Athanasius of Alexandria, Creed

Symbolum quicumque

to give an account for their own works and those who have done good will go into eternal life, but those who have done evil into eternal fire. This i

having done shall go into life eternal, but they that have done evil into eternal fire. This is the catholic faith, which unless a man believe faithfu

day from the dead. He ascended into the heavens, sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty, from where he will come to judge the living and th

an assumption, a perfect human substance, hypostatic to him and indivisible from him, incapable of 28.1592 sin the body having been formed from the p

to give an account for their own works; and those who have done good will go into eternal life, but those who have done evil into eternal fire. This is the catholic faith, which unless one believes faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved. 28.1585 The confession of the catholic faith of our Father among the saints, Athanasius the Great, which he gave to Julius, Pope of Rome. For one who wishes to be saved, it is necessary above all to hold the catholic faith; which, unless one keeps whole and undefiled, he will without a doubt perish eternally. Now this is the catholic faith, that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in unity, neither confusing the persons, nor dividing the substance. For the person of the Father is one, that of the Son is another, that of the Holy Spirit is another. But the divinity of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is one, the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, such is the Holy Spirit. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, the Holy Spirit uncreated. The Father infinite, the Son infinite, the Holy Spirit infinite. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal. And yet not three eternals, but one eternal. So also not three uncreated, nor three infinites, but one uncreated, one infinite. Likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, the Holy Spirit almighty; and yet not three almighties, but one almighty. So also the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God; and yet not three gods, but one God. So the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord; and yet not three lords, but one Lord; for just as we are compelled by Christian truth to confess each person to be God or Lord, so also are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say there are three gods or lords. The Father, therefore, has been made by none, nor created, nor begotten. The Son alone is from the Father alone, not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Spirit is from the Father and the Son, not made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding. There is therefore one Father, not three fathers; one Son, not three sons; one Holy Spirit, not three holy 28.1586 spirits. But in this Trinity there is nothing before or after, nothing greater or less; but the three persons are co-eternal with each other, and in all things equal. So that in all things, as we have already said, we worship both the Trinity in unity, and the unity in Trinity. He therefore who wishes to be saved, let him think thus of the Trinity. But it is necessary for eternal salvation also to hold faithfully the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is therefore the sure faith, that we believe and confess our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to be God and man; God from the substance of God, begotten before the ages; perfect God and perfect man, subsisting of a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father according to the divinity, less than the Father according to the humanity. Who, although he is God and man, is not two, but one Christ; one, not by the divinity being changed into flesh, but by the humanity being taken up by God; one altogether, not by a confusion of substance, but by the unity of the person. For just as the rational soul and the flesh is one man, so also God and man is one Christ; who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, on the third day rose from the dead, and ascended into the heavens, and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty, from there he will come to judge the living and the dead; at whose coming all men will rise with their own bodies to give an account of their works. Those therefore who have done good

ἀποδώσοντες περὶ τῶν ἰδίων ἔργων λόγον· καὶ οἱ καλὰ πράξαντες εἰσελεύ σονται εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, οἱ δὲ κακὰ εἰς πῦρ αἰώνιον. Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ καθολικὴ πίστις, ἣν εἰ μή τις πιστῶς τε καὶ βεβαίως πιστεύσῃ, σωθῆναι οὐ δυνήσεται. 28.1585 Τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις Πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἀθανασίου τοῦ μεγάλου ὁμολογία τῆς καθολικῆς πίστεως, ἢν ἔδωκε πρὸς Ἰούλιον πάπαν Ῥώμης. Τῷ θέλοντι σωθῆναι πρὸ πάντων ἀνάγκη τὴν καθολικὴν πίστιν κατέχειν· ἣν εἰ μή τις ἀκεραίαν καὶ ἀπαράθραυστον συντηρήσειεν, ἀναμφιβόλως εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἀπολεῖται. Αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ καθολικὴ πίστις, ἕνα Θεὸν ἐν Τριάδι, καὶ Τριάδα ἐν μονάδι σέβειν ἡμᾶς, μήτε τὰ πρόσωπα συγχέοντας, μήτε τὴν οὐσίαν διαιροῦντας. Ἄλλο γάρ ἐστι τὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς πρόσωπον, ἄλλο τὸ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, ἄλλο τὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Ἀλλὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος μία ἐστὶ θεότης, ἴση δόξα, συναΐ διος μεγαλειότης. Οἷος ὁ Πατὴρ, τοιοῦτος ὁ Υἱὸς, τοιοῦτον τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Ἄκτιστος ὁ Πατὴρ, ἄκτιστος ὁ Υἱὸς, ἄκτιστον τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Ἄπειρος ὁ Πατὴρ, ἄπειρος ὁ Υἱὸς, ἄπειρον τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Ἀΐδιος ὁ Πατὴρ, ἀΐδιος ὁ Υἱὸς, ἀΐδιον τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Οὐ μὴν τρεῖς ἀΐδιοι, ἀλλ' εἷς ἀΐδιος. Οὕτως οὐδὲ τρεῖς ἄκτιστοι, οὔτε τρεῖς ἄπειροι, ἀλλ' εἷς ἄκτιστος, εἷς ἄπειρος. Ὁμοίως παντοδύνα μος ὁ Πατὴρ, παντοδύναμος ὁ Υἱὸς, παντοδύναμον τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· οὐ μὴν τρεῖς παντοδύναμοι, ἀλλ' εἷς παντοδύναμος. Οὕτω καὶ Θεὸς ὁ Πατὴρ, Θεὸς ὁ Υἱὸς, Θεὸς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· οὐ μὴν τρεῖς θεοὶ, ἀλλ' εἷς Θεός. Οὕτω Κύριος ὁ Πατὴρ, Κύριος ὁ Υἱὸς, Κύριος τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· οὐ μὴν τρεῖς κύριοι, ἀλλ' εἷς Κύριος· ἐπεὶ καθὼς ἕκαστον τῶν προσώπων Θεὸν ἢ Κύριον ὁμολογεῖν ὑπὸ τῆς Χριστιανικῆς ἀληθείας ἀναγκαζόμεθα, οὕτω καὶ τρεῖς θεοὺς ἢ κυρίους λέγειν ἡ καθολικὴ θρησκεία κωλύει. Ὁ Πατὴρ τοίνυν ὑπ' οὐδενὸς οὔτε πεποίηται, οὔτε ἔκτισται, οὔτε γεγέννηται. Μόνος Υἱὸς παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς μόνου ἐστὶν οὐ ποιηθεὶς, οὐ κτισθεὶς, ἀλλὰ γεννηθείς. Τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον παρὰ Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ οὐ ποιηθὲν, οὐ κτισθὲν, οὐ γεννηθὲν, ἀλλ' ἐκπορευό μενον. Εἷς τοίνυν Πατὴρ, οὐ τρεῖς πατέρες· εἷς ὁ Υἱὸς, οὐ τρεῖς υἱοί· ἓν Πνεῦμα ἅγιον, οὐ τρία πνεύ 28.1586 ματα ἅγια. Ἀλλ' ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ Τριάδι οὐδὲν πρότερον ἢ ὕστερον, οὐδὲν μεῖζον ἢ ἔλαττον· ἀλλὰ τρία πρόσ ωπα συναΐδια ἑαυτοῖς ἐστι, καὶ διὰ πάντων ἴσα. Οὕτως ὡς κατὰ πάντα, καθὼς ἤδη εἴπομεν, καὶ τὴν Τριάδα ἐν τῇ μονάδι, καὶ τὴν μονάδα ἐν τῇ Τριάδι σέβειν ἡμᾶς. Ὁ βουλόμενος τοίνυν σωθῆναι, οὕτω περὶ τῆς Τριάδος φρονείτω. Ἀναγκαῖον δὲ πρὸς τὴν αἰώνιον σωτηρίαν, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ σάρκωσιν πιστῶς κατέχειν. Ἔστι τοίνυν βεβαία πίστις, ἵνα πιστεύωμεν καὶ ὁμολογῶμεν τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰη σοῦν Χριστὸν τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, Θεὸν καὶ ἄνθρωπον εἶναι· Θεὸν ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ Θεοῦ, πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων γεννηθέντα· τέλειον Θεὸν καὶ τέλειον ἄνθρωπον, ἐκ ψυχῆς λογικῆς καὶ ἀνθρωπίνης σαρκὸς ὑφεστῶτα· ἴσον τῷ Πατρὶ κατὰ τὴν θεότητα, ἐλάττονα τοῦ Πατρὸς κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα. Ὃς, εἰ καὶ Θεός ἐστι καὶ ἄνθρωπος, οὐ μὴ δύο, ἀλλ' εἷς ἐστι Χρι στός· εἷς δὲ, οὐ τῆς θεότητος μεταβληθείσης εἰς σάρκα, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ προσ ληφθείσης· εἷς παντελῶς, οὐ φυρμῷ τῆς οὐσίας, ἀλλὰ τῇ τοῦ προσώπου ἑνότητι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ λο γικὴ ψυχὴ καὶ ἡ σὰρξ εἷς ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ἄνθρωπος εἷς ἐστι Χριστός· παθὼν ὑπὲρ τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν, κατελθὼν εἰς τὸν ᾅδην, τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν ἀναστὰς, καὶ ἀνελθὼν εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, καὶ καθήμενος ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ παντοδυνάμου Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς, ἐκεῖθεν ἥξων κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς· οὗ πρὸς τὴν παρουσίαν πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἀναστήσονται μετὰ τῶν ἰδίων σωμάτων ἀποδώσοντες λόγον περὶ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν. Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀγαθὰ