What is the Apostles’ Creed?

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
      creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
      who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
      and born of the virgin Mary.
      He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
      was crucified, died, and was buried;
      he descended to hell.
      The third day he rose again from the dead.
      He ascended to heaven
      and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
      From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
      the holy catholic church,
      the communion of saints,
      the forgiveness of sins,
      the resurrection of the body,
      and the life everlasting. Amen.

—The Apostles’ Creed (derived from the work of the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD)

The Apostles’ Creed is recited in many Christian churches as part of their Sunday liturgy. The creed is a historic summary of the precepts of orthodox Christianity. I learned it in Methodist confirmation classes and weekly worship services.

Over the next few months, I thought it would be interesting to work through the creed piece by piece, and to explain what it means to me and why I hold to its claims.

I think it’ll be an interesting project and I hope it helps those of you curious about Christianity to understand what this faith is all about.