ABSTRACT
Summaries of Christian faith, known as Rules of Faith, became common in the second half of the second century. They were fixed neither in words nor in theological affirmations. Insofar as the Rule was fixed, it served as a standard of the faith, while its flexibility allowed for theological creativity and adaptation to local needs. The Rules of Faith served the Church by providing a basis for catechetical instruction and a guide for the interpretation of Scripture. They also provided theological material for defense against the heretics. The Church, though dispersed throughout the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles and their disciples this faith: in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them.
