John Forbes on the Apostles' Creed
Instructiones Historico-Theologicae (Amsterdam, 1645), pg. 1.
The Apostles’ Creed and Its Establishment
1. I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth
2. And in Jesus Christ, his only-begotten Son, our Lord
3. Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born from the virgin Mary
4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate, crucified, died, and buried, he descended into the abode of the dead [or hell]
5. On the third day he rose from the dead
6. He ascended into heaven; he sat at the right hand of the Father almighty
7. From there he will come to judge the living and dead
8. I believe in the Holy Spirit
9. The holy catholic church, the communion of saints
10. The remission of sins
11. The resurrection of the flesh
12. And eternal life
The articles are divided slightly differently by the author of sermon 115 about time, book 10 of the works of Augustine. We so divided them as they are distinguished by Ambrose, Tract. in symb. Apostl. except that there, the descent into the abode of the dead is placed in one and the same article with the resurrection from the dead; although perhaps, another person did that, but not Ambrose himself, who in his own exposition does not make mention of the descent into the abode of the dead. It should be reasonably known (says Ruffinus) that the creed of the Roman church does not have this addition (descended into the abode of the dead); nor is the phrase found in the Eastern Church. Yet [according to Ruffinus] the force of the phrase seems to be the same as when it says "buried." Ruffinus claims this in his Apostles’ Creed. But we freely accept this part of the creed in which we also admit a different meaning can be understood from “burial.”
As concerns the establishment of this creed: Ruffinus in his Exposition of the Creed, and Augustine in book 1 concerning the Creed to Catechumens chapter 1 and sermon 181 concerning time. Isidore book 6 of Origines (or Etymologies), ch. 9 . And Etherius and Beatus, book 1 Adversus Elipandum, tom.4. Bibl. Patr. part. 2. col. 506. ed. 4. And Rabanus Maurus in book 2 De Clericorum Institutione, ch. 56. They write that they received what was handed down by the majority; that this creed had been established by the Apostles for its dissemination to various nations for the preaching of the Gospel, so that all believers, everywhere, might have this brief sum of that doctrine which was unanimously preached by all, and that by this creed the faithful are distinguished from other sects as if by a military token.
Even though this Creed may not have been handed down in writing from the Apostles, but entrusted to the memory of those that knew it; still, it contains no doctrine except what is found in the holy Scriptures. On this point, Augustine speaks about this creed: “This creed,” he says, “is what you ought to rehearse and repeat. These words which you heard were spread through the divine Scriptures, but collected from there and reduced into a single thing lest the memory of dull men be over-worked, so that a man might be able to speak to all, that a man might to be able to hold to what he believes.” These things can be found in Aug. Book 1 on the Creed to Catechumens, Cap. 1 of Isodore says in the above cited place that, “this symbol contains the confession of the Trinity, the unity of the church, and every sacrament of Christian dogma.” And Rabanus Maurus says concerning the same creed, “in which indeed, the words are few, but all the sacraments are contained. For regarding the whole of Scripture these brief points were collected from the Apostles so that, because many believers do not know the apostolic writings, and even those who do know it are not able to read the Scriptures, being preoccupied by worldly affairs, retaining these things in their heart, they might have for themselves sufficient saving knowledge.” This is Rabanus, book 2, de Inst. Cler. Cap. 56.