Mary in the Apostolic Symbol: Christ, faith, and the presence of the Virgin

Apostles’ Creed and the Christian Profession of Faith

Introduction

The *Apostles’ Creed* is the oldest profession of faith in the Christian Church, and in it Mary holds a prominent place. In this article, we explore the etymology of the concept of symbol, the structure of ecumenical professions of faith, and the theological significance of the formula “born of the Virgin Mary,” which has been preserved in the *Apostles’ Creed* since the early centuries of Christianity.

I. What is a Symbol?

The word “symbol” derives from the Greek *symbolon*, related to the verb *sunballein*, which means to unite, join, or articulate into a coherent whole. The *Apostles’ Creed* is not merely a list of truths but the organic articulation of the mysteries of faith in a single act of confession. Daniel Afonso highlights that this notion of symbol has an immediate Mariological resonance, since the Gospel of Luke describes Mary “treasuring all these things in her heart” (Lk 2,19), using the same Greek verb *sunballein*.Maria, in this sense, is the first interpreter of the symbol of faith. She gathers and keeps the mysteries she contemplates before communicating them to others. Her relationship with the *Apostles’ Creed* is not external but interior; her life is the living out of what the symbol proclaims.

II. Trinitarian Structure and the Place of Mary

The *Apostles’ Creed* has a trinitarian structure: we believe in God the Father, in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit. Daniel Afonso notes an important distinction: we say “I believe in God the Father” and “I believe in Jesus Christ,” but we use the preposition “in” when speaking of the Church, indicating that faith in God is of a different nature from adherence to the Church.Maria appears in the second article, the Christological one, with the phrase “born of the Virgin Mary.” Her name is at the heart of the Creed, at the moment when the Incarnation of the Son of God is confessed.

III. The Symbol of Nicaea (325) and the Ecumenical Profession

The first ecumenical symbol is that of Nicaea, formulated in the Council of 325 to respond to Arianism, which denied the full divinity of the Son. The conciliar fathers created a profession of faith explicitly affirming that Christ is “of the same substance as the Father” (*homoousios*). The *Nicene Apostolic Symbol* includes the reference to the Virgin Mary as the mother of the Incarnate, anchoring the Christological confession in the historical reality of the Incarnation.The inclusion of Mary in the Nicene symbol has an anti-gnostic and anti-docetist impact: the Son of God not only seemed to have a human body but was truly born of a woman. The name “Mary” is the sign of the historicity of the Incarnation. The *Apostles’ Creed* simultaneously affirms Christology and Mariology.

IV. The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Symbol (381)

In 381, the Council of Constantinople revisited and completed the Nicene symbol, resulting in a more extensive *Apostles’ Creed*, known as the “new” Credo in Portuguese-speaking communities. This symbol adds a deeper reflection on the Holy Spirit, recognizing Him as “Lord and giver of life.” The articulation between the Holy Spirit and Mary becomes more explicit: the Son incarnates “by the power of the Holy Spirit and was born of the Virgin Mary.”

V. The Holy Spirit, Mary, and the Creed

The formula “by the power of the Holy Spirit and was born of the Virgin Mary” is one of the richest theological statements in the *Apostles’ Creed*. It unites the divine action of the Spirit with Mary’s human acceptance in a single event: the Incarnation. Daniel Afonso suggests that contemporary Mariology, influenced by the pneumatological renewal of Vatican II, has not sufficiently explored this connection between the action of the Spirit and Mary’s mission.

VI. Mariological Implications for Christian Life

Praying the *Apostles’ Creed* is a form of communion with the Church of all centuries. By proclaiming “born of the Virgin Mary,” we simultaneously confess Christ’s divinity and Mary’s divine motherhood. Mariology is not an additional devotional element to the Creed but is deeply rooted in its structure. For a deeper exploration, the Locus Mariologicus offers the *Postgraduate in Mariology*, where the mariological method and the reading of the symbols of faith are addressed with academic rigor.