"The Nicene Creed is the bedrock statement Christian orthodoxy: the point at which the Church, using conceptual tools it adopted from classical antiquity, defined its core beliefs in the God who is both creator and redeemer, incarnate in history, and thus the ultimate guarantor of history's meaning. As Christians mark the 1,700th anniversary of this colossal achievement at the First Council of Nicaea, Anna Wierzbicka offers a fascinating explanation of why this ancient text has helped form the most diverse community in human history - and continues to do so today, across a myriad of cultural and social contexts." (George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, D.C.) "Although the Nicene Creed is the most universal and comprehensive statement of Christian belief, its language very much needs to be unpacked. It is of public benefit, therefore, to have these concepts explicated in a popularly accessible way. In this book, well-known linguist, Anna Wierzbicka, does so in the restricted vocabulary she helped identify that is universal across all languages. Combined with the theological background and insights Wierzbicka adds along the way, the volume is especially commendable to academics and popular readers alike.

" (Douglas V. Porpora, Professor of Sociology, Department of Communication, Drexel University, Philadelphia) "In this era of global confusion, spiritual fragmentation and encroaching darkness, the 1700th anniversary year of the Nicene Creed offers humankind a brilliant ray of hope, pointing the way to personal renewal. Anna Wierzbicka's brilliant and profound book handles timeless truths of the Christian faith with expert precision, in crystal-clear language that affirms the psychic unity of human beings as made in the image of God. The Nicene Creed in Minimal English is a fitting celebration of a momentous anniversary, and a precious gift to all who seek to know what it means to follow Christ and embrace life with God. It is something very, very good." (Mark Durie, Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne School of Theology and the Australian University of Theology).