Q: We say a profession of faith during Mass. But there are two versions, and I find them contradicting each other. For example, the Nicene Creed speaks of “one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages,” while the Apostles’ Creed says, “I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary ….” The Nicene Creed says that Jesus was begotten before all ages. But the Apostles’ Creed says that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of Mary — that implies Jesus did not exist before that. There is no mention of Jesus being God. – Lech
Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC
A: Rest assured, the creeds don’t contradict each other.
When the Nicene Creed says Jesus was begotten by the Father before all ages, it means that the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, was generated by the Father from all eternity.
Note: The Son is not created but rather generated or begotten. He is of the same nature as the Father and thus is God. Believers would understand the wording in the creed as a declaration of Jesus’ divinity.
When the creeds speak of Jesus as being conceived by the Spirit and born of Mary, they are referring to the Incarnation.
The Incarnation is when the Second Person of the Trinity assumed (took on) a human nature. The event happened at a particular moment in history (in Palestine about 2,000 years ago).
Put another way: The Second Person of the Trinity, the Son of God, already existed before the Incarnation. He took on a human nature and was born of the Blessed Virgin Mary at a certain time and place (in Palestine about 2,000 years ago). This is who we know as Jesus.
It is understandable that you might be puzzled. After all, we are dealing here with the two core mysteries of the Christian faith: the Trinity and the Incarnation.
In sum: Jesus is a divine Person in whom subsist a divine nature and a human nature. The divine Person (the Son of God) existed from all eternity. But his taking of a human nature occurred about 2,000 years ago.
For further reference, see the more exhaustive Athanasian Creed.
