Symbolum

The Creed of Saint Athanasius. Whoever wishes to be saved must, before all else, hold the catholic faith; which if anyone does not keep whole and inviolate, he will without any 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 there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit; but the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have one divinity, equal glory, coeternal majesty. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit. The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, and the Holy Spirit is uncreated. The Father is immeasurable, the Son is immeasurable, and the Holy Spirit is immeasurable. The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, and the Holy Spirit is eternal. And yet there are not three eternals, but one eternal; just as there are not three uncreated, nor three immeasurables, but one uncreated and one immeasurable. Likewise, the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, and the Holy Spirit is almighty; and yet there are not three almighties, but one almighty. Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God; and yet there are not three gods, but one God. Similarly, the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, and the Holy Spirit is Lord; and yet there are not three lords, but one Lord. For, just as we are compelled by Christian truth to confess each person individually as God and Lord, so we are forbidden by catholic piety to speak of three gods or three lords.

The Father is made by no one, neither created nor begotten. The Son is from the Father alone, not made nor created, but begotten. The Holy Spirit is from the Father, 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 spirits. And in this Trinity nothing is first or later, nothing greater or lesser, but all three hypostases are coeternal with one another and equal. Thus, so that through all things, as has already been said, both Trinity in unity and unity in Trinity may be worshipped. Whoever wishes to be saved, therefore, should think thus concerning the Holy Trinity. But it is also necessary for eternal salvation that one firmly believe in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is therefore right faith, that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man. He is God from the essence of the Father, begotten before the ages; and he is man from the essence of his mother, born in time. Perfect God and perfect man, subsisting from a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father according to divinity, less than the Father according to humanity. Who, although he is both God and man, is nevertheless not two, but one Christ; one, however, not by the conversion of divinity into flesh, but by the assumption of humanity into divinity. One altogether not by confusion of natures, but by union of hypostases.

For just as a rational soul and flesh are one man, so God and man are one Christ: who suffered for our salvation, and descended into Hades, and on the third day rose from the dead, and ascended into the heavens, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence he will come to judge the living and the dead. At whose coming all men will rise with their own bodies, giving an account of their own deeds; and those who have done good will enter into eternal life, but those who have done evil into eternal fire. This is the catholic faith, which unless one believes faithfully and steadfastly, he cannot be saved. The confession of the catholic faith of our holy Father Athanasius the Great, which he gave to Julius, Pope of Rome. Whosoever wishes to be saved must before all else hold the catholic faith; which unless one preserves whole and inviolate, he will undoubtedly perish forever. And 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 there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, another of the Holy Spirit. But the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have one divinity, equal glory, coeternal majesty. As the Father is, so is the Son, so is the Holy Spirit. Uncreated is the Father, uncreated is the Son, uncreated is the Holy Spirit. Infinite is the Father, infinite is the Son, infinite is the Holy Spirit. Eternal is the Father, eternal is the Son, eternal is the Holy Spirit.

Not three eternal beings, but one eternal being. Thus not three uncreated, nor three infinite, but one uncreated, one infinite. Likewise the Father is omnipotent, the Son is omnipotent, the Holy Spirit is omnipotent; not three omnipotent beings, but one omnipotent being. Thus also the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God; not three gods, but one God. Thus the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord; not three lords, but one Lord; for just as we are compelled by Christian truth to confess each of the persons as God or Lord, so the catholic religion forbids saying three gods or lords. The Father therefore is made by no one, nor created, nor begotten. The Son alone is from the Father alone, not made, not created, but begotten. The Holy Spirit is from the Father and the Son, not made, not created, not begotten, but proceeding. Therefore one Father, not three fathers; one Son, not three sons; one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits. But in this Trinity there is nothing prior or posterior, nothing greater or lesser; but the three persons are coeternal with each other, and equal in all respects. Thus in all things, as we have already said, we are to worship the Trinity in the unity and the unity in the Trinity. Whoever wishes to be saved, let him think thus concerning the Trinity. It is also necessary for eternal salvation faithfully to hold the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thus there is a firm 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 from a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father according to divinity, inferior to the Father according to humanity. Who, although he is God and man, is not two, but one Christ; one, not by the transformation of the divinity into flesh, but by the assumption of humanity by God; one entirely, not by a mixture of substance, but by the unity of person. For just as the rational soul and the flesh are one man, so also God and man are one Christ; having suffered for our salvation, having descended into Hades, on the third day having risen from the dead, and having ascended into the heavens, and sitting at the right hand of the omnipotent God and Father, from there about to come to judge the living and the dead; at whose coming all men will rise with their own bodies, rendering an account of their deeds. Those therefore who have done good

having done good deeds will go to eternal life, but those who have done evil deeds will go to the eternal fire. This is the catholic faith, which unless someone believes faithfully and steadfastly, he will not be able to be saved. Exposition of the confession of the catholic faith of the great Athanasius, patriarch of Alexandria. Whosoever wishes to be saved must, before all else, hold the catholic faith; which unless each one keeps whole and inviolate, he will without doubt perish eternally. Now this is the catholic faith, that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in unity, neither confusing the hypostases nor dividing the substance. For the hypostasis of the Father is one, that of the Son another, that of the Holy Spirit another. But of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, the divinity is one, the glory is one, the majesty is coeternal. As the Father is, so is the Son, so is the Holy Spirit. The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, and the Holy Spirit is uncreated. The Father is incomprehensible, the Son is incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit is incomprehensible. The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, and the Holy Spirit is eternal. Yet there are not three eternals, but one eternal; nor three uncreated, nor three incomprehensibles, but one uncreated, one incomprehensible. Similarly, the Father is omnipotent, the Son is omnipotent, and the Holy Spirit is omnipotent; yet there are not three omnipotents, but one omnipotent. Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God; yet there are not three gods, but one God. Similarly, the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord;

Nevertheless, there are not three lords, but one Lord. For just as we are compelled by Christian truth to confess each single hypostasis individually as God and Lord, so we are forbidden by catholic truth to speak of three gods or three lords. The Father is from no one, neither created, nor made, nor begotten. The Son is from the Father alone, not made, not created, but begotten. The Holy Spirit is from the Father and the Son, not made, not created, nor begotten, but proceeding. Therefore, there is one Father, not three fathers; one Son, not three sons; one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits. And in this Trinity nothing is before or after, nothing greater or lesser, but all three hypostases are coeternal with each other and equal. So that in every respect (as has been said) one must venerate both the unity in Trinity and the Trinity in unity. Therefore, whoever wishes to be saved should think thus concerning the Trinity. Moreover, it is necessary for eternal salvation that one also rightly believe in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is both God and man. God from the substance of the Father, begotten before the ages, and man from the substance of the Mother, born in time. Perfect God and perfect man, consisting of a rational soul and human flesh. Equal to the Father according to divinity, less than the Father according to humanity. Who, although he is both God and man, is nevertheless not two, but one Christ.

One, not by a change of the divinity into flesh, but by an assumption of the humanity into God. One altogether, not by a confusion of the essence, but by a unity of the hypostasis. For just as the rational soul and the flesh are one man, so also the God-man is one Christ. Who suffered for our salvation, and descended into Hades, and rose on the third day from the dead. He ascended into the heavens, and sits at the right hand of the Almighty God and Father, whence He will come to judge the living and the dead. At His coming, all men will rise with their bodies, and will render an account of their own works. And those who have done good will go into eternal life; but those who have done evil, into the eternal fire. This is the catholic faith, which unless one firmly believes from faith, he cannot be saved. If anyone wishes to be saved, before all else he needs to hold the orthodox faith; which unless one keeps inviolate and uncorrupted, he will find eternal destruction. This, then, is the orthodox faith: that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in unity, neither confusing the hypostases nor dividing the essence. For there is one hypostasis of the Father, another of the Son, another of the Holy Spirit. But of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, there is one divinity, one power, one authority, one kingdom, equal glory, equal majesty, and eternal. As the Father is, so is the Son, so is the Holy Spirit. Uncreated is the Father, uncreated is the Son, uncreated is the Holy Spirit; and not three uncreated, but one uncreated.

The Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, the Holy Spirit is almighty; and there are not three almighties, but one almighty. The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal; and there are not three eternals, but one eternal. The Father is omnipotent, the Son is omnipotent, the Holy Spirit is omnipotent; and there are not three omnipotents, but one omnipotent. Thus God is the Father, God is the Son, God is the Holy Spirit; and there are not three gods, but one God. Lord is the Father, Lord is the Son, Lord is the Holy Spirit; and there are not three lords, but one Lord. And just as we affirm by Christian truth that each single hypostasis is individually God and Lord, so we do not consent to say three gods or three lords, but we utterly forbid it. For the Father is made by no one, is not created, but is unbegotten. The Son is from the Father, not made, not created, but begotten. The Holy Spirit is from the Father, not made, not created, not begotten, but proceeding. Therefore the Father is one, not three fathers; the Son is one, not three sons; the Holy Spirit is one, not three holy spirits. And in this Trinity no one is first or last, no one is great or small; but the three hypostases are both eternal and equal in all things, as has been said before. Therefore let every Christian piously honor the Monad in the Trinity and the Trinity in the Monad; and thus let him glorify the holy, life-giving, and consubstantial Trinity. It is also necessary to believe rightly in the incarnation of the Son of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.

Thus the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man. He is God from the essence of the Father [he is uncreated and of the essence of the Father], he is man from the essence of the Mother. For since Adam, having sinned, subjected the race of men to death and made our nature liable to the debt, the Son of the invisible Father and God, without departing from the heavens, came down to us; and entering through hearing into the womb of the holy Virgin, he mysteriously accomplished the conception, putting on our nature in a supreme union; coming forth both God and man, he thus fulfilled the economy concerning us through ineffable mercy. And being perfect God, he became perfect man, neither changed nor altered in the superessential and ineffable essence of his divinity, being substantialized from a rational soul and human flesh; he himself, together with his consubstantial all-holy Spirit, having created the all-holy flesh.

the assumption, a complete human essence, hypostatically united to him and inseparable from him, partaking of no sin; the body being formed from the pure virginal blood of the Mother of God, without any carnal will or thought; the soul being created immaterially, intelligent, rational, volitional, active, entirely united with the flesh from its very beginning, from its first existence, because of the extreme union with him, the God Logos, unconfused in hypostasis. He is therefore equal to the Father according to divinity, but less than the Father according to humanity. And he truly exists as God and man; yet he is not two, but one Christ; and he is one not because the flesh was changed, but because it was assumed into God; he is one wholly not by confusion of natures, but by union in hypostasis. For just as a rational soul and flesh constitute one man, so also God and man constitute one Christ. He suffered in the flesh for our salvation, while his divinity remained impassible; and he was buried, and arose, and was taken up into the heavens, and sat at the right hand of God the Father. And from there he will come again to judge the living and the dead. At his coming, all men who have slept from eternity will rise, to give account of their deeds. And those who have done good will go at his command into eternal life; those who have done evil will go into eternal punishments. This therefore is the orthodox faith, which he who does not keep inviolate cannot be saved.