ABSTRACT
There is abundant evidence of the consolidation of Christian faith into precise, stereotyped summaries in the writings of the Apostolic Fathers, especially Ignatius. While these summaries of faith reflect the needs of the Church in instruction, worship, and preaching, there is nothing to indicate a fixed, official creed. A creed-like formula that approaches a personal confession of faith is attributed to Justin Martyr in the account of his martyrdom. The Presbyters who condemned Noetus at Smyrna about A.D. 180 professed their faith in a form that has been preserved by Hippolytus. A papyrus discovered in 1907 contains a very interesting creed, the exact use of which is unknown. It has been dated as early as the last of the second century; but Kelly, following F. E. Brightman, concludes that nothing really warrants a date before the middle of the fourth century.
