The Creeds of Christendom by Philip Schaff: Why Every Serious Student Needs This Book

There are books that every student in a given field eventually owns. Philip Schaff’s The Creeds of Christendom is one of those books for anyone who studies Christian creeds, confessions, and their history. Originally published in 1877 and now well over a century old, it has not been replaced — because nothing quite like it has been attempted since.

What Is It?

The Creeds of Christendom is a three-volume collection covering the full scope of Christian confessional documents from the early church through the nineteenth century. The three volumes are organized as follows:

• Volume 1: The History of Creeds — A comprehensive narrative history of Christian credal development, tracing how the church’s confessional documents emerged in response to theological controversy, pastoral need, and ecclesial self-definition from the apostolic era through the Reformation and beyond.
• Volume 2: The Greek and Latin Creeds — The texts of the ancient and medieval ecumenical creeds and Roman Catholic confessional documents, presented in their original languages alongside authoritative English translations. This volume includes the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed, the Chalcedonian Definition, and the major Catholic confessions.
• Volume 3: The Evangelical Protestant Creeds — The texts of the major Protestant confessions — Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and others — in their original languages with English translations. This volume is where readers will find the Westminster Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, the Augsburg Confession, and many others.

Why Is It Still Essential?

Schaff was not merely an anthologist. He was one of the great church historians of the nineteenth century, and his introductory essays for each creed and confession are themselves works of historical scholarship. The historical context he provides, the textual variants he documents, and the comparative analysis he offers make this far more than a reference anthology — it is a sustained argument about the nature and importance of confessional Christianity.

For students of any particular creed or confession, Schaff’s collection provides three things that are difficult to find elsewhere in one place:

1. Original language texts alongside reliable English translations
2. Historical introductions that situate each document in its ecclesiastical and political context
3. Cross-confessional perspective that shows how different traditions relate to one another

Who Is It For?

The Creeds of Christendom is for anyone who takes the study of Christian doctrine seriously:

• Pastors who want a reference library for preaching and teaching on confessional topics
• Seminary students working on historical theology or church history
• Serious lay readers who want to understand the documents behind the creeds they recite
• Scholars who need access to original language texts and authoritative translations

It is not a devotional work. It is not a light read. But for anyone who wants to understand the creed they confess — whether the Nicene Creed, the Apostles’ Creed, the Westminster Confession, or the Belgic Confession — Schaff is the standard reference.

Where to Get It

The Creeds of Christendom is available on our Resources page →

If you are studying any particular creed or confession, you will also find our site-specific reading lists helpful:

• 5 Essential Books for Studying the Nicene Creed
• 5 Essential Books for Studying the Apostles’ Creed
• 5 Essential Books for Studying the Westminster Confession
• 5 Essential Books for Studying the Heidelberg Catechism
• 5 Essential Books for Studying the Athanasian Creed
• 5 Essential Books for Studying the Augsburg Confession
• 5 Essential Books for Studying the Belgic Confession
• 5 Essential Books for Studying the Chalcedonian Creed

Philip Schaff gave the church a gift when he compiled the Creeds of Christendom — a gift that has not been surpassed in the century and a half since he assembled it. If you study Christian creeds and confessions seriously, this is the book that should be on your desk.