The Mass - Advent 2011 - The Roman Missal Third Edition Part 4

The Mass

Advent 2011

Roman Missal Third Edition

Part 4

Nicene Creed

Credo in unum Deum

I believe in one God

Our profession of faith the Creed is named after its first word in Latin, Credo which translates into I believe. Since the 1970’s we have grown accustom to starting this prayer after Father prompts us with “We,” to which we all would chime in “believe in one God, the Father almighty, etc. So in essence since we rarely actually said the first word ourselves, changing the first word of this prayer from “we” to “I” shouldn’t be that cumbersome.

The word “we” was used in the first English translation of the Roman Missal simply because “we” were all together when we proclaimed the Creed. The direct translation of Credo is "I believe" and since we are all making this proclamation for ourselves it is not a real stretch to change the opening word from we to I. Plus this will unite us with the rest of the Catholic world who after Vatican II translated Credo directly into "I believe" using their own native language. English was the only Western language that translated the opening Latin word of Credo with the plural "we".

Old Version

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all that is seen and unseen.

Original Latin Version

Credo in unum Deum,

Patrem omnipotentem,

factorem caeli et terrae,

visibilium omnium et invisibilium.

Latin Translation

I believe in one God,

the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

and of all things visible and invisible.

New Version

I believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all things visible and invisible.

The change of all “that is seen and unseen,” to all “things visible and invisible, is not only a literal translation of the Latin to English, but also a more accurate statement of all that God has made. God made all things including the invisible realm of the angels of which we cannot see. There are many things that we don’t see or are “unseen” currently because they are outside our field of vision.  But those things are not “invisible” because they are capable of being seen if they move into our field of vision. It is also a clear reference to Colossians 1:16, “For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible.”

Old Version
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:

Original Latin
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 hominess
et propter nostrum
salutem descendit de caelis.

Latin Translation

And in one Lord,

Jesus Christ,

the only begotten Son of God,

born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,
begotten, not made,

consubstantial with the Father;

through Whom all things were made.

Who for us men and for our salvation

came down from heaven:

New Version
I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Begotten Son of God,

born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made,

consubstantial with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation

he came down from heaven:

“The only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father,” is changed to the literal translation of the Latin, “the only begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages.” Born here is not a one-time event as in, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. “Born of the Father before all ages,” means that the Son is always being born of the Father and the Father is always begetting the Son. It is an on-going ever eternal relationship between the Father and the Son that is taking place “before all ages,” or outside of time.

The next change is a bit more challenging; consubstantial doesn’t just roll off the tongue. To explain this change we have to go back to the Council of Constantinople in 381 when the Nicene Creed was approved. This profession put to rest the Arian heresy. During the Council of Constantinople this prayer was originally written in Greek. The literal translation of “one in being with” into Greek was homoousion (homos = same and ousia = essence). When this creed was translated into Latin, the same phrase became consubstantialem (of one essence or substance). Consubstantialem was rendered consubstantial in English. Consubstantial means having the same substance as something else. Jesus is consubstantial with the Father; He is with the Father and of the Father (one in being). The Father, Son and Holy Spirit make up only one God.

Old Version

By the power of the Holy Spirit

he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man

Original Latin

Et incarnates est de Spiritu Sancto

ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est.

Latin Translation

And was incarnate by the Holy Spirit
of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

New Version

And by the Holy Spirit was incarnate

of the Virgin Mary, and became man

This translation more accurately reflects the Latin. The Son of God became incarnate, assumed a human nature. As we say these words we will now bow at the waist in honor of God who became incarnate (flesh) in order to accomplish for us our salvation.

Old Version

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;

he suffered, died and was buried.

On the third day he rose again

in fulfillment of the Scriptures;

he ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,

and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son.

With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.

He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,

and the life of the world to come. Amen

Original Latin

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 expecto resurrectionem mortuorum,
et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen.

Latin Translation

He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;

suffered, and was buried.

On the third day He rose again

according to the Scriptures;

He ascended into heaven

and sits at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead

and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
And in the Holy Spirit,

 the Lord and giver of Life,

 Who proceeds from the Father and the Son.

 Who, with the Father and the Son, is adored and glorified:

 Who has spoken through the Prophets.

And I believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.

 And I look for the resurrection of the dead,

and the life of the age to come. Amen.

New Version

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,

he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead

 and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

 who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy catholic and apostolic Church.

I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins

and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come. Amen

The rest of the changes in the Creed are mostly to adhere to Liturgiam Authenticam and be closer to the Latin translation. 

Next Part Five The Liturgy of the Eucharist

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Art
God Almighty - Part of Ghent Altarpiece - Jan van Eyck
Song of the Angels - Bougueraeu
The Guardian Angel - Pietro Da Cortona
The Holy Trinity - Peter Paul Rubens
The Nativity - Lorenzo Lotto
Resurrection Triptych - Peter Paul Rubens