Christian Creeds began the first time someone wanted to "sum up" their beliefs in God.  The Creeds are, in a sense, the foundation of Doctrine: they are words to summarize all their experiences of God into the shortest possible statement.  For this reason, the first Creeds found in the Bible are much shorter than the later, post-apostolic Creeds.  The latter Creeds were many times compiled to defend against heresies which would mislead the Church; which is why they spend so much time addressing specific issues.  Here are a few of the Creeds of Christianity:
   

The Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 NASB)
"Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is One!  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."

The Baptismal Formula (Matthew 28:19-20 NASB)
"Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you..."

The Elementary Teachings (Hebrews 6:1-2 NRSV)
"Therefore let us go on toward perfection (maturity), leaving behind the basic teaching about Christ, and not laying again the foundation: repentance from dead works and faith toward God, instructions about baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement." 

One God and One Lord (1st Corinthians 8:6 NASB)
"...for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him."

John's Creed (Gospel of John 1:1-5,10,12,14,17 NASB)
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.  In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it... He was in the world, and the world bas made through Him, and the world did not know Him... But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who beleive in His name... And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth... For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ."

The Apostles' Creed (The Apostles' Creed was not written by the Apostles, but is a compilation of their teachings from the Bible and oral tradition in the Western Churches of the first few centuries. The form presented here is a modern wording of the accepted "Received Form" which dates from around the close of the fifth century, though its' phrases and wording are from various creeds reliably dating from as early as 170 AD.)
I believe in God the Father Almighty; Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ his only begotton Son our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary;
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell;
the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven; and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I beleive in the Holy Spirit;
the holy universal Church; the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.
Amen

The Nicene Creed (Originally compiled & accepted at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, this creed was formed by the Eastern Churches of the first few centuries. Subsequent expansions were added at Constantinople in 381 drawing much from the Western Apostles' Creed.  Here I present the 325 and 381 versions side by side. As with the Apostles' Creed, many phrases and wording come from various creeds throughout the Eastern Churches, dating back from many years earlier. I have also replaced some archaic words such as 'thence' and 'quick' with modern wording. )
 

325 AD	381 AD
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible.	We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotton of the Father.  The only begotton; that is of the essence of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotton, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made both in heaven and on earth;	And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotton Son of God, begotton of the Father before all aeons, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotton, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made.
who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man;	who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man;
he suffered and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven; from thenre he shall come to judge the living and the dead.	he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; from there he shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit	And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets.  In one holy catholic (universal and apostolic Church; we acknowledge on baptism for the remission of sins; we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
But those who say: 'There was a time when he was not;' and 'He was not before he was made;' and 'He was made out of nothing,' or 'He is of another substance' or 'essence,' or 'The Son of God is created,' or 'changeable,' or 'alterable' -they are condemned by the holy catholic (universal) and apostolic Church.	[This section was removed in the 381 version]

The Creed of Chalcedon (From the 4th Eccumenical Council held at Chalcedon in 451 AD)
"We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable soul and body; consubstantial with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotton before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, fo us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotton, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistance, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotton, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning him, and the Lord Jesus Christ himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us."