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The
Athanasian Creed |
The Athanasian Creed is confessed on Holy Trinity Sunday.
Some Lutheran churches also confess it on Reformation Day because Martin Luther thought so highly of this confession. The Athanasian Creed is named after St. Athanasius. Although he did not write this confession of the faith, it does reflect the strong belief in the Holy Trinity that was so vigorously defended by Athanasius.
Erroneously ascribed to Athanasius, the creed may have been the work of a number of authors and may have been compiled from the decrees of several synods. Scholars place its composition in the late 4th century or first half of the 5th century. The creed reflects the state of theological development corresponding to the time of the Council of Chalcedon (451). It was first mentioned as a creed around 542 by the theologian Caesarius of Arles.
The creed is a theological exposition of the doctrines of the Trinity and the incarnation, with brief statements of the other doctrines found also in the Apostles' and Nicene creeds concerning the important events in the life of Jesus Christ (see Apostles' Creed; Nicene Creed). The beginning and ending of the creed stress the necessity of believing the articles of faith in order to be saved.
The Athanasian Creed is the longest of the three creeds employed in the liturgy of Lutheran Church. The entire text of the creed is confessed as a responsive reading. In some cases the creed is sung by a choir.
Athanasius, Saint (circa 293-373), Christian theologian, bishop, and Doctor of the Church, who championed the cause of orthodoxy in the 4th-century struggle against Arianism. Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Athanasius received a classical education before entering the famous theological school of his native city. He was ordained a deacon as a young man and served as secretary to the bishop of Alexandria. It was then that he began to take a prominent position in the great theological struggle that culminated in the Council of Nicaea in 325. At Nicaea, Athanasius opposed Arius, the Alexandrian priest who advanced the doctrine known as Arianism; his life is intimately connected with the progress of the Arian controversy, and he was by far the most formidable antagonist encountered by that heresy. Athanasius formulated the homoousian doctrine, according to which the Son of God is of the same essence, or substance, as the Father; Arius, on the other hand, maintained that the Son was of a different substance from that of the Father and was merely a creature, much more perfect that any other creature, who was used by God in subsequent works of creation.
Athanasius became bishop of Alexandria around 328. During the Arian controversy, politics mingled with theology, and each side labored to win the favor of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great. The Arian Party was both influential and very active at the imperial court. Athanasius was exiled five times; more than one-third of his episcopate was spent away from his see. His fifth and final exile lasted only four months and ended in 364. He spent the rest of his life in quiet labor at his post in Alexandria. The theological battle was practically over, and the victory rested with the cause of Nicene orthodoxy (see Nicene Creed). Athanasius was a voluminous writer; of great value are his Discourses Against the Arians, History of the Arians, Apology Against the Arians, and On the Decrees of the Nicene Synod. He died May 2, 373. His feast day is May 2.
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Whoever wishes to be saved should above all, cling to the Catholic faith.
Whoever does not guard it whole and inviolable will doubtless perish eternally.
Now this is the catholic faith: we worship one God in Trinity and the Trinity in unity, neither confusing the persons nor
dividing the divine being.
For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Spirit is still another.
But the deity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory, coeternal in majesty.
What the Father is, the Son is, and so is the Holy Spirit.
Uncreated is the Father; uncreated is the Son; uncreated is the Spirit.
The Father is infinite; the Son is infinite; the Holy Spirit is infinite.
Eternal is the Father; eternal is the Son; eternal is the Spirit: And yet there are not three eternal beings, but one who is
eternal; as there are not three uncreated and unlimited beings, but one who is uncreated and unlimited.
Almighty is the Father; almighty is the Son; almighty is the Spirit: And yet there are not three almighty beings, but one
who is almighty.
Thus the Father is God; the Son is God; the Holy Spirit is God: And yet there are not three Gods, but one God.
Thus the Father is Lord; the Son is Lord; the Holy Spirit is Lord: And yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord.
As Christian truth compels us to acknowledge each district person as God and Lord, so catholic religion forbids us to
say that there are three gods and lords.
The Father was neither made nor created nor begotten; the Son was neither made nor created, but was alone begotten
of the Father; the Spirit was neither made nor created, but is proceeding from the Father and the Son.
Thus there is one Father, not three fathers; one Son, not three sons; one Holy Spirit, not three spirits.
And in this Trinity, no one is before or after, greater or less than the other; but all three persons are in themselves,
coeternal and coequal; and so we must worship the trinity in unity and the one God in three persons.
Whoever wants to be saved should think thus about the Trinity.
It is necessary for eternal salvation that one also faithfully believe that our Lord Jesus Christ became flesh.
For this is the true faith that we believe and confess: That our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, is both God and man.
He is God, begotten before all worlds from the being of the Father, and he is man, born in the world from the being of
his mother--existing fully as God, and fully as man with a rational soul and a human body; equal to the Father in divinity,
subordinate to the Father in humanity.
Although he is God and man, he is not divided, but is one Christ.
He is united because God has taken humanity into himself; he does not transform deity into humanity.
He is completely one in the unity of his person, without confusing his natures.
For as the rational soul and body are one person, so the one Christ is God and man.
He suffered death for our salvation. He descended into hell and rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
At his coming all people shall rise bodily to give an account of their own deeds.
Those who have done good will enter eternal life, those who have done evil will enter eternal fire.
This is the catholic faith. One cannot be saved without believing this firmly and faithfully. Amen.
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