THE TWELVE ARTICLES OF THE CHRISTIAN BELIEF.
These are the twelve articles of the Christian belief, that each Christian man shall believe steadfastly, for otherwise he cannot be saved when he hath wit and reason. And thereof are twelve according to the numbers of the twelve apostles, who appointed them to be observed and to be kept by all those that will be saved. The first, then, belongs to the Father, the next seven (seventh) to the Son, the last four (fourth) to the Holy Ghost; for that is the beginning of the belief, ‘believe in the Holy Trinity;’ that is, in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God and three persons. All these articles are contained in the creed, that the twelve apostles made, whereof each ordained his own.
The first article is this: ‘I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and of earth.’ This article St. Peter ordained.
The second article belongs to the Son, as to His Godhead; that is to say, that He is God, and is this: ‘I believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, the Son of God the Father, and (He) is one with the Father in all things that appertain to the Godhead, but, with regard to the person, who is other than the person of the Father.’ This article St. John the Evangelist ordained.
The third article and the fifth, that follows after, belong to the Son as to His manhood; that is to say, as He is mortal man. Then in the third article is contained, that He was conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the maid Mary. By which it is to be understood that He was conceived in the maid Mary by the deed and by the virtue of the Holy Ghost, and not at all by deed of man. And the maid Mary remained ever maid and whole before and after. This article St. James, St. John’s brother, ordained.
The fourth article belongs to His passion; that is to say, that He suffered death under Pontius Pilate, who was a pagan, and judge at that time in Jerusalem, by the Romans. Under that judge was Jesus Christ condemned wrongfully at the command of three wicked Jews, and crucified, and dead, and placed in a tomb. This article St. Andrew ordained.
The fifth article is as follows: that He went into hell after His death, in order to lead out thence and to deliver the souls of the holy fathers, and of all those that, from the beginning of the world, died in true and good belief, and in hope that they should be saved by Him, because of the sin of the first man. It behoved that all should go into hell and abide there, the good in sure hope that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, should come to deliver them, according as He had promised by His prophets. And for that reason would He after His death go into hell, that is to say, on that side where the saints were, not on that side where were the lost, who were dead in their sin and in their unbelief. And those He led not out, for they are lost for evermore. This article St. Philip ordained.
The sixth article is of His resurrection, to wit, that the third day after His death, in order to fulfil the Scriptures, He arose from death to life, and showed Himself to His disciples, and proved His resurrection to them in many ways for forty days. This article St. Thomas ordained.
The seventh article is, that the fortieth day after His resurrection, when He had eaten with His disciples, He ascended before them quite openly into heaven, who is above every creature that is in heaven, unto the right hand of God the Father, where He made Him [sit]. This article St. Bartholomew ordained.
The eighth article is, that He shall come at the day of judgment to judge the dead and the living, the good and the bad, and render to each according as he hath deserved in this world. These are the articles that belong to the Son. This article St. Matthew, the evangelist, ordained.
The ninth article and the three last belong to the Holy Ghost, and is this: ‘I believe in the Holy Ghost.’ This article requires that one believe that the Holy Ghost is the gift and love of the Father and of the Son, from whom comes all the good of grace, and that He is one God, and one with the Father and the Son, except the person, which is other than the person of the Father and of the Son. This article St. James, St. Simon’s and St. Jude’s brother, ordained.
The tenth article is this: ‘I believe (in) the holy Catholic Church and the communion of saints;’ that is to say, the fellowship of all the saints, and of all the good men that are, and shall be unto the end of the world, and were since the beginning, together in the faith of Jesus Christ. And in this article are understood the seven sacraments that are in holy Church, to wit, christening, confirming, the sacrament of the altar, orders, marriage, the holy shrift, and the last anointing. This article St. Simon ordained.
The eleventh is, to believe the forgiveness of sins, that God gives by the virtue of His holy sacraments that are in holy Church. This article St. Jude ordained.
The twelfth article is, to believe the general resurrection of the body, and the life without end, that is the bliss of Paradise, which God shall give to them that have deserved it by good faith and by good works. This article gives (us) to understand its contrary, that is, the torment without end that God hath prepared for the lost. This article shall be understood in such a manner, that each, be he good, be he bad, shall be at the day of judgment raised from death to life in his own body, wherein he shall have [lived], and receive his reward in body and in soul, according as he has deserved in this life. And therefore shall the good at that day in body and in soul be in life without end, and the wicked lost evermore in body and in soul. This article St. Matthew ordained.