The Creed or Apostolic Symbol speaks of Mary.

# The Apostolic Creed and Mary’s Presence in the Profession of Faith

## Image: Credo Apostólico and Mary, Locus Mariologicus podcast

[Image of a religious artwork depicting the Apostolic Creed with Mary]

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## Does the Credo or Apostolic Symbol Speak of Mary?

The Apostolic Symbol, or Creed, constitutes the first and most significant testimony of faith in Christian literature, yet it remains largely unknown for its Marian implications.

> “A symbol” coming from the Apostles, and each Church preserved a formula containing brief propositions or articles that placed together, conserved, the truths of faith: Sunbalein = unite in Greek.

“Apostolic” not because the Apostles wrote the formula and handed it over to each of these Churches, but because the Apostolic Tradition is present in all accentuations, places, and circumstances that led to creating, over time, dogmatic responses to questions.

When we speak of the “Apostolic Symbol,” we refer to the testimony left by Church Fathers such as Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyon, Tertullian, Origen, among others.

Only in 325, at the Council of Nicaea, was a common symbol of faith drafted—a letter of recognition and norm for all Churches: the Nicene Symbol, composed of the former Apostolic symbols with dogmatic additions due to Arianism, the heresy that denied Jesus’ divinity, conceiving Him as an intermediary between God and Man.

Arianism refers to the heresy that rejected Jesus’ divinity, viewing Him as a created being between God and humanity.

At the Council of Constantinople in 381, the *Constantinopolitan Creed* was once again put into writing and universally accepted by all Churches, expanding upon and leading to the *Nicene-Constantinople Creed*.

All faith symbols contain an explicit profession regarding the incarnation, elaborating on Mary’s virginal conception in light of salvation history, which through her virgin and divine motherhood ensures that the Son is God, being the only-begotten Son of the Father. This is the first step in salvation: *the incarnation of the Word*.

Among various symbols, we highlight those from the East affirming Christ’s generation *”from Mary the Virgin”*, without mentioning the Holy Spirit, as this was implicit in the statement that acknowledged Mary as *”Virgin”*. If she was *”Virgin and Mother”*, this was a result of the work of the Holy Spirit.

Another symbol, also from Greek-speaking Eastern churches, describes the virgin conception as *”from Mary the Virgin by the Holy Spirit”*, meaning Christ’s generation solely from the Virgin, but with the work of the Holy Spirit. To further emphasize this uniqueness, some symbols add *”without male seed”*.

The Latin formula *”qui natus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine”* (born through the work of the Holy Spirit from Mary the Virgin) has its earliest testimony in Rome, Milan, and North Africa, focusing on generation rather than conception.

Later, a final group of *Western symbols* codified faith formulas linking conception and birth to the Holy Spirit and Mary the Virgin: *”qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine”* (conceived by the Holy Spirit, born from Mary the Virgin). This formula simultaneously explains virgin conception and Mary’s true motherhood.

From these symbols, we can conclude that they were preserved and transmitted to all Churches, and Christ’s generation from Mary the Virgin through the work of the Holy Spirit is part of the universal and perpetual faith of the Church.

> *”He who was born of the Holy Spirit and of Mary the Virgin”*
> – *Roman Creed, 3rd century*

> *”He who became man”*
> – *Jerusalem Creed, mid-4th century*

> *”For our salvation he was incarnate and lived among men”*
> – *Creed of Caesarea in Palestine, late 3rd century*

In the Nicene Creed of 325 AD, Mary the Virgin is not mentioned, nor is the action of the Holy Spirit. However, at the Council of Constantinople I (381), she is included in a soteriological context:

> «For us and for our salvation, he [the Son] descended from heaven, became incarnate by the Holy Spirit from the Virgin Mary (parthenon)»

While the Greek text clearly identifies the Spirit and the Virgin Mary as the actors in the Incarnation of the Word, the Latin text uses the pronoun *de* to refer to the Holy Spirit. This indicates that he is the *“original cause”* of Mary’s conception, who offers Christ her *“flesh”*. Herein lies a clear illustration of how the conciliar Fathers sought to emphasize both Christ’s human reality and the mode of conception, achieved *“without the seed of man”*.

The Council of Ephesus (431) merely acknowledged Mary as the Ever-Virgin (*agion parthenon*) in relation to her title as Theotokos.

The conciliar Fathers courageously recognized Theotokos as:

> «…the Holy Virgin […], not because the nature of the Logos, that is, his divinity, began to exist from the Holy Virgin […], but because the holy rationally animated body was generated by her, joining this second to the hypostase, we say that the Logos was generated according to flesh»

This is also what the Council of Chalcedon (451) affirmed. It declared that the birth of the Son of God, true God and true man, occurred from (*ex*) Mary, virgin (*parthenon*) and *Theotokos*. The Second Council of Constantinople (553), in its 14 anathemas, reaffirmed this truth. The relevant numbers are: 2, 6, 14. In them, Mary is called the Ever-Virgin (*aeiparthenon*).

All of this points to the fundamental dogma proclaimed by the Council of Lateran I (1123), which states that Mary conceived and gave birth virginally to the Eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ. The Council underscores the true motherhood of Theotokos in her *“full”* integrity. This has profound significance: directing the profession of faith to him who was born from her womb, Jesus. He came into the world with a *“marvelous”* character, as all natural laws are suspended for the integrity of his mother.

We find ourselves before a mysterious *“event”* that celebrates both the conception and birth in favor of the integrity of a woman, Mary, who is known as the Ever-Virgin. This title can be applied diachronically to all moments of her life and synchronically to the entirety of her virginity, which is also why she is called *achrantos* (impeccable, without stain). We note that the title of Ever-Virgin should be considered a *“common denominator”* that documents the truth affirmed and confessed regarding her virginal conception and birth of the Most Holy Mary.

To delve deeper into the presence of Mary in the symbols of faith and dogmatic theology, consult Pope John Paul II’s encyclical *Redemptoris Mater*.

For further study, explore Mariology, Marian Theology, Marian Apparitions, and a Postgraduate Degree in Mariology.

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