The Athanasian Creed "Quicumque", on the Most Holy Trinity
The Athanasian Creed is a Trinitarian Creed. Historically, the authorship of the Creed is not completely known. It is attributed to Athanasius, an eastern clergyman, but written in a western manner. The best assumptions towards the historicity of the Creed are that of a westerner (a person with western theological interpretations, meaning more philosophical in structure) was instructed in Trinitarian manners by Athanasius or a direct disciple of Athanasius. However, the Creed is adopted by the Church, and is used in liturgical manners for Liturgy of the Hours for the Feast Day of the Most Holy Trinity, the Sunday after Pentecost Sunday. It is also known as Credo Quicumque, as these are the words for Creed and Whoever, which is the first word of the creed. I will include both the Latin and the English versions. English below, and the Latin with sentence by sentence translation can be found here.
Athanasian Creed -
"Whoever wishes to be saved, needs above all to hold the Catholic Faith; unless each one preserves this whole and inviolate, he will without a doubt perish in eternity. But the Catholic faith is this, that we venerate one God in Trinity, and the Trinity in oneness; neither confounding the persons, nor dividing the substance; for there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, (and) another of the Holy Ghost; but the divine nature of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is one, their glory is equal, their majesty is coeternal. Of such a nature as the Father is, so is the Son, so (also) is the Holy Ghost; the Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, (and) the Holy Ghost is uncreated; the Father is immense, the Son is immense, (and) the Holy Ghost is immense; the Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, (and) the Holy Ghost is eternal: and nevertheless there are not three eternals, but one eternal; just as there are not three uncreated beings, nor three infinite beings, but one uncreated and one infinite; similarly the Father is omnipotent, the Son is omnipotent, (and) the Holy Ghost is omnipotent: and yet there are not three omnipotents, but one omnipotent; thus the Father is God, the Son is God, (and) the Holy Ghost is God; and nevertheless there are not three gods, but there is one God; so the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, (and) the Holy Ghost is Lord: and yet there are not three lords, but there is one Lord; because just as we are compelled by Christian truth to confess singly each one person as God and (also) Lord, so we are forbidden by the Catholic religion to say that there are three gods or lords. The Father was not made nor created nor begotten by anyone. The Son is from the Father alone, not made nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost 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 Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts; and in this trinity there is nothing first or later, nothing greater or less, but all three persons are coeternal and coequal with one another, so that in every respect, as has been said above, both in unity in Trinity, and Trinity in unity must be venerated. Therefore let him who wishes to be saved, think thus concerning the Trinity.
But it is necessary for eternal salvation that he faithfully believe also the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accordingly it is the right faith, that we also believe and confess, that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God is God and man. He is begotten of the substance of the Father before time, and He is man born of the substance of His mother in time: perfect God, perfect man, consisting of a rational soul and a human body, equal to the Father according to His Godhead, less than the Father according to His humanity. Although He is God and man, yet he is not two, but He is one Christ; one, however, not by the conversion of Divinity into a human body, but by the assumption of humanity in the Godhead; one absolutely not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person. For just as the rational soul and body are one man, so God and man are one Christ. He suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, on the third day rose again from the dead, ascended to heaven, sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty; thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead; at His coming all men have to arise again with their bodies and will render an account of their own deeds: and those who have done good, will go into life everlasting, but those who have done evil, into eternal fire.
This is the Catholic faith; unless everyone believe this faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved."
Athanasian Creed -
"Whoever wishes to be saved, needs above all to hold the Catholic Faith; unless each one preserves this whole and inviolate, he will without a doubt perish in eternity. But the Catholic faith is this, that we venerate one God in Trinity, and the Trinity in oneness; neither confounding the persons, nor dividing the substance; for there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, (and) another of the Holy Ghost; but the divine nature of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is one, their glory is equal, their majesty is coeternal. Of such a nature as the Father is, so is the Son, so (also) is the Holy Ghost; the Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, (and) the Holy Ghost is uncreated; the Father is immense, the Son is immense, (and) the Holy Ghost is immense; the Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, (and) the Holy Ghost is eternal: and nevertheless there are not three eternals, but one eternal; just as there are not three uncreated beings, nor three infinite beings, but one uncreated and one infinite; similarly the Father is omnipotent, the Son is omnipotent, (and) the Holy Ghost is omnipotent: and yet there are not three omnipotents, but one omnipotent; thus the Father is God, the Son is God, (and) the Holy Ghost is God; and nevertheless there are not three gods, but there is one God; so the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, (and) the Holy Ghost is Lord: and yet there are not three lords, but there is one Lord; because just as we are compelled by Christian truth to confess singly each one person as God and (also) Lord, so we are forbidden by the Catholic religion to say that there are three gods or lords. The Father was not made nor created nor begotten by anyone. The Son is from the Father alone, not made nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost 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 Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts; and in this trinity there is nothing first or later, nothing greater or less, but all three persons are coeternal and coequal with one another, so that in every respect, as has been said above, both in unity in Trinity, and Trinity in unity must be venerated. Therefore let him who wishes to be saved, think thus concerning the Trinity.
But it is necessary for eternal salvation that he faithfully believe also the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accordingly it is the right faith, that we also believe and confess, that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God is God and man. He is begotten of the substance of the Father before time, and He is man born of the substance of His mother in time: perfect God, perfect man, consisting of a rational soul and a human body, equal to the Father according to His Godhead, less than the Father according to His humanity. Although He is God and man, yet he is not two, but He is one Christ; one, however, not by the conversion of Divinity into a human body, but by the assumption of humanity in the Godhead; one absolutely not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person. For just as the rational soul and body are one man, so God and man are one Christ. He suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, on the third day rose again from the dead, ascended to heaven, sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty; thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead; at His coming all men have to arise again with their bodies and will render an account of their own deeds: and those who have done good, will go into life everlasting, but those who have done evil, into eternal fire.
This creed, albeit a lesser-known creed to many people of Christianity, is still quite important as it talks about to incredibly important facets of Christian belief: The Most Holy Trinity, and the Hypostatic Union of Christ. The clearer definition on the persons of the Most Holy Trinity show what we mean by Trinity in Unity. This is to declare that we are Trinitarians, not unitarians, nor modalistic monarchianists, partialists in belief towards God. We believe that there are three Persons in the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And within this Trinity, we believe that they are of the same substance, and are infinite in perfection, eternal, and uncreated.
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