Creeds & Confessions
This creed is called the Apostles' Creed not because it was produced by the apostles themselves but because it contains a brief summary of their teachings. Read what it says here.
Apart from the opening and closing sentences, this creed consists of two parts, the first setting forth the orthodox doctrine of the trinity, and the second dealing chiefly with the incarnation and the two-natures doctrine. Read what the creed says here.
The Belgic Confession, written in 1561, owes its origin to the need for a clear and comprehensive statement of Reformed faith during the time of the Spanish inquisition in the Lowlands. Read what it says here.
The Canons of Dort come from an international synod of Reformed people held in Dordtrecht, Netherlands, in 1618-19. While the synod accomplished many other things as well, one of its main purposes was to adjudicate a theological controversy (Arminianism) concerning the way in which believers receive the benefit of Christ. Read what it says here.
The Heidelberg Catechism, written in 1563, originated in one of the few pockets of Calvinistic faith in the Lutheran and Catholic territories of Germany. Conceived originally as a teaching instrument to promote religious unity in the Palatinate, the catechism soon became a guide for preaching as well. Read what it says here.