The Athanasian The Athanasian Creed has been commonly credited to . Although most modern scholars strongly refute that origin, no consensus of authorship can be attained. It has been speculated that its origin was Southern Gaul somewhere around AD 475. Its oldest known manuscript only dates back to the sixth century in a collection of . Regardless of its authorship and date, the document correctly supports the Athanasian view of the Godhead in which both the and unity of the Godhead are emphasized in the first half (lines 1–28), and a (concerning the person of Christ) is related in the last half (lines 29–44). Although commonly considered a creed, it is not so much written as a statement of belief, as it is a text to be memorized and recited rhythmically line by line as a either sung or chanted. It does not begin with the words “I believe” as does the Apostles Creed and the . The rather lengthy text consisting of 44 lines may be loosely translated from the to read as follows: 1. Whosoever will be saved must necessarily hold to the faith above all things. 2. Unless such faith is kept complete and uncorrupted, he without doubt shall perish for all eternity. 3. And that catholic faith is that we worship one as a Trinity of persons, and worship that Trinity as a Unity 4. neither confusing the identity of persons nor dividing their common substance 5. for there is one person who is the Father, another who is the Son, and another who is the . 6. Nevertheless, the Godhead that is of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is all of one substance, the glory of the three persons being equal, and their majesty coeternal. 7. Such as is the Father, so also is the Son, and likewise is the Holy Spirit. 8. The Father is not created of any, the Son is also uncreated, and the Holy Spirit is likewise uncreated. 9. The Father is incomprehensible, in the same way that the Son is incomprehensible, and likewise the Holy Spirit is also incomprehensible. 10. The Father is eternal in his being, the Son is also eternal, and as well, the Holy Spirit is eternal, 11. Yet, they are not three separate eternal beings but one eternal being of common substance. 12. Inasmuch as there are also not three uncreated beings nor three incomprehensible beings, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible being 13. so in like manner the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, and the Holy Spirit is almighty. 14. And yet, they are not three separate almighty beings, but one almighty God. 15. Therefore, the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God 16. yet, there are not three , but one God. 17. So as well, the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, and the Holy Spirit is Lord 18. and yet, they are not three separate Lords but one Lord. 19. We are therefore bound by the Christian truth to acknowledge each Person by himself to be God and Lord; 20. yet, we are forbidden by the catholic religion to say that there are three Gods or three Lords. 21. The Father is caused of none, neither is He created or begotten of any. 22. The Son is uniquely begotten of the Father and is not made nor created. 23. The Holy Spirit is also of the same substance as the Father and the Son; not made, created, or begotten, but rather proceeding forth from the Father and the Son. 24. There is but one Father, not three Fathers, only one Son, not three Sons, and but one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits. 25. Within this Trinity of persons none is before or after the other; and none is greater or less than is another 26. but the entirety of three persons are coeternal, and coequal. 27. Therefore as before stated, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity must be worshipped. 28. Anyone who will be saved must think of the Trinity in this manner. 29. Moreover, it is necessary that he also believe rightly concerning the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. 30. For, the proper and correct faith is that we believe with our minds and confess with our tongues that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is both God and man. 31. Jesus is God of the same substance as the Father, begotten before the creation of the worlds; and He is man of the same substance as His mother, when He was born into the world. 32. He is both perfectly God and perfectly man, consisting of a reasoning soul and subsisting in human flesh. 33. Jesus is equal to the Father as pertaining to His Godhead, though inferior to the Father as pertaining to His manhood. 34. Who, although He is both God and man, yet He is not two individual persons, but one Christ; 35. not that the Godhead was converted into human flesh, but that God took our humanity into Himself through the incarnation. 36. Jesus is one in every way, not by a commingling of his substance, but by the unity of his person. 37. Inasmuch as his reasoning soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is united as one in Christ 38. who suffered the pain of physical death for our salvation, descended into the abode of the dead, where from He arose again to life on the third day. 39. He ascended into where He now sits on the right hand of Almighty; 40. from where He shall one day come to judge the living and the dead. 41. Whereupon whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies restored, 42. and shall be required to give an account of their works. 43. They that have done good deeds will go into life everlasting and they that have done evil deeds will go into the fire of Hell for all eternity. 44. This is the catholic faith, which unless a person believes faithfully no is possible. Although, the Athanasian Creed quite accurately states the doctrine of the Godhead and the Christology of Jesus Christ, it is nonetheless a dogmatic document that goes beyond a statement of belief to include a condemnation of those who do not agree with all its tenets as we see in lines 1,2, and 44. Moreover, it appears to support a doctrine of works as we find in lines 42 and 43. Although it does state that Jesus died for our salvation in line 38, like the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed before it there is no indication in its text of a salvation being received totally by the grace of God through a simple act of faith. © Arthur J. Smith 2015