Nicene Creed in Latin

The Credo is the Nicene Creed as the Western Church confesses it in Latin — the faith settled at Nicaea and Constantinople, prayed and sung for sixteen centuries. Here is the full Latin, help saying it aloud, and a clear English meaning, with a note on the one phrase — the Filioque — where the Latin parts ways with the original Greek.

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

Prayer in Latin

Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, Latin liturgical form

Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, factorem caeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium. Et in unum Dominum Iesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum, et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula. Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero, genitum, non factum, consubstantialem Patri: per quem omnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de caelis. Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est. Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato; passus et sepultus est, et resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scripturas, et ascendit in caelum, sedet ad dexteram Patris. Et iterum venturus est cum gloria, iudicare vivos et mortuos, cuius regni non erit finis. Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem: qui ex Patre Filioque procedit. Qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur: qui locutus est per prophetas. Et unam, sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum. Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum, et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen.

Transliteration

Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, factorem caeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium. Et in unum Dominum Iesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum, et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula. Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero, genitum, non factum, consubstantialem Patri.

How to say it

KRAY-doh in OO-noom DAY-oom; PAH-trem om-nee-poh-TEN-tem; fak-TOH-rem CHEH-lee et TER-ray. In Church Latin, c before ae/e/i is usually ch, and v is pronounced like English v.

What it means in English

I believe in one God, the almighty Father, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God; and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life; and one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

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

I believe in one God, the 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 and giver of life; and I confess one baptism for the remission of sins, and await the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come. Amen.

Other wordings you may see

Filioque in the Latin Creed

qui ex Patre Filioque procedit

The Latin phrase means "who proceeds from the Father and the Son." The Greek liturgical text says that the Spirit proceeds from the Father, without Filioque. This became one of the major wording disputes between Eastern and Western churches.

A few things worth knowing

  • This is the Western Latin liturgical form, not a fresh translation of the Greek council text word by word.
  • The Latin uses Credo, "I believe," matching personal liturgical recitation.
  • Consubstantialem Patri renders the Greek ὁμοούσιον τῷ Πατρί, "of one substance/being with the Father."

Credo means I believe

The Creed opens with Credo, the first-person singular: "I believe." In worship, it functions as a personal profession of the Church's common faith.

Why Filioque matters

Filioque is only one Latin word, but it changes the line about the procession of the Holy Spirit. Showing it clearly helps readers understand why Latin and Greek versions of the Creed are not identical.

Where this text comes from

We use Traditional Latin 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

What does Credo in unum Deum mean?
It means "I believe in one God." Credo means "I believe," unum means "one," and Deum means "God."
Does the Latin Nicene Creed include Filioque?
Yes. The Western Latin form includes Filioque, "and the Son," in the line about the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father.
Is this the Apostles' Creed?
No. This is the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, longer and more doctrinally detailed than the Apostles' Creed.