# Agreement about belief does not settle who may define it

Commentary on Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton.

On [CH01.P006](https://glosses.org/orthodoxy/pg16769-r1/CH01.P006/#char=377,449): "what is the present seat of authority for the proclamation of that creed"

The distinction has a concrete precedent in the [Church of England's Articles of Religion](https://www.churchofengland.org/liturgy/book-of-common-prayer/articles-religion). Article VIII receives the Apostles', Nicene and Athanasian creeds on the ground that their teaching can be established from Scripture. Articles XIX–XXI nevertheless maintain that churches, including Rome, and general councils can err; the Church's authority in doctrinal disputes is bounded by Scripture. Accepting inherited creeds consequently does not, in this Anglican formulation, entail accepting an unerring Roman or conciliar teaching authority.

This is a historical example of the distinction Chesterton makes, not an identified target of his paragraph. He brackets the question of which institution or tribunal can authoritatively transmit and interpret the faith while arguing for what that faith has given him. The bracket is limited: the creed itself includes belief in the Church, so he is postponing an account of ecclesiastical authority rather than removing the Church from Christianity. His final invitation to Street leaves that further defense explicitly unwritten here.

## Sources

- [Articles of Religion — Church of England, Book of Common Prayer](https://www.churchofengland.org/liturgy/book-of-common-prayer/articles-religion), Articles VIII, XIX, XX, XXI
- [The Apostles' Creed — Church of England](https://www.churchofengland.org/faith/what-we-believe/apostles-creed), Creed's article on the holy catholic Church

Revision 1 · 2026-11-07 · https://glosses.org/a/a_cbap3con/