"The creed" is, in fact, the ABC of Orthodoxy. Often people who practically do not 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 was compiled according to the answers of the priests, the holy fathers of the Orthodox.
At a Glance
As it is known from the Old Testament, initially there was no land, only water, over which the Holy Spirit hovered. God Himself controlled the entire surrounding world, the Universe. He founded the Earth: water, then land. Life appeared both on land and in water. What is this about? About the fact that God the Father, who created everything around, and the Holy Spirit have always existed, and will never 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 the way we see it - with all the sorrows, illnesses and bodily death. But ancient people did not know everything 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, who is still calledSon of God. Christ gave a new spiritual law to the people.
Several centuries after the birth of Christ, namely in the 4th century, the holy fathers at the Ecumenical Council created a kind of "Creed", which very briefly but clearly explained all the dogmas of the Orthodox Church from the creation of the world to the end of time.
What is this prayer for?
Let's 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 next to him every day. It will look no less strange if he does not realize that the fire can severely burn, and in cold winters you can freeze. These examples are the physical meaning of life. But there is also the spiritual world, which we can both see and not see at the same time. This is exactly what is mentioned in the first position of the “Symbol of Faith” prayer (in a modern and understandable language - a sentence): “I believe in the One God, the Almighty Father, …, visible to all and invisible.”
Further, a Christian must have the idea that God the Father is not alone, with him there is the Holy Spirit and the Son of God - Jesus Christ, who descended from Heaven to earth in order to save people from hell, which awaits everyone after bodily death.
Further mentioned is the Holy Spirit himself, who helped the ancient prophets, the saints to understand that there is God and there is a spiritual law. Then the Christian Church itself is mentioned, the One Catholic and Apostolic. And, finally, the hymn ends with the belief in the resurrection of all who have died 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 understand his faith. In addition, he confirms that his faith is very strong, and he knows that everything is so, was and will be, as it is said in the prayer.
Where can I find the text?
To make it easier for you to understand what the text of the “Symbol of Faith” prayer looks like in Russian, or rather in Church Slavonic, check out 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 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 commanded to read “Our Father” three times, “Our Lady …” three times and the “Symbol of Faith” once. That is, this suggests that this prayer is a way of life on a par with the Our Father. Also, at the liturgy in all churches and monasteries, clerics, monks and parishioners sing it.
When and who can say a prayer
When an infant is being baptized, he is not required to know the prayer, since the child is not yet aware of anything. On the other hand, if a person is 7 years old, then before becoming a Christian, he must study this prayer, understand it.
Next, all Christians say it every day. Of course, modern man, and evenand a layman (one who has not taken monastic vows) is far from being able to remember prayers every day.
It is important to read the "Symbol of Faith" prayer with accents as indicated in the prayer book. You can also memorize phonetics during the liturgy in the church.
How to understand the text
As mentioned above, the text begins with a statement of faith in God the Father, who rules over everything and everything, who created the entire universe. Then the person pronounces words about Jesus Christ - the Son of God, born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. Further, a brief narrative is revealed to us about His appearance on earth, the betrayal under Pontius Pilate, His death and resurrection. Everything about our Lord is told in the Gospel.
This book is the most important for Christians. Then - about His resurrection and ascension. One must also believe that he ascended to heaven and continues to exist next to God the Father, invisible to anyone. The following is about His second coming. The Holy Spirit and the Church are next mentioned. Necessarily, the “Creed” ends with the words “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come. Amen.”
That is, Orthodox believers already know what the future holds for all living things, and, first of all, humanity.
Is it possible to be a believer, but without knowing the main symbol?
Often, modern people come to church at a conscious age, and even because of various sorrows. It is rare now to meet an adult who has been in childhood inSoviet time brought up by believing parents.
Often a person comes to God, begins to pray, realizing that he has wasted many years of his life without the Lord. Prayer begins to strengthen him spiritually. Far from immediately and not everyone is explained how the Orthodox Ecumenical Church is organized. Only when a person gets used to a new way of life a little, learns a little about the structure of the service in the temple, then he matures to the knowledge of the “Symbol of Faith” prayer.
The text has never been translated into modern Russian, like other ancient prayers. The Orthodox believer learns this alphabet and gets used to it gradually. And a modern translation can distort the text so that the spiritual meaning can be lost.
