Today we begin another cycle of weekly studies in the Lutheran Confessions. This week we begin with the Preface to the Book of Concord, explaining why all of these documents were put together and why they are so important to the Church today.
This week, we look at the oldest of our confessions, the Apostles' Creed. This Creed is one of the six Chief Parts of Doctrine, being linked to the ancient Roman Church as the Creed recited before Baptism.
While it is the simplest of the three ecumenical Creeds, that does not mean that it is short on meaning.
Today we look at the longer of the two more well-known creeds in our weekly worship. This creed was written and codified originally at the First Council of Nicea (325) with only the confession of the Holy Spirit in the Third Article. It was expanded at the First Council of Constantinople (381) to give us the form we have today.
Today we look at the longest and most complex creed. It was written to expand upon both the Apostles and Nicene Creeds. It divides into two parts: one concerning the Trinity, and one concerning the Incarnation. While the Creed is named after St. Athanasius, it is unlikely that he wrote it. However, his writings are very influential on this Creed.