CREED: I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST… SUFFERED UNDER PONTIUS PILATE, WAS CRUCIFIED, DEAD, AND BURIED

To declare in my "creed" that I believe Jesus "suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried" is not strange, because it fits with the Gospel accounts and needs to be laid as pre-history to what comes next, that is mention of the Resurrection. What is strange however, is that this declaration is only a breath from mentioning the Virgin Birth, and may in fact be read in the same breath. There is no "period" but only a comma. And there is no mention of Jesus' teachings, or his miracles, or anything else of his thirty three years as a person. Could someone make any declaration of belief in any other world leader, political or religious, and have it make any sense if it didn't focus on his or her sayings or accomplishments? But in this creed where we are holding forth the One who claimed to be God, and to whom the greatest miracles and wisest teachings are attributed, we leave out everything except the early statements that establish Jesus to be THE Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit. Then to give historical context we name the woman who in time and space delivered Him into the world, and then name the Roman governor who in time and space attended to His death. To counter any such nonsense of Jesus' day, or our own, we discount all theories of His somehow escaping death, by citing the known truth of the day. Namely, that under Pilate, there was a trial and a crucifixion. Death and certifiable burial took place. There was no escape from the cross. Furthermore there was no "feinting" and no "revival" once he was placed in a cold tomb. The tomb was sealed, and no Romans opened it, and no disciples bribed the soldiers to look the other way, while they stole the body and hid it somewhere else. Everything on which the professing Christian stands, and which I personalize in the Creed, pivots on what I have declared in the first part and what I am about to declare in the next part. Jesus' teachings and miracles did not "count" in the sense that it is because of them or the lack of them that makes me want to follow Him. I follow him because he IS God, and the Holy Spirit Conception and Resurrection are the proof of it. His teachings and miracles were only commentaries to help us understand who he was from the beginning, and what the sacrifice and resurrection would mean once it was fulfilled. Then the coming of the Holy Spirit would enable me to be a partaker of the divine plan. Jesus taught about the relationship that the Father intended, the union, the spiritual new birth, and the right way to live, but unless his Deity was authenticated by the resurrection, and the Holy Spirit was sent to effect the spiritual changes, his teachings would have no significance. In fact, they would be no better than the "programmes" of any other world religions or isms since the beginning of history. Perhaps here more than in any other situation we can say that this is "Significant by its absence." By omitting mention of his miracles and teachings, I concentrate on Who He Is rather than on what he did. Strictly speaking even the Resurrection is not something Jesus "did" but rather it is what the Father did because of Who Jesus Is. The Resurrection says He is the Acceptable Sacrifice as well as the Eternal Son of God.
Next phrase: Descended into hell... that should be interesting.