c. 500 AD — Western Church Tradition
Ecumenical Tradition
Translation: public domain. Section headings and indentations added for clarity.
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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;
Matthew 28:19-20a
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you (NASB)”
Matthew 28:19–20 provides the foundational Trinitarian baptismal formula that historically anchors the doctrine of one God in three persons.
Hebrews 1:1-3
“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (NASB)”
Hebrews 1:1-3 provides foundational support for historic Christology by identifying Jesus as the eternal Son, co-equal in divine nature and final revelation.
Acts 5:3-4
“But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” (NASB)”
Acts 5:3-4 serves as foundational biblical support for the deity of the Holy Spirit by equating lying to the Spirit with lying to God.
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.
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.
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.
Matthew 28:19
“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.”
The one 'name' contains three persons — the Trinity stated in a single verse, the foundation on which the Athanasian Creed builds its careful exposition.
Hebrews 1:3
“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”
Not a copy or lesser image, but the exact representation of the Father — the Son is neither created nor inferior to the one who sent him.
Acts 5:4
“You have not lied to man but to God.”
Spoken of lying to the Holy Spirit — the Spirit's full divinity is assumed throughout the New Testament, affirmed clearly by the Athanasian Creed.
John 14:9
“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?”
Unity of substance with distinction of persons — the creed neither confounds the persons nor divides the one divine substance.
Philippians 2:7
“But emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
Full divinity and full humanity without confusion — the same Lord who is God took on human flesh as the perfect union of both natures.
Acts 17:31
“He has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
The resurrection guarantees the coming judgment — the creed's eschatology is grounded in the historical event that vindicates Christ's lordship.
Jude 3
“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”
Right belief is not optional — the creed's urgency about holding the faith echoes throughout the epistles and is essential to salvation.
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.