participated in drafting the Creed across the three councils (Nicaea, Constantinople, and Ephesus). It is, therefore, a declaration of love—the love of mankind for our Lord Jesus Christ and His redemption on the Cross. It tells the story completely—from Birth to redemption and salvation—in a very clear chronological order.

In the apostolic era, Christians were called “Followers of the Way”—those who followed the way of life and teachings of the Lord Jesus. Faith was the same throughout all the churches of the world until Arius, the heretic in Alexandria, appeared. He claimed that Christ was not God but a created being, not eternal with the Father, and not of one essence with Him.

Therefore, a council was convened in the city of Nicaea in 325 AD by order of Emperor Constantine. It is considered the first Ecumenical Council in the history of Christianity, where leaders of the Church from both East and West (318 fathers) gathered. They discussed Arius, showed him his error, and when he refused to repent, they excommunicated him and all who shared his belief. They then established the Nicene Creed, beginning with the words: “Truly we believe in one God…”

About fifty years later, another heresy appeared—that of Macedonius, who taught that the Holy Spirit was not God. Fathers from the churches of both East and West (150 bishops) gathered in Constantinople in 381 AD—this was the second Ecumenical Council—and they completed the Creed. The portion written in Nicaea had ended with the words “Yes, we believe in the Holy Spirit.” In Constantinople, they completed it: “Yes, we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father… We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come. Amen.”

The third Ecumenical Council was held in Ephesus in 431 AD, when another heretic named Nestorius arose. He taught that the Virgin Mary did not give birth to God incarnate but only to a man, and he rejected calling her Theotokos (Mother of God). He denied the union of divinity and humanity, claiming that their relationship was mere association or companionship. Pope Cyril, the Pillar of Faith, confronted him, and the council gathered with 200 bishops, exposing Nestorius’ heresy and excommunicating him. They added what we now call the Introduction to the Creed: “We exalt you, O Mother of the true Light…”

Thus, the Creed and its Introduction were completed, becoming together a Declaration of Love.

Therefore, we should understand that the Creed is truly the first fish among the five loaves and two fish—it is the concise summary of the Christian faith. It speaks of the divinity of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, briefly explaining each Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity.

Every phrase in the Creed carries great significance.

Concerning the divinity of God the Father, it says: “God the Father, the Pantocrator, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things seen and unseen.”

Concerning the divinity of the Son, it says: “We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not created, of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made…”

Concerning the divinity of the Holy Spirit, it says: “Yes, we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father, who, with the Father and the Son, is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets.”

Then it speaks about the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, the baptism for the remission of sins, and the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come.

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