Folio 48

The Creed "Quicumque"

printed p. 15 · pdf p. 48

professes it, so that he makes a change in the saving act of baptism contrary to the chair of Holy Peter, let him be anathema.]

THE CREED "QUICUMQUE"

[Which is called "Athanasian"] 1

39. Whoever wishes to be saved, needs above all to hold the Catholic faith; unless each one preserves this whole and inviolate, he will without a doubt perish in eternity.—But the Catholic faith is this, that we venerate one God in the Trinity, and the Trinity in oneness; 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 Spirit; but the divine nature of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is one, their glory is equal, their majesty is coeternal. Of such a nature as the Father is, so is the Son, so (also) is the Holy Spirit; the Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, (and) the Holy Spirit is uncreated; the Father is immense, the Son is immense, (and) the Holy Spirit is immense; the Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, (and) the Holy Spirit is eternal: and nevertheless there are not three eternals, but one eternal; just as there are not three uncreated beings, nor three infinite beings, but one uncreated, and one infinite; similarly the Father is omnipotent, the Son is omnipotent, (and) the Holy Spirit is omnipotent: and yet there are not three omnipotents, but one omnipotent; thus the Father is God, the Son is God, (and) the Holy Spirit is God; and nevertheless there are not three gods, but there is one God; so the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, (and) the Holy Spirit is Lord: and yet there are not three lords, but there is one Lord; because just as we are

  1. KAnt 232 f.; H 174 ff.; ML 88, 565 A f.; Msi II 1354 B f. (Brevier. Rom.: Dom. ad Prim.)—It is certain that this profession of faith is not the work of Athanasius. The Latin text seems to be the first; but there are also Greek versions. In certain ancient codices this creed is attributed to "ANASTASIUS" (II), because "The Faith of ANASTASIUS" and "The Creed of ANASTASIUS" are inscribed on it. Künstle ("Antipriscillians" p. 204 ff.) attempted to prove the anti-Priscillian and Spanish origin of this Creed. But Henry Brewer rejects the arguments by which he establishes his opinion, and contends that the author of the ("Athanasian") creed is St. Ambrose the Milanese bishop [Das sog. Athanasianische Glaubensbekenntnis ein Werk des hl. Ambrosius, Paderb.; 1909]. So also P. Scheepens (Rev. d'hist eccl. 32 [1936] 548 ff.). Cf. what G. Morin in Journal of Theol. Stud. 12 (1911) 161 ff. 337 ff., and A. E. Burn, ib. 27 (1926) 19, have written about the same matter. J. Stiglmayr thinks this creed ought to be assigned to Fulgentius Ruspensis: Zeitschr. f. kath. Theol. 49 (1926) 341 ff.—Actually this "creed" afterwards received such great authority in both the western and the eastern Church, that it was accepted in liturgical use and ought to be considered as a true definition of the faith.—The words which are enclosed in brackets [..] indicate the liturgical text; those in parentheses (..) are lacking in the same. ↩