In learning and professing the faith, you must accept and retain only the Church’s present tradition, confirmed as it is by the Scriptures. Although not everyone is able to read the Scriptures, some because they have never learned to read, others because their daily activities keep them from such study, still so that their souls will not be lost through ignorance, we have gathered together the whole of the faith in a few concise articles.
Now I order you to retain this creed for your nourishment throughout life and never to accept any alternative, not even if I myself were to change and say something contrary to what I am now teaching, not even if some angel of contradiction, changed into an angel of light, tried to lead you astray. For even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which you have now received, let him be accursed in your sight.
So for the present be content to listen to the simple words of the creed and to memorise them; at some suitable time you can find the proof of each article in the Scriptures. This summary of the faith was not composed at man’s whim, the most important sections were chosen from the whole Scripture to constitute and complete a comprehensive statement of the faith. Just as the mustard seed contains in a small grain many branches, so this brief statement of the faith keeps in its heart, as it were, all the religious truth to be found in Old and New Testament alike. That is why, my brothers, you must consider and preserve the traditions you are now receiving. Inscribe them across your heart.
Observe them scrupulously, so that no enemy may rob any of you in an idle and heedless moment; let no heretic deprive you of what has been given to you. Faith is rather like depositing in a bank the money entrusted to you, and God will surely demand an account of what you have deposited. In the words of the Apostle: I charge you before the God who gives life to all things, and before Christ who bore witness under Pontius Pilate in a splendid declaration, to keep unblemished this faith you have received, until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
St Cyril of Jerusalem (313-386 AD) to Catechumens
Why is the Creed important?
在學習與表白信仰時，你只應接受並 持守教會現在所傳授給你的信德，這 信德是以聖經為後盾。然而不是人人 都能唸聖經：因為有些人不識字，另 一些人由於日常的職務阻止他們，因 此我們用一些簡短的詞句、扼要地敘 述信理的大綱，以免靈魂因無知而喪 亡。
我吩咐你們要常常保存這個信仰，當 作你們一生的餱糧；而且除此信仰之 外，不要再接受其他的信仰；即使我 自己改變了，或講論那與我現在所教 導的相反的道理，或者即使是惡天使 借光明天使的形像領你們陷於錯誤， 你們也不要信從。因為「無論是我 們，或是從天上降來的天使，若傳給 你們的，和我們以前傳給你們的福音 不同，就該受咒詛。」
你剛剛聽見用平常的話唸出的信經， 首先該相信並且牢記。到了適當的時 機，你會發現信經中的每條信理，在 聖經中都有證明。這篇信理大綱，不 是純粹凡人的作品，而是從聖經中選 取最重要的詞句，集合而成，涵蓋信 理的撮要。這正像一粒纖細的芥菜子 內、包含許多枝葉；同樣，這簡短的 信經也包羅舊約和新約所載的宗教的 一切真理。
所以，弟兄們，你們要留神，要牢記 現在所傳授給你們的信理，並且銘刻 在你們心裏。你們要虔誠保持這些信理，以免因你 們的疏忽懈怠而為仇人所搶走，或遭 異端人所破壞。因為信仰就如同把託 給你們的金錢存在銀行中。天主要查 看你們存款的帳目。如同聖保祿所 說：「我在那使萬有生活的天主面 前，和那對般雀比拉多美妙作證的基 督耶穌前命令你，務要保持你所接受 的信仰毫無玷污，直到我們的主耶穌 基督顯現。」
--選讀耶城主教聖齊禮要理 (論信經)
