A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

§ 29. The Apostles' Creed 141and the bodily assumption into the heavens of the beloved ChristJesus our Lord, and His appearing from the heavens in the gloryof the Father, in order to sum up all things under one head [cf.Ephes. 1:10], and to raise up all flesh of all mankind, that toChrist Jesus, our Lord and God and Saviour and King, everyknee of those that are in heaven and on earth and under the earthshould bow [cf. Phil. 2:11], according to the good pleasure ofthe Father invisible, and that every tongue should confess Him,and that He may execute righteous judgment on all; sending intoeternal fire the spiritual powers of wickedness and the angels whotransgressed and apostatized, and the godless and unrighteousand lawless and blasphemous among men, but granting life andimmortality and eternal glory to the righteous and holy, whohave both kept the commandments and continued in His love,some from the beginning, some from their conversion.(b) Irenæus, Adv. Hær., III, 4. (MSG, 7:855.)The following form of the creed more closely resembles thetraditional Apostles' Creed. With it compare the paraphrasein Irenæus. op. cit., IV, 33:7.If the Apostles had not left us the Scriptures, would it not benecessary to follow the order of tradition which they handeddown to those to whom they committed the churches? To thisorder many nations of the barbarians gave assent, of those whobelieve in Christ, having salvation written in their hearts by theSpirit without paper and ink, and guarding diligently the ancienttradition: Believing in one God, Maker of heaven and earth, andall that is in them; through Jesus Christ, the Son of God; who,because of His astounding love toward His creatures, sustainedthe birth of the Virgin, Himself uniting man to God, and sufferedunder Pontius Pilate, and rising again was received in brightness,and shall come again in glory as the Saviour of those who are