In Christianity, God the Father is the first person of the Trinity. He "is" God, just like the Son and the Holy Spirit, but as a "person" He is "different" from the Son and the Holy Spirit. Although Jesus had St. Joseph for his human father on earth, Jesus is God, so His father would actually be God the Father.
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American screenwriter, movie director and the founder of View Askew Productions. He is also known as a comic book writer and actor. Smith's movies often take place in his home state of New Jersey. The movies are filled with pop culture references. Many of the references are about comic books and the "Star Wars" movies. They often take place in the View Askewniverse.
Smith was born in Red Bank, New Jersey to Grace and Donald Smith. He has an older sister, Virginia, and an older brother, Donald Jr. Smith was raised in the Catholic religion. He went to Henry Hudson Regional High School in Highlands, The New School for Social Research New York and the Vancouver movie School. Smith studied making movies but dropped out halfway through his studies.
Smith is married to Jennifer Schwalbach Smith. They have a daughter, Harley Quinn Smith, born in 1999. He named his daughter after Harley Quinn, a comic-book character from "".
On February 25, 2018 he suffered a non-fatal "massive heart attack" with 100% blockage of the left anterior descending artery.
Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed, Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed or Icon/Symbol of the Faith, is the most widespread or ecumenical Christian statement of faith.
Since its original formulation it continues to be used in the Roman Catholic, Syrian Orthodox (Jacobite), Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Assyrian, Anglican, Lutheran, and most other Protestant Churches.
The following table displays side by side the earlier (325) and later (381) forms of this Creed in the English translation given in Schaff's Creeds of Christendom, which indicates by brackets the portions of the 325 text that were omitted or moved in 381, but uses no typographical mark to indicate what phrases, absent in the 325 text, were added in 381.
The following table presents in the same way the texts of the two Councils, as given in the original Greek language on the Web site Symbolum Nicaeno-Constantinopolitanum - Greek:
There were certain problems with the Nicene creed. In 529, the so-called filioque clause was added to the creed. This clause is one of the main differences between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Catholic Church has this clause, the Eastern Orthodox Church does not. The clause is about how godly the Father is, compared to the Son. Where the original Nicene Creed reads "We believe in the Holy Spirit ... who proceeds from the Father", the altered, Roman Catholic version reads "We believe in the Holy Spirit ... who proceeds from the Father "and the Son"". Roman Catholic Christians accept this change, but Eastern Orthodox Christians reject it. Many Eastern Catholic churches (Eastern in liturgy but in full communion with the pope) do not use the clause in their creed. They do think the doctrine it represents is true, though, as this is a dogma of the Roman Catholic faith. Many Protestant churches who take a position in this matter, usually accept the "filioque".
After the East-West Schism of 1054, the Eastern and Western churches attempted to reunite at two separate medieval councils, and the filioque was an issue at each. Despite Greek concessions, neither the Second Council of Lyon (1274) nor the Council of Ferrera-Florence (1438 - 1535) achieved the desired union.
The clause is most often referred to as "the "filioque"" or simply "filioque".
Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed (Latin: "Symbolum Apostolorum"), sometimes titled Symbol of the Apostles, is an early statement of Christian belief, a creed or "symbol."
It is commonly used by many Christian denominations, during religious ceremonies and as a summary of Christian beliefs. It is most commonly used during ceremonies at churches of Western tradition, including the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, Lutheranism, the Anglican Communion, and Western Orthodoxy. It is also used by evangelical Protestant denominations such as Presbyterians, Methodists, Congregationalists, and many Baptists.
The Creed is named the Apostles' Creed because it is made of twelve articles. People believed that after Pentecost, God inspired each of Jesus' Twelve Apostles to write one article.
Many hypotheses exist about when and how the Apostles' Creed was created.
Many suppose it comes from "the Old Roman Symbol" of the 1st or 2nd century, and was influenced later by the Nicene Creed (325/381).
This creed seems to have been made as an argument against Gnosticism. Gnosticism was a heresy in the early days of the Church. Gnostics believed things that were very different than what the Catholic Church taught. The Apostles' Creed, and other creeds, were made to be like examples of Catholic teachings, and to defend Catholic beliefs.This can be seen in almost every phrase. For example, the creed states that Christ was born, suffered, and died on the cross. This seems to be an argument against Gnostic beliefs, which said that Christ only seemed to become a man, and that he did not truly suffer and die, but only seemed like he did.
Because it was written very early in history, it does not talk about some issues that later Christian creeds, like the Nicene Creed, brought up. This makes it acceptable to many Arians and Unitarians.
For more information on the origin of the Apostles' Creed, see the detailed discussion in the "Catholic Encyclopedia".
"Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli et terrae. Et in Iesum Christum, Filium Eius unicum, Dominum nostrum, qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine, passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus, descendit ad ínferos, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis, ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis, inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos. Credo in Spiritum Sanctum, sanctam Ecclesiam catholicam, sanctorum communionem, remissionem peccatorum, carnis resurrectionem, vitam aeternam. Amen."
("Triglot Concordia", St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 12)
The English version in the "Catechism of the Catholic Church" keeps the tradition of dividing the Creed into twelve articles:
In the Church of England there are currently two authorized forms of the creed. One is in the "Book of Common Prayer" (1662). The other is in "Common Worship" (2000).
Book of Common Prayer
Common Worship
The United Methodists commonly include the Apostles' Creed in their worship services. Their version of the Creed is special because it does not have the line "he descended into hell." Except for this, it is very similar to the version in the "Book of Common Prayer".
The "United Methodist Hymnal" also contains (at #882) what it calls the "Ecumenical Version" of the Creed. This version is identical to the one in the Episcopal Church's current "Book of Common Prayer". This form of the Apostles' Creed is included in the "Hymnal" to be used during the Eucharist and baptisms. Because of this, it is getting more popular.
The English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC) is an international group whose goal is to provide texts that can be used and accepted by people of any Christian denomination. In 1988, it created a translation of the Apostles' Creed. One major change in this version is that it does not use the word "his" when talking about God. The text is as follows:
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