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The Creed: Professing the Faith Through the Ages
Why were the early Christians willing to die to protect a single iota of the creed? Why have the Judeans, Romans, and Persians—among others—seen the Christian creed as a threat to the established social order? In The Creed: Professing the Faith Through the Ages, bestselling author Dr. Scott Hahn recovers and conveys the creed s revolutionary character.
Tracing the development of the first formulations of faith in the early Church through later ecumenical councils, The Creed tells the story of how the very profession of our belief in Christ fashions us for heavenly life as we live out our earthly days.
Tracing the development of the first formulations of faith in the early Church through later ecumenical councils, The Creed tells the story of how the very profession of our belief in Christ fashions us for heavenly life as we live out our earthly days.
191 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2016
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469 people want to read
About the author
Scott Hahn
415 books1,328 followersScott Hahn is a renowned Catholic theologian, apologist, speaker, and bestselling author whose work has had a profound impact on contemporary biblical theology and Catholic thought. A former Presbyterian minister, Hahn converted to Catholicism in 1986 after an intense personal and theological journey, which he details in his popular book Rome Sweet Home, co-written with his wife, Kimberly Hahn. Their story of conversion has inspired countless readers around the world and remains a landmark in modern Catholic apologetics.
Hahn holds the Father Michael Scanlan Chair of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990. He is also the founder and president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting biblical literacy among the laity and biblical fluency among clergy. Through the Center, Hahn leads a wide range of initiatives, including publications, pilgrimages, Bible studies, and the scholarly journal Letter and Spirit.
Educated at Grove City College (B.A.), Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Marquette University (Ph.D. in Systematic Theology), Hahn brings a deep academic foundation to his work. His dissertation, Kinship by Covenant, was later published by Yale University Press and received praise for its theological insight and scholarly rigor.
Throughout his career, Hahn has emphasized the covenant as the key to understanding salvation history, showing how the biblical narrative reveals a divine plan that unites all of humanity into God's family. His works explore themes such as the Eucharist, the role of Mary, the sacraments, and the authority of the Church, often drawing on the writings of the early Church Fathers to bridge the ancient faith with modern understanding.
He is the author or editor of over forty books, including The Lamb’s Supper, Hail, Holy Queen, First Comes Love, Letter and Spirit, Swear to God, Reasons to Believe, The Creed, The Fourth Cup, and Holy Is His Name. Many of his books have become staples in Catholic households, study groups, and seminaries.
In addition to his writing, Hahn is a highly sought-after speaker, having delivered thousands of lectures across the United States and abroad. He appears regularly on EWTN and has collaborated with Lighthouse Catholic Media to bring his teachings to an even broader audience.
Scott Hahn lives in Ohio with his wife Kimberly. They have six children and numerous grandchildren. Together, the Hahns continue to lead efforts in evangelization and Catholic education, embodying a lifelong commitment to deepening faith and understanding through Scripture and tradition.
Hahn holds the Father Michael Scanlan Chair of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990. He is also the founder and president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting biblical literacy among the laity and biblical fluency among clergy. Through the Center, Hahn leads a wide range of initiatives, including publications, pilgrimages, Bible studies, and the scholarly journal Letter and Spirit.
Educated at Grove City College (B.A.), Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Marquette University (Ph.D. in Systematic Theology), Hahn brings a deep academic foundation to his work. His dissertation, Kinship by Covenant, was later published by Yale University Press and received praise for its theological insight and scholarly rigor.
Throughout his career, Hahn has emphasized the covenant as the key to understanding salvation history, showing how the biblical narrative reveals a divine plan that unites all of humanity into God's family. His works explore themes such as the Eucharist, the role of Mary, the sacraments, and the authority of the Church, often drawing on the writings of the early Church Fathers to bridge the ancient faith with modern understanding.
He is the author or editor of over forty books, including The Lamb’s Supper, Hail, Holy Queen, First Comes Love, Letter and Spirit, Swear to God, Reasons to Believe, The Creed, The Fourth Cup, and Holy Is His Name. Many of his books have become staples in Catholic households, study groups, and seminaries.
In addition to his writing, Hahn is a highly sought-after speaker, having delivered thousands of lectures across the United States and abroad. He appears regularly on EWTN and has collaborated with Lighthouse Catholic Media to bring his teachings to an even broader audience.
Scott Hahn lives in Ohio with his wife Kimberly. They have six children and numerous grandchildren. Together, the Hahns continue to lead efforts in evangelization and Catholic education, embodying a lifelong commitment to deepening faith and understanding through Scripture and tradition.
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July 2, 2016
I recieved this in a giveaway by the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology
July 1, 2016
Excellent book! The Creed by Scott Hahn deepened both my knowledge and my faith. Highly recommended!
February 8, 2018
After having recently read Hahn’s book on Revelation and the Mass (The Lamb’s Supper), I was a bit disappointed in this one. It is certainly worth your time, but I had hoped it would have gotten a little more detailed about the heresies that prompted the writing of these Creeds. Hahn only touches on Arianism and the various men involved in the councils and instead reflects on the spiritual importance of the creed. Eusebius (not the historian), the main political force behind the popularity Arius, is not mentioned at all.
August 18, 2016
Much to my begrudging admiration, Scott Hahn in this book indulged his penchant for bad puns as chapter titles (as witness groan-inducing examples like "The Need for Creed" and "Son Worship").
Beyond that aggravation, however, The Creed is an informative gem written in a heartfelt way that should appeal to all Christians. Hahn does a great job of showing how the creed (by which he means mostly the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, better known as "The Nicene Creed") shapes both belief and believers.
A lot of what Hahn writes is a romp through early Church history. Along the way he explains where the expression "not one iota" came from, and how different parts of the creed are safeguards against various heresies. It's grand stuff, presented well. His meditation on "salvation for" as a complement to "salvation from" is especially memorable, as is his one ringing bumper-stickerism: "If we don't get the creed right, we don't get Jesus right. And if we don't get him right, we don't get anything right."
Beyond that aggravation, however, The Creed is an informative gem written in a heartfelt way that should appeal to all Christians. Hahn does a great job of showing how the creed (by which he means mostly the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, better known as "The Nicene Creed") shapes both belief and believers.
A lot of what Hahn writes is a romp through early Church history. Along the way he explains where the expression "not one iota" came from, and how different parts of the creed are safeguards against various heresies. It's grand stuff, presented well. His meditation on "salvation for" as a complement to "salvation from" is especially memorable, as is his one ringing bumper-stickerism: "If we don't get the creed right, we don't get Jesus right. And if we don't get him right, we don't get anything right."
June 8, 2017
Scott Hahn is my favourite living Catholic author but I was disappointed in this book. Hahn usually has a way of imparting the truth in such simple but profound ways that I always get "aha" moments and highlight frequently through his books. "The Creed" not so much. I didn't really find it uplifting in any real manner. The final chapter that sums everything up was more of what I expected from Hahn. The rest of the book was interesting; an historical account of creeds starting with Old Testament Jewish times going to the present where denominations have turned away from the profession of faith. It's a bit of a dense read compared to his other books and I'd recommend it to those wanting an historical point of view in the development of the Nicene Creed, which has been with us since the 4th century.
January 14, 2018
It rare for someone to write so thoroughly and yet so simply. This book on the surface is a history of the Nicaean Creed of the Catholic Church. I want to call the book short, but that would not give justice to the detail inside. I want to call it detailed, but that would suggest a denser, less inviting read than it truly is. I said it was a history of the Nicaean Creed, but it actually gives a quick history of creeds in general and in the Church, as well as the reasons for their evolution throughout Church history. Although it was perhaps not "amazing" or life-changing, I very much enjoyed this book.
November 27, 2017
Something was missing. I've read before one from Hahn in Spanish (Comprometidos con Dios - Committed with God) and it was more powerful than this one.
It does however teases into search more about the Creed and study what the Fathers of the Church wrote about it and review each element again in order to remember and have again clear what are you believing in the Catholic Church.
It does however teases into search more about the Creed and study what the Fathers of the Church wrote about it and review each element again in order to remember and have again clear what are you believing in the Catholic Church.
August 9, 2024
Fantastic read. Easy to digest, it really breaks down the importance and necessity of the ancient creeds in personal devotion and in liturgy. It explains the necessity of what we call the Nicene Creed and how it expands on the Apostles Creed. It's also one of the best explanations of why the Western Church implemented the Filioque that I've heard, both Catholic and Protestant. And it does so both historically and theologically. It's not an overly dense read and accessible to anyone that wants to know more. I strongly recommend it to everyone, especially the Christians in the "No Creed but Christ" camp.
March 28, 2020
Good summary introduction for the laity on the historical and Scriptural nature of the Creed, and what it truly means for the Church. His language is easily accessible, not technical or complicated.
October 1, 2017
This book blew me away, in the best sense of the word. Prayerful, without being saccharine, learned without being pompous, historical, with the sense of the Spirit working in history, it moved me. Hahn is very easy to read as well.
In several spheres, he emphasized either what I have emphasized in my preaching or what I have always known and should have emphasized but did not:
1. pp. 2-3 [This I have always emphasized] A creed is an authoritative summary of Christianity's basic beliefs. In the articles of the creed, we profess our faith in mysteries -- doctrines that could never be known apart fro divine Revelation: ... A Creed is NOT the totality of Christian faith. It's a summary that stands for everything that is taught by the Catholic Church ... A creed is a symbol of something larger--and, ultimately, of Someone we love, ... The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it eloquently when it says that we do not believe in formulas, but in the REALITIES expressed by those formulas ...
2. 48-51 [This, I had not figured out, although I knew about Tertullian.] So it is likely that [Hippolytus] would claim for antiquity only what could plausibly be put forward as ancient in 215. The practices he described probably reach back at least to the middle of the second century, if not further. A universal creed written by the Apostles would certainly have appealed to Hippolytus, but he makes no menton of it. What he does provide is the first recorded instance of a fixed creed. It appears in his account of the baptismal liturgy and it is presented as a series of questions and answers. ... The question ans answer format would become a standard method of confessing the faith. Rmember that most people in the average congregation would have had little or no ability to read; ... The interrogator form was proper to Baptism for another, perhaps more important reason. It confirmed the sense of the rite as a SACRAMENTUM--a term familiar to Romas from secular culture and especially military usage. A SACRAMENTUM was a solemn oath that was legally binding. Tertullian had already applied the term to the Christian rites of initiation.
pp. 90-92 [This I suppose I had known but have never emphasized. I have emphasized that God is personal but have never tied this belief in with the first line of the Creed.] God's fatherhood is revolutionary, and it is essential to the distinctive identity of Christianity. It is what must be confessed for one's faith to be authentic. ... FATHER. There, in a word, is the Christian revolution. ... The pattern begun in the Gospels is continued in the Epistles. St. Paul repeatedly begins his letters to the churches: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father" ... He is not saying that God is somehow "like" a Father. On the contrary, he holds that God is eternally Father because the Word is his eternal Son... The doctrine that was scandalous to pagans, Jews, gnostics, and Arians is the doctrine with which the Church has always launched its creeds: I believe in God THE FATHER ..
pp. 138-139 [Very good summary of the FILIOQUE controversy. Nothing new.] I do not want to engage in a counter-polemic, or even a full-scale defense. This is not the place. The Holy See, in any event, has given the Eastern Churches in communion with Rome permission to drop the phrase in liturgical use. When the p;opes pray with prelates from the Christian East, the phrase is customarily omitted. The Western Church, I believe, has conceded as much as it can, since the double procession is a doctrine that runs deep in tradition.
In several spheres, he emphasized either what I have emphasized in my preaching or what I have always known and should have emphasized but did not:
1. pp. 2-3 [This I have always emphasized] A creed is an authoritative summary of Christianity's basic beliefs. In the articles of the creed, we profess our faith in mysteries -- doctrines that could never be known apart fro divine Revelation: ... A Creed is NOT the totality of Christian faith. It's a summary that stands for everything that is taught by the Catholic Church ... A creed is a symbol of something larger--and, ultimately, of Someone we love, ... The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it eloquently when it says that we do not believe in formulas, but in the REALITIES expressed by those formulas ...
2. 48-51 [This, I had not figured out, although I knew about Tertullian.] So it is likely that [Hippolytus] would claim for antiquity only what could plausibly be put forward as ancient in 215. The practices he described probably reach back at least to the middle of the second century, if not further. A universal creed written by the Apostles would certainly have appealed to Hippolytus, but he makes no menton of it. What he does provide is the first recorded instance of a fixed creed. It appears in his account of the baptismal liturgy and it is presented as a series of questions and answers. ... The question ans answer format would become a standard method of confessing the faith. Rmember that most people in the average congregation would have had little or no ability to read; ... The interrogator form was proper to Baptism for another, perhaps more important reason. It confirmed the sense of the rite as a SACRAMENTUM--a term familiar to Romas from secular culture and especially military usage. A SACRAMENTUM was a solemn oath that was legally binding. Tertullian had already applied the term to the Christian rites of initiation.
pp. 90-92 [This I suppose I had known but have never emphasized. I have emphasized that God is personal but have never tied this belief in with the first line of the Creed.] God's fatherhood is revolutionary, and it is essential to the distinctive identity of Christianity. It is what must be confessed for one's faith to be authentic. ... FATHER. There, in a word, is the Christian revolution. ... The pattern begun in the Gospels is continued in the Epistles. St. Paul repeatedly begins his letters to the churches: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father" ... He is not saying that God is somehow "like" a Father. On the contrary, he holds that God is eternally Father because the Word is his eternal Son... The doctrine that was scandalous to pagans, Jews, gnostics, and Arians is the doctrine with which the Church has always launched its creeds: I believe in God THE FATHER ..
pp. 138-139 [Very good summary of the FILIOQUE controversy. Nothing new.] I do not want to engage in a counter-polemic, or even a full-scale defense. This is not the place. The Holy See, in any event, has given the Eastern Churches in communion with Rome permission to drop the phrase in liturgical use. When the p;opes pray with prelates from the Christian East, the phrase is customarily omitted. The Western Church, I believe, has conceded as much as it can, since the double procession is a doctrine that runs deep in tradition.
February 5, 2018
A very good book (once again) by author and theologian Dr. Scott Hahn. It explores the earliest forms of the Creeds and also talks about the various heresies during the Nicene and Nicene-Constantinpolan times, which is in turn why the Church how to form these universal beliefs on paper. Hahn's writing as usual makes theological thoughts and ideas very accessible for the laity.
August 1, 2016
Scott Hahn delivers yet again! He has a gift for dissecting a topic both logically and enjoyably. This book provides the reader with a great appreciation for how our predecessors, dating all the way back to the time of the Apostles, sacrificed and how rich our Catholic faith is. Scott lays out an historical account inviting the reader to understand and appreciate how Catholic doctrine was revealed to the faithful and then timelessly documented from the time Jesus Christ founded the Church right through to the present day.
November 4, 2017
Reading the book is akin to praying the Creed repeatedly and with each reading gleaning a deeper connection to the words that each Catholic recites on Sunday. The author provides scriptural and historical source material for the how Church Councils arrived at the words we use today, delving into how it likewise reconciles with the Church's formation. Of special note are the appendices which contain the previous versions of the Creed (i.e. Paul V, Lateran Council, etc).
June 29, 2016
In this very readable book, Hahn traces the history of, first, the Jewish covenants and then the Christian creeds. The reader will learn that every single word of the Creed is important. Every word is there for a reason. The Creed proclaims both mystery (God becomes man) and history (Jesus was born, walked the earth, died and rose.)
August 20, 2016
To understand our faith is to fully understand all that we believe. To understand what we believe, one great source of study are our creeds. Scott Hahn does a masterful job of skillfully telling us the history of our creeds, how the were used as tools to teach the illiterate, how they were used to address specific heresies, and why they are important to us today
October 12, 2016
I didn't find this one as engaging as some of Scott's other work but still found the text to be quite readable. I was most interested to read (in brief) the Western argument given for the altering of the Nicene creed to include the filioque - I can better understand (from a layman's perspective) the Western position on the dispute.
February 6, 2017
Everything written by Scott Hahn is theology gold. This is an easy read that not only presents the history of the creed, but is also a primer on the faith of the Church founded by Jesus Christ. Reading this 155 page book was an enjoyable education.
"If we don't get the creed right, we don't get Jesus right. And if we don't get him right, we don't get anything right."
"If we don't get the creed right, we don't get Jesus right. And if we don't get him right, we don't get anything right."
October 19, 2016
An absolute beautiful piece of literature! I love the way that Dr. Scott Hahn explains the Creed from a theological and historical way yet in the most basic terms. He always makes it such a pleasure to read his books and this is one that should be at the top of everyones list of "books to read."
December 29, 2016
A great book. If you recite the Creed, this is a good book to go through the general history of it. Obviously it can't go into extreme depth with the shorter length of this book, but it's a very good for giving a good overview of the history and background of it.
December 31, 2016
This is not the kind of book you rush through but the kind you read, pray, think and pray again before going back to reread just to make sure you didn't miss anything the first time. After all, a profession of faith cannot be rushed; it must be experienced.
June 21, 2017
I love Dr. Hahn and everything he writes has such an understanding of the faith that he can bring it down to the student's brain! I had never fully appreciated how important our creed really is! Very good book to increase you knowledge of the Faith.
July 14, 2016
A book that I will definitely read again. I recommend this book for all who are searching for truth and a longing to grow in their faith.
June 21, 2016
Fantastic detailed account of how and why the Catholic Church developed the Nicene Creed, and which church fathers were involved at each council. Important for Catholics to understand.
August 1, 2016
As always, Scott Hahn is the best. Quick book, good history, and a greater understanding for having read it.
What's he writing about next?
What's he writing about next?
September 24, 2016
Excellent book on the Creed & how it developed; sheds light on the true faith of the Church.
September 28, 2016
I love this book! Another tome destined to become a classic by Scott Hahn!!!
October 2, 2016
This was a bit challenging to read in parts but it did contain a wonderful historical perspective on the creed, how it evolved, and the challenges it faced over time.
June 26, 2017
Dr. Hahn, Takes the Creed and dissects it and explains it through it various parts and versions throughout history to help people understand what the church teaches and what they Profess to believe.
December 6, 2017
A LIGHT SHINED ON THE CATHOLIC FAITH
THIS BOOK GAVE ME A GREAT EXPLANATION OF THE CREED.THE AUTHORS IN SIGHT INTO THE HISTORY HAS GIVEN ME A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CREED
THIS BOOK GAVE ME A GREAT EXPLANATION OF THE CREED.THE AUTHORS IN SIGHT INTO THE HISTORY HAS GIVEN ME A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CREED
October 7, 2025
From the beginning, the Church's confessions--its rule of faith and its creeds--hovered near the liturgy. The New Testament references to confession (before witnesses) imply the presence of Christians assembled at a Baptism. Later accounts of the rule, such as we find in Tertullian, are more explicit about the baptismal setting for the use of the rule of faith.
It is likely, as we have shown, that the confessions became increasingly detailed as the Church faced new heresies. Against the docetists, it was necessary for a new Christian to state his or her belief that the Son of God was truly born, truly suffered, and truly died. Against the gnostics, it was necessary to declare one's allegiance to God as Creator of both heaven and earth and all things, visible and invisible. Against the Marcionites, it was necessary to profess that God had spoken through the prophets. Against the Arians, it was necessary to affirm that Jesus was true God from true God.
Scott Hahn's The Creed: Professing the Faith Through the Ages examines the development of the Nicene Creed as a reaction to what the Church considered heretical teachings. Hahn also examines the influence and importance of the Nicene Creed in the life of the church since. The writing is clear and the pacing of this thin book is appropriate. Anyone wishing a survey course on the history and importance of the Nicene Creed will find enough here to satisfy their curiosity.
The only caveat I have with Hahn's book is his assumption that the Nicene Creed only matters to Roman Catholics. His assumptions and conclusions are, at times, limited. What does the theology of the Nicene Creed express to those outside of the Roman Catholic faith? There was so much potential here for further exploration, for widening the scope of his study, but Hahn limits himself by being a Roman Catholic speaking to other Roman Catholics. If you're not Roman Catholic, you're interests are dismissed or ignored. You're welcome to listen to this conversation but don't assume you're part of it.
So is it worth a read? Sure--but alongside other studies and histories. Hahn provides a decent overview, but for anyone wishing to take in the breadth of the impact of the Nicene Creed across Christianity, you'll need another study.
It is likely, as we have shown, that the confessions became increasingly detailed as the Church faced new heresies. Against the docetists, it was necessary for a new Christian to state his or her belief that the Son of God was truly born, truly suffered, and truly died. Against the gnostics, it was necessary to declare one's allegiance to God as Creator of both heaven and earth and all things, visible and invisible. Against the Marcionites, it was necessary to profess that God had spoken through the prophets. Against the Arians, it was necessary to affirm that Jesus was true God from true God.
Scott Hahn's The Creed: Professing the Faith Through the Ages examines the development of the Nicene Creed as a reaction to what the Church considered heretical teachings. Hahn also examines the influence and importance of the Nicene Creed in the life of the church since. The writing is clear and the pacing of this thin book is appropriate. Anyone wishing a survey course on the history and importance of the Nicene Creed will find enough here to satisfy their curiosity.
The only caveat I have with Hahn's book is his assumption that the Nicene Creed only matters to Roman Catholics. His assumptions and conclusions are, at times, limited. What does the theology of the Nicene Creed express to those outside of the Roman Catholic faith? There was so much potential here for further exploration, for widening the scope of his study, but Hahn limits himself by being a Roman Catholic speaking to other Roman Catholics. If you're not Roman Catholic, you're interests are dismissed or ignored. You're welcome to listen to this conversation but don't assume you're part of it.
So is it worth a read? Sure--but alongside other studies and histories. Hahn provides a decent overview, but for anyone wishing to take in the breadth of the impact of the Nicene Creed across Christianity, you'll need another study.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews