Beatrice begins by requesting that Dante be given some small portion of the heavenly banquet to refresh his longing soul. The spirits whirl and glow brightly to show their happiness with such a request, and one light, brighter than all the rest, emerges to speak with her. This is St. Peter, and Beatrice requests that he examine Dante on his faith. Dante prepares himself as a university student might, organizing his thoughts before the examination begins. St. Peter then engages Dante, asking him several questions about faith, the nature of faith, Dante’s own faith, where he got it, what it means to him to possess it, and what proof he can show of it. Then, having successfully answered St. Peter’s questions, the spirits sing out in joy. Peter finishes the examination by asking Dante to make his own personal profession of faith. This Dante does, and St. Peter joins the rest of the spirits there in rejoicing and praise at Dante’s success.
(To read a footnote, click the number in the text. To come back from a footnote, click the up arrow at the note number.)
“O you blessed ones chosen to partake of the heavenly banquet where the Lamb of God satisfies all your needs,” Beatrice began, “since by God’s grace this man has been given a foretaste of what falls from your table before he dies, consider his great thirst and give him a few precious drops of what you drink forever from that fountain which is the very Source of his thoughts.”[1]In her request to the Saints (still present from the Triumphal scene in the previous canto), Beatrice asks that, because Dante has been granted a unique privilege of a foretaste of Heaven, and … Continue reading
Hearing her request, those souls rejoiced and began to spin in circles, looking like great flaming comets. And as the gears and wheels within a clock all move, one appearing almost still and another flying by comparison, so those whirling souls danced at different speeds showing me the variations of their bliss.[2]As we have seen in other parts of the Paradiso, the souls here flame and spin to express their happiness in fulfilling Beatrice’s request on behalf of Dante. The variations in their collective … Continue reading
Then from one of those spinning souls there came a brilliant light that surpassed the brightness of all the rest. It flew around Beatrice three times singing to music so beautiful my memory fails to recall it. And once again I must leave a gap here in my record because there are times when neither words nor fantasy suffice to paint the subtlety of Heaven’s light.[3]Beatrice’s request is now answered by a soul, flaming brighter than all the rest and singing so beautifully that, once again, it’s beyond the power of Dante’s memory to recall it. … Continue reading
“O my holy sister,” said that circling spirit when he stopped before her, “your loving prayer summons me from among these other illustrious souls.”
And she replied to him: “O light of that great man to whom Our Lord gave the keys of this realm of Paradise, I ask that you examine this man with questions major and minor about faith – the faith that once enabled you to walk upon the sea. If love, hope, and faith truly live within him, you will know it because you look eternally on that place where everything that happens is clearly seen. Since those who live in this realm of ours were filled with true faith, it is fitting that you discuss it with him.”[4]With two clear references to the Gospels, but without naming him, it’s clear that St. Peter himself has come forward to answer Beatrice’s request that he examine Dante on the subject of Faith. … Continue reading
Hearing them speak thus, I became like a student preparing to be examined by his master who has not yet framed the key question. I armed myself with thoughts and arguments so that I would be ready to answer such a master about such a creed.[5]Using a university image here from his own time (and, perhaps, his own experience), Dante likens himself to a graduating student in theology preparing himself for an oral examination with a variety … Continue reading
“Good Christian, speak now and make your solemn declaration: What is Faith?”
I first raised my eyes to gaze upon the light who questioned me, and then I turned toward Beatrice, whose face told me to let out all the answers that were waiting to pour forth from my soul. And so I began: “I pray that He Who has brought me to profess my faith before His high centurion may grant that my thoughts be well-ordered and articulate.” Continuing, I made my answer: “Holy father, as your brother Paul wrote – he who along with you brought the true faith to Rome: ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things we cannot see.’ This I propose is the essence of faith.”[6]Knowing that Dante is a man of deep faith, St. Peter’s question is direct and precise. As we have seen in previous cantos, Dante is often ready to speak but waits for a cue from Beatrice. Answering … Continue reading
St. Peter replied: “Your answer is correct; but do you understand why Faith is first classified as being at the foundation and only then is it evidence?”[7]St. Peter goes deeper here, asking Dante to explain the terms he used in his (St. Paul’s) definition. In other words, how is faith the “substance” of hope and the “evidence” for things we … Continue reading
I answered: “The profound things that in this heavenly realm show themselves to me clearly cannot be seen that way by men on earth, and so they reside only in belief. And on the basis of this belief is hope built. One might say that it is the foundation of hope by its very nature. From this belief, we on earth create logical proofs for what we cannot see naturally, and these become the evidence of our faith.”[8]Charles Singleton quotes C.H. Grandgent in his commentary here:“But why, demands St. Peter, did St. Paul call Faith first a ‘substance’ and then an ‘evidence’? The eternal … Continue reading
He then replied: “If everything else on earth were grasped so well by mortals, there would be no need for clever sophistry.” And then he added: “You have explored well the alloy and the weight of this coin of faith. But tell me, do you carry this coin in your purse?”
“Oh, yes, I do carry it. It is precious to me and I do not doubt its quality.”[9]That St. Peter speaks out of his “glowing brilliance” assures Dante and us that the Poet is not simply speaking with another mortal. And seeing that Dante cut to the heart of the matter in his … Continue reading
Then from within his brilliant light came these words: “This priceless gem, foundation of all the other virtues, where did you get it?”
And I answered: “The Word inspired by God’s Holy Spirit as found in the two Testaments – this for me makes Faith an absolute certainty, apart from which any other proof would be shallow.”[10]Students preparing for their theological examinations in Dante’s time would have read and studied both Testaments thoroughly and presented biblical texts as part of their response to the Master’s … Continue reading
“These Testaments – Old and New – upon which you place such certainty, how do you know they contain the holy Word of God?” he asked.
And I said: “The only proof I need is in the works that followed: miracles. These are not the work of Nature, which has neither the means nor the ability to produce them.”[11]St. Peter’s next question seems almost absurd to a Christian who, without thinking further, would have no doubt that the Bible contains the Word of God. A better way to get at what he is asking, … Continue reading
“Then tell me,” he asked, “how do you even know that such works ever happened? The proof you rely on needs more proof itself.”
“I need no further proof than this:” I replied, “if the world turned to Christianity without the help of miracles that is the greatest miracle of all. You yourself went into the field poor and hungry to sow the seed of faith that once grew as a lovely vine but is now a thorn bush.”[12]As we get closer to the end of the examination, St. Peter seems to have caught Dante in a circular argument, using as proof what still has to be proved. In order to escape the trap he seems to have … Continue reading
With that final answer, the choirs of saints sang out the great hymn Te Deum laudamus that echoed throughout the spheres in music one only hears in Heaven. But once again did that holy Baron speak, who had examined my faith and led me branch by branch close to the top of the tree: “The grace of God has empowered your mind and lips to respond correctly, and I approve of all you said. But before your examination is complete, profess your creed to me now and tell me clearly what is the source of your belief.”[13]Even before St. Peter (the “holy Baron”) announces that Dante has successfully passed his examination in faith, all the heavenly choirs break forth in the great hymn of praise, the Te Deum (“We … Continue reading)
Before I started, I said to him: “O holy father, O spirit who now sees the fulfillment of the faith that led you to the tomb – though one younger than you arrived there first – you ask me to show you the substance of my unwavering faith and what is the source from which it flows.”[14]St. Peter’s faith in Jesus, climaxed at the Resurrection, is celebrated here in Heaven where he enjoys the fullest possible union with his Master.The reference to the “tomb” here is an account … Continue reading And so I began: “I believe in one God alone, Who is eternal and unmoved. His love and desire give motion to all things within the universe.[15]One can clearly see here the monotheistic foundation of the faith and echoes of Aristotle’s concept of the “unmoved mover.” This one, eternal God, creates and animates the universe through love. My faith stands not only on the proofs of philosophy and science but upon the truth that came down from this realm through Moses, the Prophets, the Psalms, the holy Gospels, and through letters penned by you dictated by God’s Holy Spirit.[16]His confession of faith is based not only on philosophy and science, but one can read here echoes of his earlier affirmation of faith in the two Testaments of the Bible. The mention of Moses, the … Continue reading I believe in three eternal Persons, they are a single Essence that is both One and Three, equally is and are.[17]Dante’s affirmation of the Trinity is both brief and fascinating because he explains the equality of the Persons by using both the verb forms for singular and plural: the Persons of the Trinity are … Continue reading I am convinced of these truths because they are clearly found in the Gospel – which is the source, the spark that kindles them into a living flame that enlightens my mind like a star in the heavens.”[18]In the end, Dante’s creed is based on the truths of the Gospels (one can understand here the entire New Testament) where he finds the fullest presentation of the truths that both enlighten him and … Continue reading
When I finished, his delight was hardly to be contained. He who had encouraged me to speak when I was silent, now circled around me three times as he sang his praises and blessings over me.[19]St. Peter (the examination Master) can barely contain himself for joy at Dante’s successful passage of his first examination that, as a symbol of the Trinity of whom the Poet just spoke, he circles … Continue reading
The Te Deum[20]The Te Deum We praise you, O God;we acknowledge you as Lord.All the earth worships you,the everlasting Father.To you all angels cry aloud,the heavens and all the powers within them.The cherubim … Continue reading
The Apostles’ Creed[21]The Apostles’ Creed (There have been several versions of the Christian Creed created over the centuries formulated by various Church Councils or Fathers of the Church. The Apostles’ Creed is … Continue reading
Notes & Commentary
| ↑1 | In her request to the Saints (still present from the Triumphal scene in the previous canto), Beatrice asks that, because Dante has been granted a unique privilege of a foretaste of Heaven, and because of his own hunger for even more heavenly experience, he be granted some share in the same eternal banquet they themselves feast on. At the same time, her words clearly echo some of the greatest and oldest themes in both the Jewish and Christian traditions. The Prophet Isaiah (25:6) speaks of God preparing a rich banquet for His people. Jesus uses banquet imagery in some of his parables. The Book of Revelation (19:9) speaks of the marriage supper of the Lamb of God. And there is the Last Supper at which Jesus bequeaths to His disciples and all His followers His very body and blood as the heavenly food of the Eucharist. In St. John’s Gospel (6:35), He states, “I am the bread of life: he who comes to me shall never hunger.” When she speaks of “a foretaste of what falls from your table,” she is using an image from St. Matthew’s Gospel (15:21-28) where Jesus encounters the Syrophoenician woman who begs him to heal her daughter who is tormented by a demon. As a Gentile, he tells her that it is not right to give the children’s food to dogs (a seemingly harsh retort to this woman referring to his ministry of preaching and healing to the Jewish people). But the great significance of this story is the woman’s response showing her deep faith: “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” And Jesus, moved by her bold faith, did as she asked and healed her daughter. Beatrice, of course, doesn’t need to rely on faith here. She knows that her request is already in line with the divine plan that has brought Dante on this journey. Note also that Dante had probably finished writing his philosophical treatise called Il Convivio (The Banquet) shortly before he began writing the Inferno (ca. 1307). This was intended as a kind of philosophical or intellectual banquet, sharing the “bread of wisdom” with his educated readers. |
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| ↑2 | As we have seen in other parts of the Paradiso, the souls here flame and spin to express their happiness in fulfilling Beatrice’s request on behalf of Dante. The variations in their collective movements remind the Poet of the wheels and gears of a mechanical clock. A sense of harmony underlies this image: they all move at different speeds, but are still part of the one clock. And as we learn from his description (as with earlier ones), the flaming and spinning and whirling are direct evidence of the differences in these souls’ bliss. Though the direct connection between a mechanical clock and the cosmos will still be current some three hundred years in the future, Dante subtly presents the orderly workings of the cosmos as a grand piece of clockwork with all its moving parts operating in perfect synchrony as directed by the Divine Intelligence. Dante was most likely writing the Paradiso during the years 1315-1320 and, given this description, though they were still somewhat of a novelty, he probably saw the workings of a mechanical clock in operation. At the time, these, most likely, would have been in towers in monasteries or some central place in a town or city. Instead of a clock face, the mechanism, powered by falling weights, would have rung a bell or bells. |
| ↑3 | Beatrice’s request is now answered by a soul, flaming brighter than all the rest and singing so beautifully that, once again, it’s beyond the power of Dante’s memory to recall it. Apologetically, he tells the Reader he must leave another gap in his narrative. What he sees and hears is beyond both words and fantasy. That this brilliant soul then circles around Beatrice three times almost surely symbolizes the Trinity. Many commentators take note of Dante’s reference to painting here. Comparing what he sees to a painting, he explains that his words are not able to convey the subtle shadings of the scene before him. And Robert Martinez, in his commentary here, speaks of Dante’s “…remarkable allusion to the new style of painting (Dante almost certainly has Giotto in mind here), whose techniques of mixing colors allowed unprecedented subtlety in the depiction of flesh and clothes with a delicacy of nuance that is indescribable in words.” |
| ↑4 | With two clear references to the Gospels, but without naming him, it’s clear that St. Peter himself has come forward to answer Beatrice’s request that he examine Dante on the subject of Faith. This will be the first of three examinations. Upcoming will be examinations in Hope and then Love. All the souls in Heaven gained admittance by the practice of these three virtues, so it is appropriate that Dante, now on the threshold of the Empyrean, show evidence of his understanding of them so that he can proceed to the end of his journey. In the Gospel of St. Matthew (16:13) Jesus had asked His disciples: “Who do people say that I am?” Peter replied (v16): “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied (16:18–19): “I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” As for Peter’s faith, the Gospel takes us to an earlier scene where he lost his faith temporarily. Again, the story is told in St. Matthew’s Gospel (14:25-33): “During the fourth watch of the night, Jesus came toward them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost,’ they said, and they cried out in fear. At once he spoke to them, ‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Peter said to him in reply, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’” In light of his experience, then, Beatrice asks St. Peter to examine Dante in Faith, knowing that he will determine to what extent the Poet possesses this virtue, along with its companion virtues, hope and love. |
| ↑5 | Using a university image here from his own time (and, perhaps, his own experience), Dante likens himself to a graduating student in theology preparing himself for an oral examination with a variety of ideas and arguments in advance of questions his master – in this case, St. Peter – has not yet stated. Nowadays, this scenario is somewhat similar for doctoral candidates who, having followed a prescribed course of studies and then written a dissertation, bring their work to completion with a “defense,” during which their master, along with other faculty members, proposes questions and leads a discussion about the candidate’s work, giving the student the opportunity to show his/her grasp of the subject to their satisfaction. Upon the successful completion of the defense, the candidate is awarded the doctoral degree. In Dante’s time, the master would propose one or more key questions to which the candidate would respond, not with answers, but with a series of arguments, pro and con, relative to the question. If other scholars were present, they might participate in a debate or offer other considerations. In the end, and having considered all the arguments, the master would then make a definitive answer to the original question posed. In his commentary here, Ronald Martinez notes that Dante’s examination by St. Peter will have five parts: (a) the definition of faith; (b) explanation of the key terms of the definition; (c) the pilgrim’s possession of faith; (d) the rational ground of the pilgrim’s faith; and (e) the specific “form” of his faith and its source. |
| ↑6 | Knowing that Dante is a man of deep faith, St. Peter’s question is direct and precise. As we have seen in previous cantos, Dante is often ready to speak but waits for a cue from Beatrice. Answering the “high centurion” (of the Church, St. Peter), his first words are a prayer to God who has brought him to this point, asking that his answers be clear and precise. In Dante’s Italian here, he refers to St. Peter, not as a centurion, but as a primipilo (the primus pilus, literally, the “first spear”). In the military hierarchy of Roman Legions this was the chief centurion, a high-ranking officer. Interestingly, Dante’s answer is actually a line taken from the Letter to the Hebrews believed, in Dante’s time, to have been written by St. Paul (who, by the way, never appears in the Paradiso). St. Peter did not write about faith in his letters. But since the context here is an academic one, Dante probably also had St. Thomas’s comment in his Summa Theologiae on St. Paul’s definition in mind: “Accordingly, it must be said that faith is a habit of the mind by which eternal life is begun in us, causing the intellect to assent to things that are not apparent” (II-II, q. 4, a. 1, co.). He ends using Scholastic terminology (sua quiditate, its quiddity), meaning the distinguishing nature of a thing, that which makes it what it is and not something else. |
| ↑7 | St. Peter goes deeper here, asking Dante to explain the terms he used in his (St. Paul’s) definition. In other words, how is faith the “substance” of hope and the “evidence” for things we cannot see. |
| ↑8 | Charles Singleton quotes C.H. Grandgent in his commentary here: “But why, demands St. Peter, did St. Paul call Faith first a ‘substance’ and then an ‘evidence’? The eternal Heavenly life, replies Dante, is beyond the perception of mortals and, for them, exists only in their belief; hence Faith, from the human point of view, is the material, or substance, of which the hoped-for joys consist. Moreover, while in ordinary matters we argue from proved facts, in religion we use as our basis for further reasoning a belief; and so Faith, in theological questions, takes the place which in worldly syllogisms is taken by evidence.” As he continues his explanation, Dante reminds St. Peter that here in Heaven he (Dante) has the privilege of seeing “profound things” clearly which, to mortals, simply cannot be seen the same way. In a sense, he’s explaining that Faith is the mortal or human equivalent of reason. In spiritual or theological matters it operates as reason does in philosophical or scientific matters. H.F. Tozer, in his commentary here offers this explanation: “Heavenly mysteries cannot be known on earth by sight, but are discerned by faith only; and as hope is founded on this, faith is the substance, or foundation, of things hoped for. It is also the proof of things unseen, because we are justified in arguing from faith in matters where sight is unavailing.” |
| ↑9 | That St. Peter speaks out of his “glowing brilliance” assures Dante and us that the Poet is not simply speaking with another mortal. And seeing that Dante cut to the heart of the matter in his explanation, St. Peter gives him a significant compliment. At the same time, he wants to know if Dante actually possesses the faith he’s just defined and explained. Or, like so much sophistry, were his words just describing a counterfeit faith. Thus the image of the coin. But without hesitation, the Poet answers in the affirmative. |
| ↑10 | Students preparing for their theological examinations in Dante’s time would have read and studied both Testaments thoroughly and presented biblical texts as part of their response to the Master’s question(s). In this instance, Dante knows the Word of God so well that it has become the chief foundation of his faith (not to mention that, as he notes, faith is the foundation of all the other virtues). Proofs from any other source, as he says, would be shallow. |
| ↑11 | St. Peter’s next question seems almost absurd to a Christian who, without thinking further, would have no doubt that the Bible contains the Word of God. A better way to get at what he is asking, though, might be to re-phrase the question slightly: “Why do you believe that the Old and New Testaments are the word of God?” Or, a further way to put the question would be: “What’s your reason for believing that Scripture is the Word of God?” To this, Dante has a ready answer: the miracles recorded in Scripture are beyond the power of Nature to accomplish. |
| ↑12 | As we get closer to the end of the examination, St. Peter seems to have caught Dante in a circular argument, using as proof what still has to be proved. In order to escape the trap he seems to have caught himself in, Dante needs to jump away from inside Scripture itself to something else, and that is what he will do in his answer. (Stepping away for a moment, this is the kind of predicament a degree candidate would want to avoid.) Asking his final question here is the Master’s (St. Peter’s) way of determining whether the candidate recognizes what he’s got himself into and whether he will be able to recover. But Dante is ready. He has used miracles within the Bible as proof for why he has faith, but St. Peter wants more than that. Dante’s reply, which he claims is an even greater miracle, is the very existence of Christianity, preached initially by men (the Apostles) who were literally nobodies, but accepted by those who believed, not because of its miracles but because of its truth. Not only this, Dante uses St. Peter (the examination Master himself) as an example! In his First Letter to the Corinthians (1:26-29), St. Paul makes the case here: “Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God.” And in De Civitate Dei (XXII,v) St. Augustine writes: “This one grand miracle suffices for us, that the whole world has believed without any miracles.” Finally, notice that Dante doesn’t miss an opportunity to call out the corruption in the Church of his day by referring to it as a “thorn bush” compared to the lovely vine it was when St. Peter planted it. |
| ↑13 | Even before St. Peter (the “holy Baron”) announces that Dante has successfully passed his examination in faith, all the heavenly choirs break forth in the great hymn of praise, the Te Deum (“We praise you, O God; we acknowledge you as Lord.”). As though in celebration of Dante’s achievement, it echoes throughout the entire cosmos. This ancient hymn of praise, still used by the Church on solemn occasions, was anonymously composed in the late fourth century. There is a wonderful legend, most likely apocryphal, that when St. Ambrose baptized St. Augustine in Milan at the Easter Vigil Liturgy in the year 387, both men, inspired by God, spontaneously sang this hymn back and forth verse by verse. (The text of this lovely hymn will be found at the end of the notes for this canto.) Recall that this is not the first time Dante has heard this hymn on his journey. He first heard it sung when he entered the Gate of Purgatory at the end of Canto 9 in the Purgatorio. Dante’s use of the image of a tree for his examination, where St. Peter has led him, branch by branch toward the top, indicates that there was probably more to the examination (the whole tree) and that the branches (the actual questions St. Peter asked) were more like subject headings which would have been filled out in the ensuing discussion. And when St. Peter congratulates him, first attributing his success to the grace of God, as though to put the finishing touch on his examination, he asks Dante to recite the Creed. This is a formal prayer of belief containing in summary form all the major doctrines of the Christian faith. It is usually said by the congregation at the mid-point of the Liturgy for Sundays and major feasts. (“The Apostles’ Creed,” the basic version of the Christian Creed, is included here following the notes for this canto. |
| ↑14 | St. Peter’s faith in Jesus, climaxed at the Resurrection, is celebrated here in Heaven where he enjoys the fullest possible union with his Master. The reference to the “tomb” here is an account of the Resurrection in the Gospel of St. John (20:3-8): “So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.” |
| ↑15 | One can clearly see here the monotheistic foundation of the faith and echoes of Aristotle’s concept of the “unmoved mover.” This one, eternal God, creates and animates the universe through love. |
| ↑16 | His confession of faith is based not only on philosophy and science, but one can read here echoes of his earlier affirmation of faith in the two Testaments of the Bible. The mention of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms comes directly from Jesus’ words in the Gospel of St. Luke (24:44): “‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.’” Dante adds the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament, as well. |
| ↑17 | Dante’s affirmation of the Trinity is both brief and fascinating because he explains the equality of the Persons by using both the verb forms for singular and plural: the Persons of the Trinity are both “is” and “are.” Either verb suffices for them all. |
| ↑18 | In the end, Dante’s creed is based on the truths of the Gospels (one can understand here the entire New Testament) where he finds the fullest presentation of the truths that both enlighten him and bind him to the Trinity. And in the First Letter of John (5:7) we read: “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.” If the New Testament is Dante’s compass, this passage points to true North. |
| ↑19 | St. Peter (the examination Master) can barely contain himself for joy at Dante’s successful passage of his first examination that, as a symbol of the Trinity of whom the Poet just spoke, he circles around him three times, singing, praising, and blessing. |
| ↑20 | The Te Deum
We praise you, O God; Christ, you are the King of glory, Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance. |
| ↑21 | The Apostles’ Creed
(There have been several versions of the Christian Creed created over the centuries formulated by various Church Councils or Fathers of the Church. The Apostles’ Creed is the most basic formulation of the Christian faith and is sometimes used in the Liturgy. The version most often used in the Liturgy is called the Nicene Creed, formulated at the Council of Nicaea in 325 and later revised at the Council of Constantinople in 381.) I believe in God, the Father Almighty, And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, I believe in the Holy Spirit, |