Introducing the Council of Nicaea and the Nicene Creed
Introducing Nicaea BrendanMovie 61 – Small
the Edict of Milan in 313 allowed religious liberty to the Christians within the Roman Empire. 12 years later the bishops met at Nicaea to agree on the church’s universal statement of faith, which became known as the Nicene Creed.
Previously the churches had their own local creeds which people recited before baptism – for example our Easter creed is the short Baptismal Creed of the Roman Church and is even older than that of Nicaea.
We still recite the Nicene creed at Mass – with a short addition clarifying the role of the Holy Spirit added 60 years later at the council of Constantinople.
The invocation ‘In the name of the Father’ and the ‘Glory to the Father’ can be used as short affirmations of the church’s faith agreed at Nicaea.
In the Name of the Father MEL – Full Score
