Saturday, May 19, 2012

Creeds

"Formal fixed Christian creeds began to appear only in the 3rd and 4th century, but they have their roots in biblical statements of faith. . . .
     "In the NT there is the simple creedal acclamation:  'Jesus is Lord' (1 Cor 12:3, Phil 2:11). . . . In 1 Cor 15:3-7 is a statement with four elements:  Christ died, was buried, was raised, and appeared to believers. . . ."
     "Such formulations, with their poetic rhythms, were used in liturgical contexts. . . ."

     Barbara E. Reid, "Creed," in The new interpreter's dictionary of the Bible, ed. Katharine Doob Sakenfeld (Nashville, TN:  Abingdon Press, 2006), vol. 1, p. 789.