Customer Reviews

I Believe: The Nicene Creed

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4 star:		(1)
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I bought this book recently on something of a whim and immediately fell in love with it (as did my 3-year-old). The text is not a surprise, and it is easy to read quickly - it's just the Nicene Creed, which is intimately familiar to Christians the world over. Lutherans and other Protestants will do a double-take at "one holy Catholic Apostolic Church," but remember that that is the original wording, and catholic in this context refers not necessarily to the church of Rome, but to the universal, invisible church, that which C. S. Lewis, writing as Screwtape, called "The Church as we see her spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners." The book's appeal, though, is its exquisite illustration, rich in detail. Mind you, by detail, I do not mean busy-ness. The pictures and icons have a delightful number of small points to be caught, but also are beautiful in larger scope, as facing pages sometimes contrast one another or make reference to illustrations from previous pages. The unity of the pictorial images underscores the unity of the Creed itself. You really can't read the book just once at a sitting; you have to read it once, slowly, savoring each page, and then once through at a "normal" pace to see the overarching theme, extending linearly from Creation through Good Friday and the Resurrection, and finally to the final Judgment. The last image, with a person peeking through huge, magnificent doors into the brightness beyond, accompanying, "And I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come," is in itself worth (buying and) reading the entire book. What a treasure.

The actual Nicene creed as quoted by Catholics is slightly different. (Despite what the other reviewer states,)This rendition omits the word "Holy" from the line One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic, (which are the four marks of the Catholic Church) thus making it more palatable to protestants. Ironically, the Nicene Creed was promulgated in RESPONSE to the arian heresy, and at the same Council (of Nicea)that proclaimed Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus (Outside the Church there is no salvation) so to see it espoused by groups that reject Her, and refer instead to an "invisible church" is contradictory of the very purpose in which the Nicene Creed was created. If you are Catholic and keen on accuracy, plan on penning in a few corrections. The illustrations are, I agree, lovely and reminiscent of medieval drawings.

We bought this book two years ago for our children and they have enjoyed it IMMENSELY. It has helped them to learn the creed of course, but the beautiful illustrations have also served as great launching points for discussion. There are lots of little things to notice in this style, it continues to reveal itself to young readers over time. I am amazed at how often when I finish my girls say, "Please read it again!" They love the creed, partially because of this fine presentation of it. The lovely illustrations and good binding make it a very appropriate gift for births and baptisms, particularly for parents who enjoy Tolkien and The Chronicles of Narnia as the common illustrator is a point of endearment for many.

I Believe: The Nicene Creed

This is a fantastic little book for teaching children the Nicene Creed, it is in I language and in the language of the Book of Common Prayer. However, it is perfect for helping a child learn the great creed of the church off by heart and of course opens the door to many conversations about what we do believe and faith.

I was looking for a book to help my pre-schoolers learn the Nicene Creed. This was perfect! It has a relevant illustration for each phrase of the creed.

Every Christian household should own a copy of this book. The Nicene Creed is beautifully illuminated for children by Pauline Baynes, who also illustrated, The Chronicles of Narnia. It is sad and frustrating that this lovely little book is no longer in print.

I purportedly got this for my kids, especially the older one who is starting homeschool this year. But I secretly also intended it for my own use. I am embarrassed to continue relying upon the "cheat sheet" during the Creed at Mass, and decided it was time to commit it to memory for once and for all. What better way than reading it out loud to my children from this beautifully illustrated book? The kids are fascinated with the angels and dragons and birds and beasts in the Kells-style illuminations. This is a must-have for the Catholic--or merely catholic--library!

I bought the Kindle edition for my daughter who is preparing for her first communion. I wish I hadn't. This isn't the version we say at Mass... It mentions the "remission" of sins and uses antiquated forms like "spake throughout the prophets" and "proceedeth" instead of " proceeds.". I think this may be the Anglican version. And as others have mentioned the word "holy" does not appear in the line about the Church.

Even more annoying, the Kindle version has been converted to black and white! I was quite surprised to see the dull gray illustrations on my iPad. Recommend for those who are both Protestant AND color blind. All others are likely to be disappointed.