28. But, beyond these sayings, let us look at the very tradition, teaching, and faith of the Catholic Church from the beginning, which the Lord gave, the Apostles preached, and the Fathers kept. Upon this the Church is founded, and he who should fall away from it would not be a Christian, and should no longer be so called. There is, then, a Triad, holy and complete, confessed to be God in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, having nothing foreign or external mixed with it, not composed of one that creates and one that is originated, but all creative; and it is consistent and in nature indivisible, and its activity is one. The Father does all things through the Word in the Holy Spirit. Thus the unity of the holy Triad is preserved. Thus one God is preached in the Church, ‘who is over all, and through all, and in all’—‘over all’, as Father, as beginning, as fountain; ‘through all’, through the Word; ‘in all’, in the Holy Spirit. It is a Triad not only in name and form of speech, but in truth and actuality. For as the Father is he that is, so also his Word is one that is and God over all. And the Holy Spirit is not without actual existence, but exists and has true being. Less than these (Persons) the Catholic Church does not hold, lest she sink to the level of the modern Jews, imitators of Caiaphas, and to the level of Sabellius. Nor does she add to them by speculation, lest she be carried into the polytheism of the heathen. And that they may know this to be the faith of the Church, let them learn how the Lord, when sending forth the Apostles, ordered them to lay this foundation for the Church, saying: ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ The Apostles went, and thus they taught; and this is the preaching that extends to the whole Church which is under heaven.

Ἴδωμεν δὲ ὅμως καὶ πρὸς τούτοις καὶ αὐ τὴν τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς παράδοσιν καὶ διδασκαλίαν καὶ πίστιν τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἣν ὁ μὲν Κύριος ἔδωκεν, οἱ δὲ ἀπόστολοι ἐκήρυξαν, καὶ οἱ πατέρες ἐφύλαξαν. Ἐν ταύτῃ γὰρ ἡ Ἐκκλησία τεθεμελίωται, καὶ ὁ ταύτης ἐκπίπτων οὔτ' ἂν εἴη, οὔτ' ἂν ἔτι λέγοιτο Χριστιανός. Τριὰς τοίνυν ἁγία καὶ τελεία ἐστὶν, ἐν Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ καὶ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι θεολογου μένη, οὐδὲν ἀλλότριον ἢ ἔξωθεν ἐπιμιγνύμενον ἔχουσα, οὐδὲ ἐκ δημιουργοῦ καὶ γενητοῦ συνισταμένη, ἀλλ' ὅλη τοῦ κτίζειν καὶ δημιουργεῖν οὖσα· ὁμοία δὲ ἑαυτῇ καὶ ἀδιαίρετός ἐστι τῇ φύσει, καὶ μία ταύτης ἡ ἐνέργεια. Ὁ γὰρ Πατὴρ διὰ τοῦ Λόγου ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ τὰ πάντα ποιεῖ· καὶ οὕτως ἡ ἑνότης τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος σώζεται· καὶ οὕτως εἷς Θεὸς ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ κηρύττεται, «ὁ ἐπὶ πάντων, καὶ διὰ πάντων, καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν.» «Ἐπὶ πάντων» μὲν ὡς Πατὴρ, ὡς ἀρχὴ, καὶ πηγή· «διὰ πάντων» δὲ διὰ τοῦ Λόγου· «ἐν πᾶσι» δὲ ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ. Τριὰς δέ ἐστιν οὐχ ἕως ὀνόματος μόνον καὶ φαντασίας λέξεως, ἀλλὰ ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ὑπάρξει Τριάς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ὤ ἐστιν ὁ Πατὴρ, οὕτως ὁ ὤν ἐστι καὶ ἐπὶ πάντων Θεὸς ὁ τούτου Λόγος. Καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον οὐκ ἀνύπαρκτόν ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ὑπάρχει καὶ ὑφέστηκεν ἀλη θῶς. Καὶ οὔτε ἔλαττον τούτων φρονεῖ ἡ καθο λικὴ Ἐκκλησία, ἵνα μὴ εἰς τοὺς νῦν κατὰ Καϊάφαν Ἰουδαίους καὶ εἰς Σαβέλλιον ἐμπέσῃ· οὔτε πλεῖον ἐπινοεῖ, ἵνα μὴ εἰς τὴν Ἑλλήνων πολυθεότητα κυ λισθῇ. Καὶ ὅτι αὕτη ἡ πίστις τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐστὶ, μαθέτωσαν πῶς ὁ μὲν Κύριος ἀποστέλλων τοὺς ἀπο στόλους παρήγγειλε τοῦτον θεμέλιον τιθέναι τῇ Ἐκ κλησίᾳ λέγων· «Πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος.» Οἱ δὲ ἀπόστολοι, πορευθέντες, οὕτως ἐδίδαξαν· καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν Ἐκκλησίαν τὸ κήρυγμα.