What the Creed Leaves Out
For me, the Apostles' Creed is disappointing in its focus simply on the origins of Jesus and his death and resurrection.
We experience nothing in the creed about his teachings, particularly about the reign of God and what it means for the living of these days. So, maybe it's not surprising that the church went down paths where folks argued over the essence of Jesus and not what he taught and embodied. The Creed tells us that he was conceived of the Virgin Mary, which was a way of saying that this man was from God. There are quite a few virginal conception stories for ancient heroes. The Creed also focuses our attention on the evil Pontius Pilate, who is said by the Creed to be the one who oversaw Jesus' suffering and crucifixion. The Bible is probably friendlier to Pilate than it should have been. Historical records show that Pilate was a megalomaniac. The Creed tells us that Jesus "died and was buried." That is, he really died. The hero of the second article did what all of us will eventually do: die.