5 Essential Books for Studying the Apostles' Creed
Ordained Minister, M.Div.
April 22, 2026
3 min read
The Apostles’ Creed has been recited in Christian worship since at least the second century. Its twelve articles — covering the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — offer the most compressed and memorable summary of Christian faith ever written. Yet within its brevity lies enormous theological depth: every phrase has been debated, refined, and defended by the church across two millennia.
These five books are the best available guides for anyone who wants to move beyond mere recitation and into genuine understanding.
1. The Apostles' Creed: A Guide to the Ancient Catechism — Benjamin Myers
Benjamin Myers has written the ideal modern companion to the Apostles’ Creed. Warm, learned, and pastorally sensitive, this book reads the Creed as a summary of the Christian life — not just a doctrinal checklist. Myers shows how the Creed is shaped by the rhythm of baptism, how it structures Christian worship, and how its ancient words speak directly to contemporary faith struggles. This is the first book to recommend to any adult inquirer or new member class.
2. Early Christian Creeds — J.N.D. Kelly
For the historical foundations, there is no better resource than J.N.D. Kelly. Kelly traces the development of early baptismal creeds from their New Testament roots through their crystallization in the Apostles’ Creed, providing meticulous attention to primary sources. This is a scholarly work, but it is the standard reference for anyone who wants to understand where the Creed came from.
3. The Three Creeds — Edgar C.S. Gibson
Gibson’s classic study covers the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds together, making it the ideal resource for understanding how the three great creeds relate to one another. The historical and theological commentary is thorough and fair, drawing on both ancient and Reformation-era sources. An essential reference for any creed library.
4. The Creeds of Christendom — Philip Schaff
Philip Schaff’s monumental three-volume collection places the Apostles’ Creed within the full sweep of Christian confessional history. Volume 1 provides the most comprehensive historical introduction to the creed available in English, while Volume 2 contains the Latin text alongside authoritative translations and scholarly notes. An indispensable reference for pastors, teachers, and serious students.
5. The Story of Christian Theology — Roger E. Olson
Understanding the Apostles’ Creed fully requires understanding the theological tradition it represents. Roger Olson’s single-volume history of Christian theology traces two thousand years of doctrinal development in an accessible narrative style, helping readers see how each phrase of the Creed fits into the larger story of the church’s theological reflection. This is the ideal background reading for anyone serious about the Apostles’ Creed.
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From Myers’ pastoral warmth to Kelly’s patristic scholarship to Schaff’s encyclopedic breadth, these five books cover every dimension of Apostles’ Creed study. Together they form a small but powerful library for every Christian who wants to confess the faith with understanding.
