Dedication Sermon
(on Reformation Sunday)
Nicene Creed
- was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary
and became truly human.
The original Greek uses only one preposition (out of) in relation to the Spirit and Mary. Both "from" in relation to Mary and "by the power of the Holy Spirit" suggest too slight a role for Mary.
In the original this is a pivotal place in linking our Lord's taking flesh and the reality of his suffering and death. It does not represent a further stage in time beyond the incarnation, but clearly spells out the meaning of the incarnation. To say "and became human" is open to misinterpretation since, in common speech, that implies a change from severity to kindness. "And became man" could should the particularity of the incarnation in a male person, Jesus, but that misrepresents what the Creed is affirming at this point.
- who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
"and the Son" was a controversial addition to the Creed. It has been left to individual churches to decide whether or not to include the words. This is not footnoted in Lutheran Book of Worship but our ecumenical relationships with Orthodox churches call for sensitivity to this issue.
- who with the Father...
who has spoken through the prophets...
This follows the original texts more closely and avoids unnecessary references to "he."
Apostles' Creed
- ...Jesus Christ, [his] God's only God,...
"his" has no counterpart in the original texts. It has been replaced by "God's" to make the meaning clear and to avoid unnecessary masculine expression.
- [He] who was conceived by [the power of] the Holy
Spirit
The relative pronoun was restored at the beginning of the line so as not to present the Creed as a series of separate statements. This led to subsequent changes in the next two lines.
[and] born of the Virgin Mary
[He] suffered under Pontius Pilate
In addition, "by the Holy Spirit" is an older, simpler, more literal form. The reference to "power" was not in the original, but was added in 1975 to dispel any notion of sexual activity. That introduced the possibility of a different misunderstanding―that the Spirit was so powerful that Mary's free consent was not necessary.
- he descended to the dead
The main problem in translating the Latin descendit ad inferna (literally "he went down to the lower regions") was what the traditional rendering "into hell" would imply to a modern congregation. It represents Sheol and has little or nothing to do with Gehenna, a place of eternal punishments and separation from God, which is what "hell" is general understood to mean. The line has been subjected to various interpretations: emphasizing the reality of Jesus' death; entering into the depth of the human condition; an abandonment by God; beginning the resurrection sequence, with our Lord proclaiming victory to the souls of the departed; doing battle with Satan. ELLC believed that "to the dead" was the least misleading version and that it allowed the same breadth of interpretation as the original. Evangelical Lutheran Worship felt it important to retain the widely used text as a footnote; in Lutheran Book of Worship, "descended to the dead" was the footnote.
- [and] he is seated at the right hand...
[He] and he will come [again] to judge...
These lines are more closely linked, making them easier to say and corresponding more closely to the original.
"Again" has been dropped since there is nothing corresponding to the original (unlike in the Nicene Creed.)
Adapted from "Evangelical Lutheran Worship: Frequently asked questions." ©2006 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. All rights reserved. Permission granted for local use in introducing Evangelical Lutheran Worship.
