30/06/2025
And that’s exactly what’s happening, as a video with an unexpected subject has captured the attention of hundreds of thousands of viewers around the world.
A video of Everyday Faith Editor Alexandra Zhirnova reading the Nicene Creed in Old English has exploded across the Church of England’s digital channels, and beyond, racking up nearly half a million impressions and sparking a global wave of engagement.
The video opens with a short introduction: “What you’re about to hear is the oldest English translation of the Nicene Creed, written in the year 992 by a monk called Ælfric. Ælfric lived a thousand years ago, but his world was not so different from ours. He believed that understanding the word of God would give people hope and guide them in their lives.”
Ælfric translated the Creed, along with parts of the Bible, from Latin into his native tongue; what we now call Old English. While much of the language is unfamiliar to modern ears, some words remain recognisable, and viewers are encouraged to listen closely and share any they spot.
The response to the video has been nothing short of extraordinary. Since its release, it has generated over 400,000 impressions across the Church of England’s social media channels, with over 37,000 engagements including likes, comments and shares.
On Instagram, the video has become the most saved piece of content the Church has ever posted, achieving the highest reach and the second-highest number of impressions of any video on the platform to date. Meanwhile, on TikTok, it has quickly climbed the ranks to become the second most viewed video, with the highest number of comments and shares ever recorded on the Church’s account.
Before joining the Church of England as Everyday Faith Editor, Alexandra completed a PhD in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at the University of Cambridge. Her academic work focused on Anglo-Saxon Christianity, with a particular interest in the role of women in the early Church - making her uniquely placed to bring this ancient text to life for a modern audience.
The video's success has also translated into a dramatic surge in followers. In just the past seven days, the Church has seen a 583 per cent increase in new followers compared to the previous week. Instagram alone has seen a staggering 5,200 per cent jump, while TikTok followers have grown by 1,600 per cent. Overall video views across all platforms have risen by 90 per cent in the same period.
And reception has been overwhelmingly positive with the video reaching an international audience, and German, Dutch, and Scandinavian language speakers responding to appreciate how similar Old English sounds to their native languages.
This viral moment comes as the Church marks the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, a cornerstone of Christian belief since AD 325, marked with the publication of a new set of reflections for congregations and individuals to use.
So, if you haven’t already, why not have a listen and tell us how many words you recognise?