The Athanasian Creed is one of the most important early summaries of what ancient Christians believed and what orthodox Christians believe today.
What Are Creeds For?
Throughout church history, Christians developed creeds to summarize specific agreed beliefs derived from Scripture.
There are four well-known or “classic” creeds from the church’s early centuries:
Creeds are useful for condensing key truths or doctrines about the Christian faith based on God’s Word. They also served a practical purpose: in oral societies where few people read or had copies of Scripture, memorization and recitation were key for spreading the gospel of Jesus and remaining true to the central message. The creeds served as clear, memorizable statements about what Christians believed.
One of the earliest “creeds” is the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-5. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” This verse states a foundational truth of the Judeo-Christian faith and has been recited by children and adults for centuries.
Creeds developed in the early church to explain what Scripture teaches, settle debates, respond to heresies, and settle challenges to church doctrine. Many creeds are built on previous ones.
The Apostles’ Creed was developed first and was a useful tool for early followers of Jesus to capsulize what they knew to be true about this faith.
The Nicene Creed builds on this initial creed. It was accepted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD and revised at the First Council of Constantinople in 381. It convened to settle a contention about how God the Father and God the Son could be equal. A priest named Arius challenged this belief, claiming that God created Jesus (this heretical line of thought became known as Arianism).
The Chalcedonian Creed, adopted at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD, declares Christ’s nature as fully God and fully man.
The Athanasian Creed builds on all three previous creeds. As R.C. Sproul explains, “The content of the Athanasian Creed stresses the affirmation of the Trinity in which all members of the Godhead are considered uncreated and co-eternal and of the same substance. In the affirmation of the Trinity the dual nature of Christ is given central importance.”
When Was the Athanasian Creed Written?
The Creed is attributed to Athanasius, a theologian from Alexandria. He was secretary for Alexander, who served as Alexandria’s bishop during the Arian debate. Alexander strongly supported Jesus’ co-divinity at the Council of Nicaea, and his views strongly impacted Athanasius. Athanasius was elected bishop at Alexander’s death.
According to Sproul, the Athanasian Creed is often attributed to Athanasius because he holds a reputation for fiercely defending the doctrine of the Trinity. While Athanasius likely taught and defended the doctrine, this creed was likely developed and written after his death. Athanasius died in 373 AD. The first records of the creed (written in Latin rather than Greek) don’t appear until the fifth century.
Sprouls writes that the creed was likely written around the fifth century by Vincent of Lérins. Many agree with this view, though a few scholars have proposed Ambrose of Milan or Augustine of Hippo may have written it.
What Does the Athanasian Creed Say?
Here is the text of the Athanasian Creed, as reprinted on BibleStudyTools.com:
Whoever wills to be in a state of salvation, before all things, it is necessary that he hold the catholic 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, not 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.
How Does the Athanasian Creed Build on Past Creeds?
In a side-by-side comparison of the creeds, you’ll see a unity around the basic truths of Jesus Christ being born in the flesh, begotten from God the Father, and born of a woman. They further agree Jesus suffered death, descended into hell, and rose again from the dead. They are further unified that He ascended into heaven and is seated at the Father’s right hand. And all agree Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead.
The Athanasian Creed agrees and restates these truths while expanding its statements to cover the nature of the Trinity and the divinity of the Godhead. Three eternal, uncreated persons in one operating in perfect unity—the Godhead, three in one.
Denominations differ on debatable issues of Scripture, but these creeds serve as the plumb line for establishing the basic beliefs that define a church or denomination as Christian. There must be no deviation from these central truths to remain united with the greater faith community.
The creeds are not the means of salvation but state the foundational doctrines agreed upon by those who follow Jesus. In the Athanasian Creed, the word catholic does not refer to the Roman Catholic denomination but rather to the definition of the word as referring to the all-encompassing or greater body of Christ.
What Makes the Athanasian Creed Important Today?
While the creeds are not Scripture, they summarize Scriptural ideas.
The word trinity does not appear in the Bible. However, there are many Bible passages wherein the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are mentioned. The Athanasian Creed is a series of statements that support both the divinity and humanity of Jesus and the three-in-one nature of God.
This is just as vital for us to understand today as it was at the church’s start. Ancient heresies circle around and become debated again. Sometimes they form the foundation of cults that have the appearance of the Christian faith but have deviated from the foundation.
The creeds provide a language by which we can determine if a church we’re considering attending is doctrinally sound. They can be guardrails for us as we weather modern Christian debates, and they can be signposts for helping to distinguish sound teachers and leaders from those who have wandered from biblical teaching.
The humanity of Jesus is being widely explored today in television and movies. While it’s powerful to understand that Jesus was fully human, we distort the truth if we neglect to remember He is also fully God. Creeds can keep us on track and away from dangerous errors.
Enemies of God will not hesitate to try to distract us from worship and life by tempting us to wander from truth. We can use the creeds to unite Christians around the globe and with all who came before us right back to the apostles.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/ChamilleWhite
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