The Greek word for creed is the word “symbolon,” from which we get our English word, “symbol.” The word refers to two parts of a seal or token placed together in order to prove a person’s identity. The Creeds function in just this way. Our individual confession of faith is one half of the symbol, the historic faith shared by the whole Church is the other half. As the two halves fit together as one, we can say that we belong to that undying body known as the communion of the saints. But by saying that the Creeds are symbols, we are not maintaining that that the body of doctrine contained therein is something less than real. Rather, we are suggesting that nothing is more real than symbols.