Jaroslav Pelikan on “the need for creeds”
Jaroslav Pelikan
This morning, American Public Media’s “Speaking of Faith” replayed an interview with the late, great Jaroslav Pelikan on creeds and how they function within religious belief. Excellent stuff. One of Pelikan’s last big projects before his death resulted in the book Credo.
Pelikan once came up with one of the all-time great quotes on this subject: “Tradition is the living faith of the dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.”
Two things strike me about creeds. One, they contain a sparkling minimalism. When you think of all the volumes of Christian theology written over the centuries, the Christian creeds are exceptionally short summaries of belief. That minimalism is even more true of the Jewish shema or Islam’s shahadah.
Two, their spoken power has a poetic resonance. When I listen and speak the Apostles Creed, I hear a unique poetic rhythm at work. Creeds are meant to be sung.
Travis Scholl, 35, is managing editor of theological publications at Concordia Seminary. A graduate of Yale Divinity School (MDiv), he is an ordained Lutheran minister. Despite some time away, he and his wife are native St. Louisans, as is the child they are now raising. 
I find the Lord’s Prayer - the Our Father - to be inspirational because it contains an expressed desire to be with God. For me, it sums up christianity better than the Apostles or Nicene creeds. I think, because the Lord’s Prayer is inspirational, it has been set to music. Creeds seem to be an unemotional statement of one’s beliefs. I have never heard a musical version of the Apostles Creed.
I read once,that the word creed comes from the Latin “credo”. The “cre” means heart, “do” means to place. It makes sense that our creeds would be poetic. Things “of the heart” are more easily manifested into art forms than rational psychic functions.
I remember back in my youth that the choir at my home church spent months learning the Schubert Mass in G, which of course included a sung Credo. We learned it. In Latin. Quite a feat for a bunch of protestants
As far as the Apostle’s creed? I don’t know if it’s been set to music or not. I think it could be.
And yet, the creeds ARE important. As are the catechisms. I do appreciate the difference between Tradition and Traditionalism. I can’t think of Tradition without hearing Topol singing “Tradition” in Fiddler….
I agree; saying the Shema is an experience that draws us closer to God. It’s what we need every day
Nessa
FYI… Fixed the link to the “Speaking of Faith” Pelikan interview. Sorry about that.
CORRECTION: I just changed the above to reflect the fact that “Speaking of Faith” is produced by American Public Media (APM) and not National Public Radio (NPR). It is broadcast locally on KWMU 90.7FM, Sunday mornings, 10:00-11:00.
Again, apologies.
The Apostles Creed, as a part of the Roman Catholic Mass, is indeed set to music. Try researching Plain Chant, or Gregorian chant, initially from centuries ago. Originally sung without accompaniement by members of religious orders and monks, since set to organ.
The ‘Credo’ pronounces the articles of faith.
To expand on my original response: As someone who comes out of the Reformed tradition (Presbyterian), the Creeds and Confessions are a vital part of my understanding of Faith. These statements of faith, some short and succinct, (the creeds), and some quite involved and detailed (the confessions) are all important. Not just as historical documents, but as particular and powerful statements of what Faith is calling for the believers to do.
Remembering back to my youth, in the early 1970’s, many Presbyterian Churches made banners that contained much of the symbolism of the major Confessions, and a worship service was created around them. I’m sure some churches still have the banners somewhere in their attics or storerooms. As a learning tool, they were incredibly valuable. At at least one was really uncomfortable to look at…but was was very, very necessary. I’m thinking of the document known as the Theological Declaration of Barmen, in which the Reformed Church took a powerful stand against Naziism…and several of it’s signatories, including Dietrich Bonhoeffer, died for it.
Picture a stark white background with a red flame running across the bottom. A cross stands in the flames. Above the cross is a swastika, with a St. Andrew’s cross (x-shaped) superimposed over the swastika. The symbolism is powerful: the swastika crossed out, and a cross rising in the flames. I still get chills describing it. If I could figure out how to paste the image into this comment, I would.
Why does christanity need a statement of beliefs? Did not we christians get along without a creed until Constantine legalized our religion? And, to what purpose? Apparently, so he could define what he was making legal. Until there was a creed, the christian movement was inclusive. There were no official heretics. The Nicene creed endorsed exclusivity. Now there were official christians. Making an official church enabled a monopoly of ideas that haunts us even today.
There is no statement of objectives in a statement of beliefs. What can anyone act on in the Nicene Creed? What are the decisions to be made? The purpose of the creed is to solidify organized religion and is inspirational mostly to those who stand to benefit from exclusive christianity. Instead of finding our identity in Christ, we find it in a creed.
dave, from my perspective, there are two valuable things that come from confessions or creeds.
One is the value of a summary statement, if you will. Something like the Apostles creed can be taught readily to children, once learned it will be remembered for life.
Second is (I think) the more important one. It is extremely important to learn and study those who came before us. To try to understand what they said they believed gives us something to build on. If each person is to be their own interpreter of the Faith, then what do you have?