Friday, May 22, 2026

It is the 22nd of May 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

Last year, on this day, on this show and around Christendom, there was a celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed- this creed, from the council of Nicaea of 325, is often given a date in late May or early June for its commemoration as it coincided with the opening of the council itself. But we don’t know the actual day it was first presented- these things aren’t necessarily noted. But we do have one creed that ties itself to a particular day- it is even called, for this reason, “the dated Creed”. The Date? Easy: “on the 11th of the Calends of June.”

You might expect some “Calendar talk” on this, the Almanac. Let’s have fun. The Romans had three “anchor” days per month- the Kalends (hence, Calendar), which is the first, and the Nones (which is 9 days before the Ides), and the Ides, which marked the middle of the month. You used the moon- so the first visible crescent moon was the Kalends, and the full moon was the Ides (around the 15th). And, you count backward- so the number is leading up to that day. So, the 11th of the Kalends of June is going to be 11 days prior to June 1- so, count backward from June 1st 11 days, and that is, today, the 22nd of May. SO, the Dated Creed is from today, in the year 359. And you might ask: how have I never heard of this creed, and how many are there?

The word creed comes from the word that gives us the Latin “Credo,” which means “I Believe”. The early church was often in the habit of writing out these “rules of faith”, especially for people who wanted to be baptized- they needed to “confess with their mouth,” and thus many “creeds” were written. But some were written to be “ecumenical” or “universal,” and the Nicene is the most famous. But it didn’t please everyone. In fact, you don’t technically recite the Nicene Creed when you may on Sunday- you are saying the Niceno‑Constantinopolitan Creed, which was approved at the council of Constantinople in 381. The first council didn’t iron out all the issues, and so later councils convened to try to bring diverse groups together. Such was this, the council that created this “Dated” creed in 359 was trying to do what the council of Constantinople ultimately did, which was to create a compromise.

This dated Creed (I’ll put a link in the unofficial transcript available at https://earlychurchtexts.com/public/creed_fourth_of_sirmium_dated_359.htm) is short- I’ll read the beginning, and you can tell me what you hear:

We believe in one Only and True God, the Father Almighty, Creator and Framer of all things: And in one Only-begotten Son of God, who, before all ages, and before all origin, and before all conceivable time, and before all comprehensible essence, was begotten impassibly from God: through whom the ages were disposed and all things were made; and Him begotten as the Only-begotten, Only from the Only Father, God from God, like to the Father who begat Him, according to the Scriptures; whose origin no one knoweth save the Father alone who begat Him.

The Son is “only begotten” but this before all ages- so the Son is eternal as the Father- this is important- they are… the same? Well, yes- but they removed “of one substance”- that was the tricky word “ousia” and instead say “like to the father who begat him”- “homoian”- but not, as the church would ultimately decide, “homoousian” or “of the same substance.

It can seem academic and arcane- but the very person of Christ, the God-Man, was at stake. And while the “Dated Creed” wasn’t adopted, it gives us insight into the key words that were being debated in that 4th century on our way to the Niceno‑Constantinopolitan, the most commonly recited creed by Christians across space and time. Happy Dated Creed Day- this, the 11th day of the Kalends of June- or, May 22nd.

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and another text pointing us to Pentecost this Sunday:

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 22nd of May 2026, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who enjoys Constantinopolitan ice cream- you know, with the chocolate, vanilla, and Strawberry- he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who will join the choir- sell the team, Arte… Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.