Nicene Creed in Greek

The Nicene Creed was first shaped in Greek, and the Greek form still matters because several later Latin wordings do not line up exactly. Below is the Greek liturgical text with a pronunciation guide, English meaning, and notes on Πιστεύω versus Πιστεύομεν and the absence of Filioque.

Working with a passage of your own? Koine Greek translator translates Koine Greek both ways.

Prayer in Koine Greek

Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, Greek liturgical form

Πιστεύω εἰς ἕνα Θεόν, Πατέρα, Παντοκράτορα, ποιητὴν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς, ὁρατῶν τε πάντων καὶ ἀοράτων. Καὶ εἰς ἕνα Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ, τὸν ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς γεννηθέντα πρὸ πάντων τῶν αἰώνων· φῶς ἐκ φωτός, Θεὸν ἀληθινὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ ἀληθινοῦ, γεννηθέντα οὐ ποιηθέντα, ὁμοούσιον τῷ Πατρί, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο· τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν κατελθόντα ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν καὶ σαρκωθέντα ἐκ Πνεύματος Ἁγίου καὶ Μαρίας τῆς Παρθένου καὶ ἐνανθρωπήσαντα· σταυρωθέντα τε ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου, καὶ παθόντα καὶ ταφέντα· καὶ ἀναστάντα τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ κατὰ τὰς Γραφάς· καὶ ἀνελθόντα εἰς τοὺς οὐρανούς, καὶ καθεζόμενον ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ Πατρός· καὶ πάλιν ἐρχόμενον μετὰ δόξης κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς· οὗ τῆς βασιλείας οὐκ ἔσται τέλος. Καὶ εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον, τὸ Κύριον, τὸ ζωοποιόν, τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐκπορευόμενον, τὸ σὺν Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ συμπροσκυνούμενον καὶ συνδοξαζόμενον, τὸ λαλῆσαν διὰ τῶν προφητῶν. Εἰς μίαν, ἁγίαν, καθολικὴν καὶ ἀποστολικὴν Ἐκκλησίαν. Ὁμολογῶ ἓν βάπτισμα εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν. Προσδοκῶ ἀνάστασιν νεκρῶν. Καὶ ζωὴν τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος. Ἀμήν.

Transliteration

Pisteuo eis hena Theon, Patera, Pantokratora, poieten ouranou kai ges, horaton te panton kai aoraton. Kai eis hena Kyrion Iesoun Christon, ton Huion tou Theou ton monogene, ton ek tou Patros gennethenta pro panton ton aionon. Kai eis to Pneuma to Hagion, to Kyrion, to zoopoion, to ek tou Patros ekporeuomenon.

How to say it

pees-TEV-oh ees HEH-nah theh-ON; pah-TEH-rah pahn-toh-KRAH-toh-rah. KY-ree-on ee-ay-SOON khrees-TON. For liturgical Greek, ευ often sounds like ev/ef depending on the following consonant.

What it means in English

I believe in one God, Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ; and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father.

The familiar wording (Literal public-domain-style rendering):

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ; and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father; and in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. Amen.

Other wordings you may see

Conciliar plural opening

Πιστεύομεν εἰς ἕνα Θεόν

The council form uses the plural "we believe." The Byzantine liturgical recitation commonly uses Πιστεύω, "I believe."

No Filioque in the Greek line

τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐκπορευόμενον

The Greek says the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. It does not include the Latin Filioque, "and the Son."

A few things worth knowing

  • The Greek liturgical text is shown with Πιστεύω, the singular form used in worship; the older conciliar form uses Πιστεύομεν.
  • The Greek text does not contain Filioque.
  • The word καθολικὴν here means universal or according-to-the-whole in the Creedal phrase, not simply a modern denominational label.

Πιστεύω or Πιστεύομεν?

Both forms are important. Πιστεύομεν, "we believe," reflects the council's corporate confession. Πιστεύω, "I believe," is the personal liturgical form many worshipers hear and recite.

The Holy Spirit line

The phrase τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐκπορευόμενον is the line at the heart of the Filioque discussion. The Greek wording says "who proceeds from the Father."

Where this text comes from

We use Traditional Greek liturgical text of the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, a public-domain edition, so the wording here is stable and free to read, copy, and share. You can check the source for yourself.

More prayers and verses in their original languages

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the Nicene Creed start in Greek?
The liturgical form begins Πιστεύω εἰς ἕνα Θεόν, meaning "I believe in one God." The conciliar form begins Πιστεύομεν, "we believe."
Does the Greek Nicene Creed have Filioque?
No. The Greek text says the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and does not add "and the Son."
What does ὁμοούσιον mean?
It means "of the same substance" or "of one being," used of the Son in relation to the Father.