Sanctorum communionem
Sanctorum communionem

Summary/Abstract: The paper deals with some problems of interpretation and translation of the Apostle’s Creed, especially with the Catholic and Lutheran understanding of the words ‘the Communion of Saints.’ As to the origin of the Apostle’s Creed, it is the product of the Western Church within the first five centuries. It is not of primary, ie apostolic, but of secondary, ie ecclesiastical inspiration. It was originally and essentially a baptismal confession, explained to the catechumens at the last stage of their preparation, professed by them at baptism, and only afterwards introduced into public service. This baptismal creed assumed different shapes and forms in different congregations. Among these creeds the Roman formula gradually gained general acceptance in the West for its intrinsic excellence, and on account of the commanding position of the Church of Rome. The Roman creed was gradually enlarged by several clauses from older or con¬temporaneous forms, viz, the predicate ‘catholic’ or ‘general,’ in the article on the Church. The last addition to the Creed was the article ‘communionem sanctorum’, unknown to Augustine, not found in any of the Greek or earlier Latin creeds. It appears for the first time at the end of the fifth century. The eldest commentators understood it as the communion with the martyrs and other saints in heaven. The term ‘communion of saints’ has two closely linked meanings: communion ‘in holy things’ (sancta) and ‘among holy persons’ (sancti). The faithful (sancti) are fed by Christ’s holy body and blood (sancta) to grow in the communion of the Holy Spirit (koinonia). According to the teaching of the Catholic Church it is not merely by the title of example that we cherish the memory of those in heaven; we seek, rather, that by this devotion to the exercise of fraternal charity the union of the whole Church in the Spirit may be strengthened.

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