Athanasian Creed

Taking its name from St. Athanasius (+373), even though it is no longer attributed to him, this prayer enumerates the essential doctrines of Christianity, especially the mysteries of the Holy Trinity. St. Teresa of Avila recounts a meditation on this creed as follows: "Once, when I was reciting the Quicúmque vult, I was shown so clearly how it was possible for there to be One God alone and Three Persons, that it caused me both amazement and much comfort. It was of the greatest help in teaching me to know more of the greatness of God and of his marvels."1

 

Ant.   Glory be to you, equal Trinity, one Godhead, before all time, now and for ever (Easter Time Alleluia).

1.  Whoever wishes to be saved must,
above all, keep the Catholic faith.

2.  For unless a person keeps this faith 
whole and entire,
he will undoubtedly be lost for ever.

3.  This is what the Catholic faith teaches:
we worship one God in the Trinity 
and the Trinity in unity.

4.  We distinguish among the Persons,
but we do not divide the substance.

5.  For the Father is a distinct Person; the Son is 
a distinct Person;
and the Holy Spirit is a distinct Person.

6.  Still, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit 
have one divinity, equal glory, and co­eternal majesty.

7.  What the Father is, the Son is,
and the Holy Spirit is.


8. The Father is uncre­ated, the Son is un­created,
and the Holy Spirit is uncreated.


9.  The Father is boundless, the Son is boundless,
and the Holy Spirit is boundless.


10. The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal,
and the Holy Spirit is eternal.


11.  Nevertheless, there are not three eternal beings,
but one eternal being.


12. Thus there are not three uncreated beings, 
nor three boundless beings, but one uncreated being 
and one boundless being.


13. Likewise, the Father is omnipotent, 
the Son is omnipotent, and the Holy Spirit is omnipotent.


14. Yet there are not three omnipotent beings,
but one omnipotent being.


15. Thus the Father is God, the Son is God,
and the Holy Spirit is God.


16. But there are not three gods,
but one God.


17. The Father is Lord, the Son is Lord,
and the Holy Spirit is Lord.


18. There are not three Lords,
but one Lord.


19. For according to Christian truth, 
we must profess that each of the Persons 
individually is God; and according to Christian religion, we are 
forbidden to say that there are three gods or three lords.

20.  The Father is not made by anyone,
nor created by anyone, nor generated by anyone.


21. The Son is not made nor created,
but is generated by the Father alone.


22. The Holy Spirit is not made 
nor created nor generated, but proceeds from the Father
and the Son.


23. There is, then, one Fa­ther, not three fathers; 
one Son, not three sons;
one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits.


24. In this Trinity, there is nothing greater, 
no­thing less than anything else:
But all three Persons are coeternal 
and coequal with one another.


25. So that, as we have said,
we worship complete unity in the Trinity
      and the Trinity in unity.


26. This, then, is what one who wishes to be saved
must believe about the Trinity.


27. It is also necessary for eternal salvation
that one believe steadfastly
      in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.


28. The true faith is: we believe and profess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
      is both God and man.


29. As God, he was begotten
      of the substance of the Father before time;
as man, he was born in time
      of the sub­stance of his Mother.


30. He is perfect God; and he is perfect man,
with a rational soul and human flesh.


31. He is equal to the Father in his divinity,
but he is inferior to the Fa­ther in his humanity.


32.   Although he is God and man,
he is not two, but one Christ.


33. And he is one, not because his divinity
      was changed into flesh,
but because his humanity was assumed to God.


34. He is one, not at all be­cause of a mingling of substances, but becau­se he is one person.

35. As a rational soul
      and flesh are one man:
so God and man are one Christ.


36. He died for our salvation,
      descended to hell,
arose from the dead on the third day,


37. Ascended into hea­ven, sits
      at the right hand of God the Father almighty, and from there he shall come
      to judge the living and the dead.


38. At his coming, all are to arise
      with their own bodies;
and they are to give an account of their lives.     


39. Those who have done good deeds
      will go into eternal life;
those who have done evil
      will go into everlasting fire.


40. This is the Catholic faith.
Everyone must believe it, firmly and steadfastly;
      otherwise, one cannot be saved.

 

Ant.   Glória tibi, Trínitas * æquális, una Déitas, et ante ómnia saécula, et nunc, et in perpétuum (T. P. Alle­lúia).

1.  Quicúmque vult salvus esse, *
ante ómnia opus est, ut téneat cathólicam fidem:

2.  Quam nisi quisque íntegram 
inviolatámque serváverit, *
absque dúbio in ætérnum períbit.

3.  Fides autem cathólica hæc est: *
ut unum Deum in Trinitáte, 
et Trinitátem in unitáte venerémur.

4.  Neque confundéntes persónas, *
neque substántiam separántes.

5.  Alia est enim persóna Patris ália Fílii, *
ália Spíritus Sancti:

6.  Sed Patris, et Fílii, et Spíritus Sancti 
una est divínitas, * æquális glória, coætérna maiéstas.

7.  Qualis Pater, talis Fílius, *
talis Spíritus Sanctus.

8. Increátus Pater, increátus Fílius, *
increátus Spíritus Sanctus.

9.  Imménsus Pater, imménsus Fílius, *
imménsus Spíritus Sanctus.

10. Ætérnus Pater, ætérnus Fílius, *
ætérnus Spíritus Sanctus.

11. Et tamen non tres ætérni, *
sed unus ætérnus.


12. Sicut non tres increáti, 
nec tres imménsi, * sed unus increátus, 
et unus imménsus.


13. Simíliter omnípotens Pater, 
omnípotens Fílius, * omnípotens Spíritus Sanctus.


14. Et tamen non tres omnipoténtes, *
sed unus omnípotens.


15. Ita Deus Pater, Deus Fílius, *
Deus Spíritus Sanctus.


16. Et tamen non tres dii, *
sed unus est Deus.


17. Ita Dóminus Pater, Dóminus Fílius, *
Dóminus Spíritus Sanctus.


18. Et tamen non tres Dómini, *
sed unus est Dóminus.


19. Quia, sicut singillátim unamquámque 
persónam Deum ac Dóminum 
confitéri christiána veritáte compéllimur: *
ita tres Deos aut Dóminos dícere cathólica religióne prohibémur.

20.   Pater a nullo est factus: *
nec creátus, nec génitus.


21. Fílius a Patre solo est: *
non factus, nec creátus, sed génitus.


22. Spíritus Sanctus a Patre et Fílio: *
non factus, nec creátus, nec génitus, sed procédens.


23. Unus ergo Pater, non tres Patres: 
unus Fílius, non tres Fílii: *
unus Spíritus Sanctus, non tres Spíritus Sancti.


24. Et in hac Trinitáte nihil prius aut postérius,
      nihil maius aut minus: *
sed totæ tres persónæ coætérnæ
      sibi sunt et coæquáles.


25. Ita ut per ómnia, sicut iam supra dictum est,  *
 et únitas in Trinitáte,
      et Trínitas in unitáte veneránda sit.


26. Qui vult ergo salvus esse, *
ita de Trinitáte séntiat.


27. Sed necessárium est ad ætérnam salútem, *
ut incarnatiónem quoque Dómini
      nostri Iesu Christi fidéliter credat.


28. Est ergo fides recta ut credámus et confiteámur, *
quia Dóminus noster Iesus Christus,
      Dei Fílius, Deus et homo est.


29. Deus est ex substántia Patris
      ante saécula  génitus: *
et homo est ex substántia matris in saéculo natus.


30. Perféctus Deus, perféctus homo: *
ex ánima rationáli et humána carne subsístens.


31. Æquális Patri secúndum divinitátem; *
minor Patre secúndum humanitátem.


32.   Qui, licet Deus sit et homo, *
non duo tamen, sed unus est Christus.


33. Unus autem non conversióne divinitátis
      in carnem,*  
sed assumptióne humanitátis in Deum.


34. Unus omníno, non confusióne substántiæ, *
sed unitáte persónæ.


35. Nam sicut ánima rationális
      et caro unus est homo: *
ita Deus et homo unus est Christus.


36. Qui passus est pro salúte nostra:
      descéndit ad ínferos: *
tértia die resurréxit a mórtuis.

37. Ascéndit ad cælos,
      sedet ad déxteram Dei Patris omnipoténtis: *
 inde ventúrus est iudicáre vivos et mórtuos.

38. Ad cuius advéntum omnes hómines
      resúrgere habent cum corpóribus suis: *
et redditúri sunt de factis própriis ratiónem.


39. Et qui bona egérunt,
      ibunt in vitam ætérnam: *
qui vero mala,
      in ignem ætérnum.


40. Hæc est fides cathólica, *
quam nisi quisque fidéliter firmitérque
      credíderit, salvus esse non póterit.

 

 

 

Glory Be.

Ant.   Glory be to you, equal Trinity, one God­head, before all time, now and for ever (Easter Time Alleluia).

V.  O Lord, hear my prayer.

R.  And let my cry come unto you.

Priests add: 

Glória Patri . . .

Ant.   Glória tibi, Trínitas æquális, una Déitas, et ante ómnia saécula, et nunc, et in perpétuum (T. P. Alle­lúia).

V.   Dómine, exáudi oratiónem meam.

R.   Et clamor meus ad te véniat.

Sacerdotes addunt:

 

V.   The Lord be with you.

R.  And also with you.

Let us pray.

Almighty, ever­-living God, who have permitted us, your servants, in our profession of the true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of that majesty to adore the Unity, grant that, by steadfastness in this same faith, we may be ever guarded against all adversity. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

R.    Amen                  

V.   Dóminus vobíscum

R.   Et cum spíritu tuo.

Orémus.

Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, qui dedísti fámulis tuis, in confessióne veræ fídei, ætérnæ Trinitátis glóriam agnóscere, et in poténtia maiestátis adoráre unitátem: quaésumus; ut eiúsdem fídei firmitáte, ab ómnibus semper muniámur advérsis. Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum Fílium tuum; qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia saécula sæculórum.

R.    Amen.