Jesse Sharpe PhD thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText ...

Introduction 12
foundation against which the gates of hell shall never prevail, be expressed in the
same words in which it is read in all the churches, which is as follows: 15
At this point the Nicene Creed is quoted in its entirety, and as will be discussed below it is
a creed whose primary point of concern is the Incarnation. This creed was generally
accepted by all branches of Protestantism too, and it is mentioned in the Church of
England’s ‘39 Articles’ as being one of their statements of faith. What this indicates then
is that as the Roman Catholic Church begins its statement that will define itself against the
Protestant churches, they affirm a place of common ground.
In turning to the creeds, it is important to note that there was much agreement
between the Protestants and Roman Catholics regarding the truth of the early Church
creeds, and it is the Nicene and Apostles’ creeds that particularly were found to be
statements of common belief. In the ‘39 Articles’, being the statements of faith for the
Church of England, Article 8 states, ‘The three Creeds, Nicene Creed, Athanasius’ Creed,
and that which is commonly called the Apostles’ Creed, ought thoroughly to be received
and believed, for they may be proved by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture.’ 16
Of
these three creeds recognised by the Church of England, the Apostles’ and the Nicene are
the most universally recognised in Christianity, and so it is pertinent to quote them as they
are also fundamental statements of belief regarding the doctrine of the Incarnation. The
Apostles’ Creed most likely developed as a statement of faith during the sacrament of
baptism, and is still performed in a catechistical manner during baptism in the Church of
England. The creed is stated as such:
15 ‘Decrees of the Council of Trent (1563)’, in John H. Leith (ed.), Creeds of the Churches, Revised edn.
(Oxford, 1973), p. 401.
16 ‘The Thirty-Nine Articles, 1571’, in Gerald Bray (ed.), Documents of the English Reformation
(Cambridge, 1994), p. 289.