"The Athanasian Creed" 3/11/25
- Matthew Deneault
- Mar 31
- 5 min read
Dear Brothers & Sisters,
I wrote to you in August 2023 that "one of the ways we as a church have sought to guard against error is to affirm what has become known as the Athanasian Creed." However, since (at the time) I gave little explanation about the Athanasian Creed, I decided to remedy that and share with you about this early creed.
A Brief History:
The Athanasian creed bears the name of a man named Athanasius who became bishop of Alexandria in 328 AD. However, it is unlikely he wrote it. The earliest text we have of the creed comes from the fifth century (over one hundred years after Athanasius) and there are no early testimonies of Athanasian authorship. Even so, Athanasius has a tremendous legacy of standing for the truths confessed in the Athanasian Creed.
As one author explains, "Athanasius... affirmed the orthodox doctrine of Nicaea. He faced great personal risk in doing so. Constantine I, the emperor who had called the Council of Nicaea, banished Athanasius for refusing to admit Arius back into the church. After Constantine's death, his son Constantius banished Athanasius from his post several times as punishment for teaching against Arianism. Athanasius found his life in danger quite often as he held to the biblical teaching that Jesus is God. Because of his stand, it is said that the epitaph on Athanasius' grave read Athanasius contra mundum, or, "Athanasius against the world." Athanasius almost certainly did not write the creed that bears his name... But the creed pays homage to this courageous church leader by affirming the doctrines for which he fought."
- We Believe: creeds, catechisms, and confessions of faith p.17.
Together, Athanasius and the creed that bears his name are a reminder to us to hold onto God's Revelation of Himself, to believe His Word, even if we must stand against all the World.
Sources:
Creeds, Confessions, & Catechisms edited by Chad Van Dixhoorn, pp.19-20.
We Believe: Creeds, Catechisms, and Confessions of faith p.17.
See links below for more information on Athanasius and the Council of Nicea:
Content & Structure:
The Athanasian Creed has also been called "the Exposition of the Catholic Faith", a title taken from the creed's opening line "Whoever desires to be saved should above all hold to the catholic faith..." Note: The word catholic simply means 'universal,' and only later became associated with the Roman Catholic Church. Thus, the phrase "the catholic faith" refers to the common Christian faith across all times and places. Like many of the other early creeds, the Athanasian Creed emphasizes the essential teachings of the Christian faith.
The Athanasian Creed may be divided into two parts. 1. A section on the nature of God as Triune. 2. A section on the person and work of Jesus the Son of God.
(Note: Over the next few devotionals, I will dig a little deeper into the truths confessed in this creed).
As you read the Athanasian Creed, provided below, consider what you believe about God. Can you articulate what you believe about the Trinity and the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus?To fully comprehend the mystery of the Trinity is beyond our limited minds, but we who hope in Christ are called to humbly believe and confess what God has graciously revealed about Himself in His Word.
The Athanasian Creed:
"Whoever desires to be saved should above all hold to the catholic faith. Anyone who does not keep it whole and unbroken will doubtless perish eternally. Now this is the catholic faith: That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity, neither blending their persons nor dividing their essence.
For the person of the Father is a distinct person, the person of the Son is another, and that of the Holy Spirit still another. But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one their glory equal, their majesty coeternal.
What quality the Father has, the Son has, and the Holy Spirit has. The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, the Holy Spirit is uncreated.
The Father is immeasurable, the Son is immeasurable, the Holy Spirit is immeasurable.
The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal. And yet there are not three eternal beings; there is but one eternal being.
So too there are not three uncreated or immeasurable beings there is but one uncreated and immeasurable being. Similarly, the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, the Holy Spirit is almighty. Yet there are not three almighty beings; there is but one almighty being. Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three gods, there is but one God. Thus the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord. Yet there are not three lords; there is but one Lord.
Just as Christian truth compels us to confess each person individually as both God and Lord so catholic religion forbids us to say that there are three gods or lords. The Father was neither made nor created nor begotten from anyone. The Son was neither made nor created; he was begotten from the Father alone. The Holy Spirit was neither made nor created nor begotten; he proceeds from the Father and the Son. Accordingly there is one Father, not three fathers; there is one Son, not three sons; there is one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits. Nothing in this trinity is before or after, nothing is greater or smaller, in their entirety the three persons are coeternal and coequal with each other. So in everything, as was said earlier, we must worship their trinity in their unity and their unity in their trinity. Anyone then who desires to be saved should think thus about the trinity.
But it is also necessary for eternal salvation that one believe in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ faithfully. Now this is the true faith: That we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son,is both God and human, equally.
He is God from the essence of the Father, begotten before time; and he is human from the essence of his mother, born in time; completely God, completely human, with a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father as regards divinity, less than the Father as regards humanity. Although he is God and human, yet Christ is not two, but one. He is one, however not by his divinity being turned into flesh, but by God's taking humanity to himself. He is one, certainly not by the blending of his essence, but by the unity of his person. For just as one human is both rational soul and flesh, so too the one Christ is both God and human.
He suffered for our salvation; he descended to hell; he arose from the dead; he ascended to heaven; he is seated at the Father's right hand; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. At his coming all people will arise bodily and give an accounting of their own deeds. Those who have done good will enter eternal life, and those who have done evil will enter eternal fire.
This is the catholic faith: one cannot be saved without believing it firmly and faithfully."
Source: CCF Constitution & Bylaws.
Grace & Peace in Jesus,
Matt
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