Looking At The History Of The Creed
The Nicene Creed was first introduced into the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Church between 511 and 517 in Constantinople as an emphasis of the Patriarch’s desire that the truth of the faith be proclaimed. This custom quickly spread throughout the Eastern Churches. The first mention of the Creed’s incorporation into the Roman Mass occurred in Spain in 589, part of which was under Byzantine rule. There the Creed was recited immediately before the Lord’s Prayer as a way for the people to purify their hearts for the reception of Holy Communion. In the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Church, the Creed is also found immediately prior to Holy Communion as a prayer of preparation.
About 800, the Creed was introduced into the Mass in France to counteract the heresy known as “Adoptionism,” which maintained that Jesus was not God’s Eternal Son but rather became God’s Son at the moment the Spirit descended upon him at his baptism in the Jordan River. About that same time in Germany, the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne introduced the Creed into the Mass following the Gospel with Pope Leo III’s permission. However, the use of the Creed in the German Church did not spread quickly. Only by the 10th century is there evidence that the Creed was commonly used in the Mass.
Very interestingly, the Creed was never a standard part of the Roman Mass until 1014 when the Holy Roman Emperor Henry II attended Mass in Rome. He was surprised that the Creed was not recited. Inquiring about this omission, the priests explained that the Roman Church had never been troubled with error and heresy. Therefore, there was no need for the Creed’s recitation so often. Emperor Henry II impressed upon Pope Benedict VIII that the Creed needed to be part of every Mass. Conceding to the Emperor’s wishes, the Creed began to be recited in the Roman Liturgy; however it was restricted to Sundays and major feasts.
Although first used as an individual profession of faith at baptism, the Creed now concluded the Liturgy of the Word as a response of the people to God’s Word which they had just heard. The Creed now became a congregational profession of faith. In the 10th century, the Creed was usually sung in Latin. Since the people knew neither Latin nor Gregorian chant, the Creed was sung by the clergy present who formed the choir. At that time, it was customary to substitute the Creed for the homily which made it definitely the domain of the clergy.
The “General Instruction of the Roman Missal” instructs that “The purpose of the Creed or Profession of Faith is that the whole gathered people may respond to the Word of God proclaimed in the readings taken from Sacred Scripture and explained in the Homily and that they may also honor and confess the great mysteries of the faith by pronouncing the rule of faith in a formulary approved for liturgical use and before the celebration of these mysteries in the Eucharist begins” (GI 67).
When infant baptisms are celebrated during weekend Masses, the Profession of Faith gives way to the renewal of the baptismal promises by the parents, godparents, and the assembly. This is also customary during the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday and on Easter Sunday, which is the climax of Lent which is the season Christian strive through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (works of charity) to rise a little more to a new life in Christ.
Father Sauer continues his series on the Mass in the Dec. 16 issue of The Message.
