The Athanasian Creed
- Whoever wills to be in a state of salvation, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic [apostolic/universal] faith,
- which except everyone shall have kept whole and undefiled without doubt he will perish eternally.
- Now the catholic faith is that we worship One God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity,
- neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the substance.
- For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, another of the Holy Spirit.
- But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, is One, the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal.
- Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit;
- the Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated;
- the father infinite, the Son infinite, and the Holy Spirit infinite;
- the Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.
- And yet not three eternals but one eternal,
- as also not three infinites, nor three uncreated, but one uncreated, and one infinite.
- So, likewise, the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty;
- and yet not three almighties but one almighty.
- So the Father is God, the Son God, and the Holy Spirit God;
- and yet not three Gods but one God.
- So the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord;
- and yet not three Lords but one Lord.
- For like as we are compelled by Christian truth to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be both God and Lord;
- so are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say, there be three Gods or three Lords.
- The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten.
- The Son is of the Father alone, nor made nor created but begotten.
- The Holy Spirit is of the Father and the Son, not made nor created nor begotten but proceeding.
- So there is one Father not three Fathers, one Son not three Sons, and Holy Spirit not three Holy Spirits.
- And in this Trinity there is nothing before or after, nothing greater or less,
- but the whole three Persons are coeternal together and coequal.
- So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the trinity in Unity and the Unity in Trinity is to be worshipped.
- He therefore who wills to be in a state of salvation, let him think thus of the Trinity.
- But it is necessary to eternal salvation that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- The right faith therefore is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man.
- He is God of the substance of the Father begotten before the worlds, and He is man of the substance of His mother born in the world;
- perfect God, perfect man subsisting of a reasoning soul and human flesh;
- equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, inferior to the Father as touching His Manhood.
- Who although He be God and Man yet He is not two but one Christ;
- one however not by conversion of the GodHead in the flesh, but by taking of the Manhood in God;
- one altogether not by confusion of substance but by unity of Person.
- For as the reasoning soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man is one Christ.
- Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell,
- rose again from the dead, ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father,
- from whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
- At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies
- and shall give account for their own works.
- And they that have done good shall go into life eternal, and they who indeed have done evil into eternal fire.
- This is the catholic faith, which except a man shall have believed faithfully and firmly he cannot be in a state of salvation.