What is the filioque?

It is the Latin phrase “and the Son” added to the Nicene Creed’s statement that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. Western churches use it. Eastern Orthodox churches do not, and it was one of the disputes behind the Great Schism of 1054.

Do Eastern Orthodox Christians use a different creed?

They recite the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, the same text most Christians use, without “and the Son”. They do not use the Apostles’ Creed in their liturgy.

Who wrote the Apostles’ Creed?

Not the apostles. It developed from early Roman baptismal confessions, though it summarizes what the apostles taught.

Why do the Oriental Orthodox churches differ from the Eastern Orthodox?

They did not accept the Council of Chalcedon’s 451 definition of Christ’s two natures, and have remained a separate family of churches since then.

The Christian Creeds, and Where the Traditions Differ in Belief

Most Christians recite the same creed. The differences begin with one added phrase and extend to how many sacraments there are and who the Church can call a saint.

The Nicene Creed, the creed almost everyone shares

The Council of Nicaea in 325 produced a statement of faith against the teaching of Arius, who denied that the Son is fully God. The text recited today is longer. It is called the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed because it is traditionally tied to the Council of Constantinople in 381, which expanded the section on the Holy Spirit. It confesses one God, the Father almighty; one Lord Jesus Christ, “begotten, not made, of one being with the Father”; and the Holy Spirit, “the Lord and giver of life.” The Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran and many Reformed churches all use it in worship.

The filioque: one word that divided East and West

The creed says the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father.” In the Latin West the words “and the Son” (filioque) were added, first in Spain in the sixth century, later spreading through the Frankish church, and eventually used in Rome itself around the early eleventh century. Eastern Orthodox churches object on two grounds. They say the Spirit’s source is the Father alone, and they hold that no church had the right to change the text of an ecumenical council on its own. Catholics answer that the addition expresses the same truth, and the Catholic Church allows the Eastern churches in communion with Rome to omit it. The Eastern Orthodox churches therefore recite the same creed as everyone else, simply without those three words. It is one of the points behind the Great Schism of 1054.

The Apostles’ and Athanasian creeds are Western

The Apostles’ Creed grew out of the baptismal questions of the early Roman church. The old story that each apostle contributed a line is a legend, though the creed summarizes apostolic teaching. It is used by Catholics and by most Protestant churches, but it is not part of the Eastern Orthodox liturgy. The Athanasian Creed is a Latin text from the fifth or sixth century, not written by Athanasius, which spells out the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation at length. It includes the filioque and is used in Western churches only, and in practice rarely.

Chalcedon, and why the Oriental Orthodox stand apart

In 451 the Council of Chalcedon defined that Christ is one person in two natures, divine and human. Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and most Protestant churches accept this. The Oriental Orthodox churches, including the Coptic, Armenian, Syriac, Eritrean and Ethiopian, did not. They affirm Christ’s full divinity and full humanity, and the Nicene Creed, but prefer the formula of one united nature, and they developed separately from that point. Modern dialogue between churches has found much of the disagreement to be over wording, but the churches remain distinct communions.

Other points of belief

Some other points where the traditions differ
Topic	Protestant	Catholic	Orthodox (Eastern and Oriental)
Sacraments	Usually two: baptism and the Lord's Supper	Seven	Seven “mysteries”, though the number is less rigidly fixed
Communion	Views range from a memorial to a real spiritual presence	Transubstantiation: bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ	Real presence, without a defined mechanism
Authority of the pope	Not recognized	Universal jurisdiction	Honor among bishops, not universal jurisdiction
Mary and the saints	Mary honored; prayers to saints generally rejected	Veneration of Mary and the saints, with intercession	Veneration and intercession; icons are central to worship
Salvation	By grace through faith (justification as a declaration)	Grace working through faith, the sacraments and love	Union with God (theosis); emphasis on a lifelong healing

These are summaries. Protestant churches differ widely among themselves, and the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches do not agree on every point either.

Churches without creeds

Not every Christian tradition recites a creed. Many Baptist, Pentecostal and non-denominational churches hold to “no creed but the Bible,” and use statements of faith instead. Most of them still affirm the Trinity and the deity of Christ in the Nicene sense. For how the traditions read the Bible itself, see our guide to Scripture and tradition.

Common questions

What is the filioque?: It is the Latin phrase “and the Son” added to the Nicene Creed’s statement that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. Western churches use it. Eastern Orthodox churches do not, and it was one of the disputes behind the Great Schism of 1054.
Do Eastern Orthodox Christians use a different creed?: They recite the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, the same text most Christians use, without “and the Son”. They do not use the Apostles’ Creed in their liturgy.
Who wrote the Apostles’ Creed?: Not the apostles. It developed from early Roman baptismal confessions, though it summarizes what the apostles taught.
Why do the Oriental Orthodox churches differ from the Eastern Orthodox?: They did not accept the Council of Chalcedon’s 451 definition of Christ’s two natures, and have remained a separate family of churches since then.