Nicene Creed

American  

[nahy-seen kreed, nahy-seen] / ˈnaɪ sin ˈkrid, naɪˈsin /

noun

1. a formal statement of the chief tenets of Christian belief, adopted by the first Nicene Council.

2. a later creed of closely similar form Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, or Constantinopolitan Creed referred, perhaps erroneously, to the Council of Constantinople (a.d. 381), received universally in the Eastern Church and, with an addition introduced in the 6th century a.d., accepted generally throughout western Christendom.

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Nicene Creed British  

noun

1. the formal summary of Christian beliefs promulgated at the first council of Nicaea in 325 _ad

2. a longer formulation of Christian beliefs authorized at the council of Constantinople in 381, and now used in most Christian liturgies

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Etymology

Origin of Nicene Creed

First recorded in 1550–60

Example Sentences

The bishop and Church historian Eusebius, who took part, wrote that the church was tightly packed, and that discussions later moved to an imperial palace, where the Nicene Creed was drafted.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

In 325 AD, among other key decisions, more than 200 bishops at the council affirmed the belief that Jesus was the son of God, eventually leading to what is known as the Nicene Creed.

From BBC • Nov. 26, 2025

Group members affirm the Nicene Creed, a Christian statement of belief recited weekly in Catholic and many Protestant churches.

From New York Times • Oct. 8, 2020

They have an intimation that the world is made up, in the words of the Nicene Creed, of both the “seen and unseen.”

From Washington Post • Dec. 23, 2018

At the council of Nicaea in 325 the deity of Christ received official sanction and was given formulation in the original Nicene Creed.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 3 "Chitral" to "Cincinnati" by Various