The Three Ecumenical Creeds: The Athanasian Creed

The Athanasian Creed, or Symbolum Quicunque, An Introduction

The Athanasian Creed is also called Symbolum Quicunque, from the first Latin word, “Quicunque vult salvus esse.” “Whoever desires to be saved.”

Like the Apostles' Creed, the Gloria in Excelsis (as fully sung in the Mass), and the Te Deum Laudamus, the Athanasian Creed is thoroughly the teaching of the Holy Scriptures, but its origin is lost in the millennia of Church history. Yet it is named in honor of St. Athanasias, the great confessor and Bishop of Alexandria, who confessed so stridently and endured much persecution due to the rise of the heresy of Arianism – the idea that the Son of God is created and inferior to the Father. Athanasius was the chief defender of the divinity of Christ and the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity (d. 373). One can easily see from reading the Athanasian Creed why it was named for him.

The Athanasian Creed condemns Arianism as “dividing the substance” of the Trinity.

And the catholic faith is this,

that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.

For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Holy Spirit is another.

But the Godhead of the Father and 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…

Scholar Philip Schaff in his Creeds of Christendom calls the Athanasian Creed “a remarkably clear and precise summary of the doctrinal decisions of the first four ecumenical Councils (from A.D. 325 to A.D. 451), and the Augustinian speculations on the Trinity and the Incarnation. Its brief sentences are artistically arranged and rhythmically expressed. It is a musical creed or dogmatic psalm... It resembles, in this respect, the older Te Deum, but it is much more metaphysical and abstruse, and its harmony is disturbed by a threefold anathema.”

Unlike the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, this creed does not just teach the doctrine of the Trinity indirectly by telling us there is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But it teaches thoroughly the three persons of the Godhead, each person expressing the whole fullness of the Godhead, with all his attributes.

Also, against the rise of the joint dangers of Nestorianism (distinguishing the two natures of Christ to such an extent that one appears to teach Christ as being two distinct persons) and Eutychianism (confessing only the divinity of Christ as an overreaction to Nestorianism), the Creed affirms “not two but one Christ” who is both God and man. “God from the Father’s substance, man from His mother’s substance”. It is vitally important to correctly teach and confess the two natures of Christ and His holy incarnation. If we do not, our salvation is called into question. If Jesus is just a man, just created, then He is just another man dying on another Roman cross who has no holy, precious blood with which He pays for our sins. If Jesus is only God and not man, the cross is a trick of some kind, and Jesus does not die as our brother and substitute to atone for our sins.

Martin Luther regarded the Athanasian Creed as “the most important and glorious composition since the days of the apostles.” (“Es ist also gefasset, dass ich nicht weiss, ob seit der Apostel Zeit in der Kirche des Neuen Testamentes etwas Wichtigeres and Herrlicheres geschrieben sei.”)

An early rubric in the Church of England directs that the Athanasian Creed “shall be sung or said at Morning Prayer, instead of the Apostles' Creed, on Christmas-day, the Epiphany, St. Matthias, Easter-day, Ascension-day, Whitsunday, St. John the Baptist, St. James, St. Bartholomew, St. Matthew, St. Simon and St. Jude, St. Andrew, and upon Trinity Sunday.” (Schaff) Lutherans have long confessed the Athanasian Creed on Trinity Sunday. But considering its great confession of the incarnation and two natures of Christ, perhaps we should consider confessing it on Christmas Eve and Day as well – or perhaps pastors ought to be preaching using its great text over Christmastide.

Very recently in my youngest son’s catechesis class, the catechist asked the class if they knew or remembered when the congregation traditionally once per year confessed the Athanasian Creed. One young man blurted out, “Easter.” No, good guess. Another blurted out, “Christmas.” No, we’ve now covered the two major festivals. Finally one young man raised his hand, and when called upon said, “I know! Black Friday!” The class erupted in laughter. He meant “Good Friday.” But I thought, it’s not a bad idea to pray this creed before heading out to spend money on Black Friday, one might remember the Giver of every good gift who is from above:

For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man; so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell; rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from whence he will come to judge the living and the dead.

And what the young catechumen intended - GOOD Friday - he was right on about that too. Perhaps during the holy three hours of our Lord hanging on the cross on Good Friday, when we take time to remember and hear of our Lord’s wonderful suffering and sacrifice for our sake, it would be the perfect time to confess the Athanasian Creed, “This is the catholic faith; which except a man believe truly and firmly, he cannot be saved.”