Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch - Archdiocese of the Western U.S.
ܕܟܠ ܡܕܡ ܡܨܐ ܐܢܐ ܚܝܠܐ ܒܡܫܝܚܐ ܕܡܚܝܠ ܠܝ
"I can do every thing through Christ which strengthens me."
Phil 4:13

 

 

 

ܐܦܛܪܘܦܘܬܐ ܦܛܪܝܪܟܝܬܐ
ܕܡܪܥܝܬܐ ܕܐܘܚܕ̈ܢܐ ܡܥܪ̈ܒܝܐ ܕܐܡܝܪܟܐ


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Nicene Creed   ܬܚܘܡܐ ܕܗܝܡܢܘܬܐ ܕܢܝܩܝܐ

NOTES
When the Apostles' Creed was drawn up, the chief enemy was Gnosticism, which denied that Jesus was truly Man; and the emphases of the Apostles' Creed reflect a concern with repudiating this error.

When the Nicene Creed was drawn up, the chief enemy was Arianism, which denied that Jesus was fully God. Arius was a presbyter  (=priest = elder) in Alexandria in Egypt, in the early 300's. He taught that the Father, in the beginning, created (or begot) the Son, and that the Son, in conjunction with the Father, then proceeded to create the world. The result of this was to make the Son a created being, and hence not God in any meaningful sense. It was also suspiciously like the theories of those Gnostics and pagans who held that God was too perfect to create something like a material world, and so introduced one or more intermediate beings between God and the world. God created A, who created B, who created C... who created Z, who created the world.
Alexander, Bishop of Alexandria, sent for Arius and questioned him. Arius stuck to his position, and was finally excommunicated by a council of Egyptian bishops. He went to Nicomedia in Asia, where he wrote letters defending his position to various bishops. Finally, the Emperor Constantine summoned a council of Bishops in Nicea (Now modern Iznik, Turkey), and there in 325 the Bishops of the Church, by a decided majority, repudiated Arius and produced the first draft of what is now called the Nicene Creed.
 
The Arian position has been revived in our own day by the Watchtower Society (the JW's), who explicitly hail Arius as a great witness to the truth.

The Nicene Creed is the most widely accepted and used brief statements or the law of the Christian Faith. The First Ecumenical Synod at Nicaea in A.D. 325 formulated the beliefs of all Christians in what has since been known as the Nicene creed. The second and third synods at Constantinople and Ephesus expanded this statement of faith. To this day, this remains the creed of the Syriac Orthodox Church.
 
According to the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Creed is to be recited at the conclusion of Prayers both morning and evening, before retiring, and in the beginning of the Divine Liturgy. It is Common Ground to Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and many other Christian groups. Many groups that do not have a tradition of using it in their services nevertheless are committed to the doctrines it teaches.
 
 

 

The Father Almighty / Maker of heaven and earth / and of all things visible and invisible.

 And we believe in One Lord Jesus Christ / the Only-Begotten Son of God / Who was begotten of the Father / before all worlds / Light of Light / True God of True God / begotten and not made / being of one substance with His Father / by Whom all things were made / Who for us men / and for our salvation / came down from heaven / and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit / and of the Virgin Mary / Mother of God/ and He became man / and was crucified for us / in the days of Pontius Pilate / and He suffered, died, and was buried / and on the third day He rose / according to His will.

And ascended into heaven / and sat at the right hand of His Father / and He will come again with great glory / to judge both the living and the dead / whose His kingdom shall have no end.

 And we believe in the Holy Spirit / the life-giving Lord of all / Who proceeds from the Father / Who together with the Father and the Son / is worshipped and glorified / Who spoke through the prophets and Apostles.

 And we believe in One, Holy, Universal and Apostolic Church / and we acknowledge one baptism / for the remission of sins / and we look for the resurrection of the dead / and the new life in the world to come / Amen. 

 

 

ܐܰܒ݂ܳܐ ܐܰܚܺܝܕ݂ ܟ݁ܽܠ: ܥܳܒ݂ܽܘܕ݂ܳܐ ܕ݂ܰܫܡܰܝܳܐ ܘܕ݂ܰܐܪܥܳܐ ܘܰܕ݂ܟ݂ܽܠܗܶܝܢ ܐܰܝܠܶܝܢ ܕ݁ܡܶܬ݂ܚܰܙ̈ܝܳܢ ܘܰܕ݂ܠܳܐ ܡܶܬ݂ܚܰܙ̈ܝܳܢ .

ܘܰܒ݂ܚܰܕ݂ ܡܳܪܝܳܐ ܝܶܫܽܘܥ ܡܫܺܝܚܳܐ ܝܺܚܺܝܕ݂ܳܝܳܐ ܒ݂ܪܳܐ ܕ݂ܰܐܠܗܳܐ: ܗܰܘ ܕ݁ܡܶܢ ܐܰܒ݂ܳܐ ܐܶܬ݂ܺܝܠܶܕ݂ ܩܕ݂ܳܡ ܟ݁ܽܠܗܽܘܢ ܥܳܠܡ̈ܶܐ: ܢܽܘܗܪܳܐ ܕ݂ܡܶܢ ܢܽܘܗܪܳܐ: ܐܰܠܗܳܐ ܫܰܪܺܝܪܳܐ ܕ݂ܡܶܢ ܐܰܠܗܳܐ ܫܰܪܺܝܪܳܐ: ܝܺܠܺܝܕ݂ܳܐ ܘܠܳܐ ܥܒ݂ܺܝܕ݂ܳܐ: ܘܰܫܘܶܐ ܒ݂ܽܐܘܣܺܝܰܐ ܠܰܐܒ݂ܽܘܗܝ: ܕ݁ܒ݂ܺܐܝܕ݂ܶܗ ܗܘܳܐ ܟ݂ܽܠ: ܗܰܘ ܕ݁ܡܶܛܽܠܳܬ݂ܰܢ ܒ݁ܢܰܝ̈ܢܳܫܳܐ ܘܡܶܛܠ ܦܽ݁ܘܪܩܳܢܰܢ܆ ܢܚܶܬ݂ ܡܶܢ ܫܡܰܝܳܐ ܘܶܐܬ݂ܓܰ݁ܫܰܡ ܡܶܢ ܪܽܘܚܳܐ ܩܰܕܺ݁ܝܫܳܐ ܘܡܶܢ ܡܰܪܝܰܡ ܒ݁ܬ݂ܽܘܠܬܳ݁ܐ ܝܳܠܕܰ݁ܬ݂ ܐܰܠܗܳܐ: ܘܰܗܘܳܐ ܒ݂ܰܪܢܳܫܳܐ: ܘܶܐܨܛܠܶܒ݂ ܚܠܳܦ݂ܰܝܢ ܒ݁ܝܰܘ̈ܡܰܝ ܦܳ݁ܢܛܝܳܘܣ ܦܺ݁ܝܠܰܛܳܘܣ: ܘܚܰܫ ܘܡܺܝܬ݂ ܘܶܐܬ݂ܩܒ݂ܰܪ: ܘܩܳܡ ܠܰܬ݂ܠܳܬ݂ܳܐ ܝܰܘ̈ܡܺܝܢ ܐܰܝܟ ܕܰ݁ܨܒ݂ܳܐ.

ܘܰܣܠܶܩ ܠܰܫܡܰܝܳܐ: ܘܺܝܬ݂ܶܒ݂ ܡܶܢ ܝܰܡܺܝܢܳܐ ܕ݂ܰܐܒ݂ܽܘܗܝ: ܘܬ݂ܽܘܒ݂ ܐܳܬ݂ܶܐ ܒ݂ܫܽܘܒ݂ܚܳܐ ܪܰܒ݁ܳܐ ܠܰܡܕ݂ܳܢ ܠܚܰܝ̈ܶܐ ܘܰܠܡܺܝ̈ܬ݂ܶܐ: ܗܰܘ ܕܰ݁ܠܡܰܠܟܽ݁ܘܬ݂ܶܗ ܫܽܘܠܳܡܳܐ ܠܳܐ ܐܺܝܬ݂ .

ܘܰܒ݂ܚܰܕ݂ ܪܽܘܚܳܐ ܩܰܕܺ݁ܝܫܳܐ ܕ݂ܺܐܝܬ݂ܰܘܗ̱ܝ ܡܳܪܝܳܐ ܡܰܚܝܳܢܳܐ ܕ݂ܟ݂ܽܠ: ܗܰܘ ܕ݁ܡܶܢ ܐܰܒ݂ܳܐ ܢܳܦ݂ܶܩ ܘܥܰܡ ܐܰܒ݂ܳܐ ܘܥܰܡ ܒ݁ܪܳܐ ܡܶܣܬ݁ܓ݂ܶܕ݂ ܘܡܶܫܬܰ݁ܒܰ݁ܚ.

ܗܰܘ ܕ݁ܡܰܠܶܠ ܒܰ݁ܢܒ݂ܺܝ̈ܶܐ ܘܒ݂ܰܫܠܺܝܚ̈ܶܐ: ܘܒ݂ܰܚܕ݂ܳܐ ܥܺܕ݁ܬܳ݁ܐ ܩܰܕܺ݁ܝܫܬܳ݁ܐ ܩܰܬ݂ܽܘܠܺܝܩܺܝ ܘܰܫܠܺܝܚܳܝܬܳ݁ܐ.

ܘܡܰܘܕܶ݁ܝܢܰܢ ܕ݁ܰܚܕ݂ܳܐ ܗ̱ܝ ܡܰܥܡܽܘܕ݂ܺܝܬ݂ܳܐ ܠܫܽܘܒ݂ܩܳܢܳܐ ܕ݂ܰܚܛܳܗ̈ܐ.

ܘܰܡܣܰܟܶ݁ܝܢܰܢ ܠܰܩܝܳܡܬ݁ܐ ܕ݂ܡܺܝ̈ܬ݂ܶܐ ܘܰܠܚܰܝ̈ܶܐ ܚܰܕ݂̈ܬ݂ܶܐ ܕ݂ܰܒ݂ܥܳܠܡܳܐ ܕ݂ܰܥܬ݂ܺܝܕ݂܆ ܐܰܡܺܝܢ .

 

 

* The word Catholic is a Greek word KATHOLIKOS comes from KATA (a preposition with various meanings depending on the context, often meaning "down" or "negative" as in "catabolic" or "catastrophe" or "cathode," but also often meaning "according to") and HOLOS (meaning "whole" as in "holistic medicine," which claims to treat the whole patient and not just the particular ailment complained of), and thus means, literally, "according to the whole (world). or Universal" The meaning of the word as applied to the Church has evolved especially in the days of St. Ignatius Noorono the third Patriarch of Antioch (+107).
 

We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the Father, that is, of the substance [ek tes ousias] of the Father, God of God, light of light, true God of true God, begotten not made, of the same substance with the Father [homoousion to patri], through whom all things were made both in heaven and on earth; who for us men and our salvation descended, was incarnate, and was made man, suffered and rose again the third day, ascended into heaven and cometh to judge the living and the dead.