What Is the Athanasian Creed?

The Athanasian Creed is one of the three great ecumenical creeds of Christianity, alongside the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. Of the three, it is the longest, the most theologically detailed, and the least well-known — yet it contains some of the most precise and important doctrinal statements the Church has ever produced. For anyone who wants to understand what orthodox Christianity actually teaches about God and Jesus Christ, the Athanasian Creed is an essential document.

Two Great Doctrines in One Creed

The Athanasian Creed is divided into two main sections. The first addresses the doctrine of the Trinity: that there is one God in three coequal, coeternal Persons — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost — each fully God, yet not three Gods but one. The second addresses the doctrine of the Incarnation: that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is both fully God and fully Man in one Person — not two beings fused together, but one Christ.

These are not abstract philosophical puzzles. They are the bedrock of the Christian Gospel. A Christ who is not truly God cannot save. A Christ who is not truly Man cannot represent humanity. And a God who is not Trinity cannot be the God of love that the Bible reveals. The Athanasian Creed exists to guard these truths with precision.

A Creed from the Ancient Western Church

The creed takes its name from Athanasius of Alexandria, the great 4th-century defender of Nicene orthodoxy. However, modern scholarship has concluded that Athanasius almost certainly did not write it. The earliest manuscripts date to the late 5th or early 6th century, and the creed originated in the Latin-speaking Western Church — most likely in Gaul (modern France). Its traditional attribution to Athanasius reflects the deep respect the Western Church had for his theological legacy.

For 1,500 years, this creed has been recited in Lutheran, Anglican, and Catholic worship on Trinity Sunday and major feasts. It opens and closes with a sobering reminder: this Faith is not optional. 'Which Faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.' The stakes it names are as high as they get — and its precision reflects the seriousness with which the ancient Church took the task of defining who God is.