The Creed – Part 2
In this lecture, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains the second part of the Creed, clarifying the depth of the Orthodox Christian faith concerning creation, the nature of God, the identity of the Only-Begotten Son Jesus Christ, His relationship to the Father, and the characteristics of His divinity, while correcting historical misunderstandings.
🔸 First: Belief in God, Creator of the visible and invisible
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His Holiness explains that “visible and invisible” includes all creation: angels, demons, unseen elements, and even humans who have a visible body and an invisible soul.
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The meaning is that God created everything, as in: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
🔸 Second: Belief in one Lord Jesus Christ
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The word “Lord” means Master and God and is used equally for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
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Christ is Lord and God, as Scripture testifies: “My Lord and my God,” and “Lord of lords and King of kings.”
🔸 Third: Jesus… the name and the mission
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Jesus is the birth name and means Savior.
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Christ is the title of the mission because He is “anointed” as King, Priest, and Prophet.
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His Holiness teaches the importance of not using “Jesus” alone without the proper respectful title: Our Lord Jesus Christ.
🔸 Fourth: The Only-Begotten Son of God
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The Only-Begotten Son is not like the other children of God by adoption or love, but is Son from the essence of the Father, having the same divinity and divine nature.
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Scripture repeatedly confirms the phrase “the Only-Begotten Son,” emphasizing its uniqueness.
🔸 Fifth: The eternity of the Son and His divine begetting
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The Son is begotten of the Father before all ages, eternal, without beginning or end.
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His Holiness explains the difference between the eternal begetting (from the Father) and the temporal birth (from the Virgin in the fullness of time).
🔸 Sixth: Light of Light – True God of True God
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“Light” is explained spiritually, for Christ is the true Light who enlightens every person, while humans receive their light from Him.
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“True God of True God”: meaning that the Son possesses all the divine attributes of God Himself, not a title of honor.
🔸 Seventh: Consubstantial with the Father
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The Son is equal to the Father in all divine attributes:
– Eternity
– Power
– Omnipresence
– Knowledge
– Creation
– Judgment -
Christ’s words “My Father is greater than I” are understood in the context of His self-emptying in the incarnation.
📌 Summary
The lecture affirms the Orthodox faith that Jesus Christ is the Only-Begotten Son, eternal, begotten of the Father before all ages, True God of True God, consubstantial with the Father, and that the Creed declares clearly His true divinity, His eternity, and His saving work.
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