c. 500 AD — Western Church Tradition
Ecumenical Tradition
Translation: public domain. Section headings added for clarity. Scripture references and popups provided by: Logos Bible Software. ✝︎
Whosoever will be saved: before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholick Faith*. Which Faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled: without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
Now this is the catholic faith:
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: and another of the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 28:19-20a
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
Passage showing the distinct persons of the Trinity
But the God-head of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one: the Glory equal, the Majesty co-eternal.
Such as the Father is, such is the Son: and such is the Holy Ghost.
The Father un-create, the Son un-create: and the Holy Ghost un-create.
The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible: and the Holy Ghost incomprehensible.
The Father eternal, the Son eternal: and the Holy Ghost eternal.
And yet they are not three eternal: but one eternal.
As also there are not three incomprehensible, nor three un-created: but one un-created, and one incomprehensible.
So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty: and the Holy Ghost Almighty.
And yet they are not three Almighties: but one Almighty.
So the Father is God, the Son is God: and the Holy Ghost is God.
And yet they are not three Gods: but one God.
So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord: and the Holy Ghost is Lord.
And yet not three Lords: but one Lord.
For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity: to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord;
So we are forbidden by the Catholick 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 Ghost is of the Father and of the Son: neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons: one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts.
And in this Trinity none is afore, or after other: none is greater, or less than another;
But the whole three Persons are co-eternal together: and co-equal.
So that in all things, as is aforesaid: the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped.
He therefore that will be saved: must thus think of the Trinity.
1 Corinthians 8:6
“Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”
The connection of Christ to all things.
Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation: that he also believe rightly 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 God and Man;
God, of the Substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds: and Man, of the Substance of His Mother, born in the world;
Perfect God, and perfect Man: of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting;
Equal to the Father, as touching His God-head and inferior to the Father, as touching His Manhood.
Who although He be God and Man: yet He is not two, but one Christ;
One; not by conversion of the God-head into flesh: but by taking of the Manhood into God;
One altogether; not by confusion of Substance: but by unity of Person.
For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man: so God and Man is one Christ;
John 1:14
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Christ became flesh and dwelt among us as it says within this passage.
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 the Father, God Almighty: from whence He shall come to judge the quick 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 everlasting: and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.
This is the Catholick Faith: which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved.
[See also: John 17:3, Matthew 28:19, 1 John 5:7]
* Catholick Faith, or Catholic Faith, is the universal faith of all believers not bound by time nor geography. It is not having to do with the Catholic church; which was not in existence when this Creed was penned.
** Some traditions understand “descended into hell” as meaning “descended into the depths” as in “into the grave” with the dead. Other traditions hold that Jesus did “descend into hell” to proclaim victory over the grave to those that had died before His coming.
The English translation presented follows the traditional rendering used in Catholic and/or Protestant traditions.
This text is provided for study, research, and educational purposes in Christian theology and church history.
The Athanasian Creed, known in Latin as the Quicunque Vult after its opening words, is one of the three ecumenical creeds of Christianity, alongside the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. Despite its traditional attribution to Athanasius of Alexandria — the great defender of Nicene orthodoxy who died in 373 AD — modern scholarship has largely concluded that the creed was not written by Athanasius himself. The earliest manuscripts date to the late 5th or early 6th century, and the creed appears to have originated in the Latin-speaking Western Church, most likely in Gaul (modern France).
The creed is distinguished by its two damnatory clauses — opening and closing statements that those who do not hold the Catholic Faith will perish everlastingly. These clauses have made the creed controversial in some modern traditions, but they reflect the early Church's conviction that the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation are essential confessions of Christian faith, not optional theological opinions. The Athanasian Creed remains in liturgical use in Lutheran, Anglican, and Catholic traditions.
Defines the one God in three Persons — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost — as coeternal, coequal, and consubstantial, while forbidding both the confusion of the Persons and the division of the divine substance.
Defines Christ as fully God and fully Man — one Person in two natures — born of the Father before the ages as to His divinity, and born of His mother in time as to His humanity. Not two Christs, but one.
Confesses Christ’s passion, descent into hell, resurrection, ascension, and return to judge the living and the dead — with all people rising bodily to either everlasting life or everlasting fire.
The opening and closing statements declare that the Catholic Faith must be held whole and undefiled, and that those who do not believe faithfully cannot be saved. These have been the most debated aspect of the creed in modern times.
The Athanasian Creed is one of the three great ecumenical creeds of Christianity. It is a detailed statement of orthodox belief on the Trinity and the Incarnation of Christ, used in Lutheran, Anglican, and Catholic liturgical traditions.
Almost certainly not. Despite the traditional attribution, modern scholars believe the creed was written in the Western Church, likely in Gaul (modern France), in the late 5th or early 6th century — well after Athanasius died in 373 AD.
The Athanasian Creed dates to approximately 500 AD, making it around 1,500 years old. It is younger than both the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, though it addresses many of the same theological concerns.
It teaches two core doctrines: the Trinity (that one God exists in three coequal, coeternal Persons — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost), and the Incarnation (that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully Man, one Person with two natures).
The creed opens and closes with warnings that those who do not hold the Catholic Faith whole and undefiled will perish everlastingly. These 'damnatory clauses' are the creed's most controversial feature and have been debated in modern liturgical contexts.
The Nicene Creed (325/381 AD) is a concise confession for corporate worship. The Athanasian Creed is longer and more technical, spelling out in detail the logical implications of Trinitarian doctrine and the two-natures Christology defined at Chalcedon.
It is used in Lutheran, Roman Catholic, and Anglican traditions, typically on Trinity Sunday and other major feasts. Many Reformed and evangelical churches affirm its contents without using it in regular worship.
'Quicunque Vult' is Latin for 'Whosoever will' — the opening words of the creed. It is the traditional Latin name for the Athanasian Creed, used to distinguish it from the other ecumenical creeds.
Explore our articles, study guides, and historical commentary on the Athanasian Creed.