The Nicene Creed and Luther’s Credal Hymn

Absract: Next year will be a centennial of the Council of Nicea (325), which, together with the First Council of Constantinople (381), created what we know as the Nicene Creed. This year also marks the quincentennial of Martin Luther’s credal hymn “We All Believe in One True God.” Luther used the opening line and tune of a late medieval hymn, reflecting both the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed. His hymn accurately summarized the credal results of the councils of Nicea and Constantinople, as declaring the divinity of Christ and the Holy Spirit. This article explores these histories along with the translations of Luther’s hymn into English, especially with regard to the divinity of the Holy Spirit.