The “Creed” is, in fact, the ABC of Orthodoxy. Often people who practically never go to church hear this phrase, but have no idea what it is about. This article will be useful to those who want to learn more about such a prayer. The text is compiled according to the answers of priests, holy fathers of the Orthodox.
Brief information
As is known from the Old Testament, initially there was no land, only water, over which the Holy Spirit swept. God Himself ruled the whole world, the Universe. He founded the Earth: water, then land. Both on land and in water, life appeared. What is this about? The fact that God the Father, who created everything around, and the Holy Spirit always existed, and never will end their existence, they are eternal.
When the first people appeared, Adam and Eve, the Earth was Paradise. After the fall, the planet became exactly what we see it - with all the sorrows, illnesses and bodily death. But ancient people far from all knew about God. Moses came into the world, who left the tablets with the laws. He wrote them day and night, listening to God.
Later, the New Testament appeared - the Gospel of the Savior of the world Jesus Christ, which is still called the Son of God. Christ gave a new spiritual law to people.
Several centuries after the Nativity of Christ, namely in the 4th century, the Holy Fathers at the Ecumenical Council created a certain “Creed”, which very briefly but clearly explained all the dogmas of the Orthodox Church from the creation of the world to the end of centuries.
What is this prayer for?
Imagine that a person was born into the world, he has parents, a house and the whole world around him. It will look strange if a person does not know that he was conceived and given birth to mom and dad, whom he sees nearby every day. It will look no less strange if he does not realize that the fire can burn very badly, and you can freeze in the cold winter. These examples are the physical meaning of life. But there is a spiritual world that we can see and not see at the same time. This is precisely what is mentioned in the first position of the prayer, “Symbol of Faith” (in a modern and understandable language - a sentence): “I believe in the Unified God of the Father Almighty, ... visible to all and invisible.”
Further, the Christian should have an idea that God the Father is not alone, with him there is the Holy Spirit and the Son of God - Jesus Christ, who came down from heaven to earth in order to save people from hell awaiting everyone after bodily death.
It is further mentioned about the Holy Spirit itself, which helped the ancient prophets, saints, understand that there is God and there is a spiritual law. Then, the Christian Church, the One Cathedral and the Apostolic Church, is mentioned. And, finally, the chant ends with the belief in the resurrection of all who are dead and will be buried, as well as about life after the Last Judgment.
An Orthodox Christian, not knowing these dogmas, will not be able to fully have an idea of his faith. In addition, he confirms that his faith is very strong, and he knows that everything is so, was and will be, as said in prayer.
Where to find the text?
To make it easier for you to understand what the text of the prayer “Symbol of Faith” looks like in Russian, or rather, in Church Slavonic, see the illustration below.
In fact, there is a prayer in every Orthodox prayer book in the section with morning prayers. It is worth noting that believers should read morning and evening prayers every day. And the prayer book to which this article is devoted is located immediately after Psalm 50. In addition, if a person does not have time to read the whole rule in the morning, he can read a short one - Seraphim of Sarov, who ordered three times to read “Our Father”, three times to “Our Lady ...” and once “Symbol of Faith”. That is, it means that this prayer is a way of life on a par with “Our Father”. Also at the liturgy in all churches and monasteries, clergy, monks and parishioners sing it.
When and who can say the prayer
When a baby is baptized, it is not required to know prayer from him, since the child is not yet aware of anything. On the other hand, if a person is 7 years old, then he must study this prayer and understand it before becoming a Christian.
Further, all Christians pronounce it every day. Of course, a modern person, and even a layman (one who did not take monastic tonsure), far from every day can remember prayers.
It is important to read the “article of faith” prayer with accents as indicated in the prayer book. You can remember the phonetics during the liturgy in the church.
How to understand the text
As stated above, the text begins with the affirmation of faith in God the Father, who dominates everything and everything that created the entire universe. Then the person utters words about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, born of the Holy Spirit and Mary the Virgin. The following is a brief account of His appearance on earth, the betrayal of Pontius Pilate, His death and resurrection. Everything about our Lord is told in the gospel.
This book is the most important among Christians. Then, about His resurrection and ascension. One must also believe that he ascended into heaven and continues to exist next to God the Father, invisible to anyone. The following refers to His second coming. The following are mentioned the Holy Spirit and the Church. Necessarily, “Symbol of Faith” ends with the words “Tea of the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century.” Amen".
That is, Orthodox believers already know what the future awaits all living things, and, first of all, humanity.
Is it possible to be a believer, but without knowledge of the main symbol?
Often, modern people come to church at a conscious age, and even because of various sorrows. It is rarely possible to meet now an adult who has been raised by believing parents since childhood in Soviet times.
Often a person comes to God, begins to pray, realizing that he spent many years of his life without the Lord. Prayer begins to strengthen him spiritually. They do not immediately explain to everyone how the Orthodox Ecumenical Church is structured. Only when a person gets used to a new way of life a little, learns a little about the structure of service in the temple, then he ripens to know the prayer "Symbol of Faith."
The text has never been translated into modern Russian, like other ancient prayers. The Orthodox believer learns this alphabet and gradually gets used to it. And a modern translation can distort the text so that spiritual meaning can be lost.