Athanasian Creed

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The so-called Athanasian or Athanasian creed , also called Athanasianum (Latin Symbolum Athanasianum ) and Quicumque after the Latin beginning (Quicumque vult salvus esse) , is one of the three great Christian creeds of the western churches, where it has had a similar reputation since the 13th century enjoys like the Apostolicum and the Nicano-Constantinopolitanum .

Text history

The question of the author and the origin is open. Athanasius of Alexandria (4th century) is traditionally referred to as the author of this creed. The oldest known mention of a belief by Saint Athanasius , however, is only found in the provisions of the Council of Autun (approx. 670), with which the text "Quicumque" is probably meant, although not with certainty.

As early as 1642 the Dutch humanist Gerhard Johannes Vossius proved that this confession could not have come from Athanasius. Among other things, it is clearly written in Latin, while Athanasius wrote in Greek. It also leaves out all theological terms that were important to Athanasius, such as B. homoousion , while it includes the typical western filioque . In addition, this confession is unknown in the Eastern Churches, although the name of Athanasius enjoys great respect there.

Volker Drecoll proved that the text received is composed almost entirely of quotations from various Latin church fathers (predominantly Augustinian tradition ) and goes back to Ambrosius of Milan , Vincent of Lérins , Fulgentius of Ruspe and, most recently, Caesarius of Arles .

Probably between 540 and 670 a compiler whose name was unknown compiled the text as a "basic theological course" for clerical training. The oldest manuscripts containing the text of the symbol date from the 8th century, one of them possibly even from the 7th century.

structure

The Confession consists of forty carefully structured verses, divided into two distinct main sections:

Full text

Latin (after the Liber Usualis ) German translation

Quicumque vult salvus esse,
ante omnia opus est, ut teneat catholicam fidem:

Anyone who wants to
be saved must above all hold fast to the Catholic faith.

Quam nisi quisque integram inviolatamque servaverit,
absque dubio in aeternum peribit.

Anyone who does not keep it intact and unharmed
will no doubt be lost forever.

Fides autem catholica haec est:
ut unum Deum in Trinitate,
et Trinitatem in unitate veneremur:

But this is the Catholic faith:
that we
worship the one God in the Trinity and the Trinity in unity,

Neque confundentes personas,
neque substantiam separantes.

without mixing the people
and without separating the entity.

Alia est enim persona Patris, alia Filii,
alia Spiritus Sancti.

For one person is that of the Father and another is that of the Son;
another that of the Holy Spirit.

Sed Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti una est divinitas,
aequalis gloria, coeterna maiestas.

But the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit have only one Deity,
the same glory, the same eternal majesty.

Qualis Pater, talis Filius,
talis Spiritus Sanctus.

As is the Father, so is the Son,
and so is the Holy Spirit:

Increatus Pater, increatus Filius,
increatus Spiritus Sanctus.

Uncreated the Father, uncreated the Son,
uncreated the Holy Spirit.

Immensus Pater, immensus Filius,
immensus Spiritus Sanctus.

Immeasurably the Father, immeasurably the Son,
immeasurably the Holy Spirit.

Aeternus Pater, aeternus Filius,
aeternus Spiritus Sanctus.

Forever the Father, forever the Son,
forever the Holy Spirit.

Et tamen non tres aeterni,
sed unus aeternus.

And yet it is not three eternal,
but one eternal,

Sicut non tres increati, nec tres immensi,
sed unus increatus, et unus immensus.

just as there are not three uncreated or three immeasurable,
but one uncreated and one immeasurable.

Similiter omnipotens Pater, omnipotens Filius,
omnipotens Spiritus Sanctus.

Likewise, the Father is almighty, the Son is
almighty, the Holy Spirit is almighty .

Et tamen non tres omnipotentes,
sed unus omnipotens.

And yet there are not three almighties,
but one almighty.

Ita Deus Pater, Deus Filius,
Deus Spiritus Sanctus.

So the Father is God, the Son is God,
the Holy Spirit is God.

Et tamen non tres Dii,
sed unus est Deus.

And yet there are not three gods,
but one god.

Ita Dominus Pater, Dominus Filius,
Dominus Spiritus Sanctus.

So the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord,
the Holy Spirit is Lord.

Et tamen non tres Domini,
sed unus est Dominus.

And yet there are not three gentlemen,
but one gentleman.

Quia sicut singillatim unamquamque personam Deum ac Dominum confiteri christiana veritate compellimur:
ita tres Deos aut Dominos dicere catholica religione prohibemur.

For just as we are compelled, in Christian truth, to confess each individual person for himself as God and as Lord, so the Catholic faith forbids us to speak of three gods or lords.

Pater a nullo est factus:
nec creatus, nec genitus.

The Father is not made,
neither created nor begotten by anyone .

Filius a Patre solo est:
non factus, nec creatus, sed genitus.

The Son is from the Father alone, was
not created or created, but begotten.

Spiritus Sanctus a Patre et Filio:
non factus, nec creatus, nec genitus, sed procedens.

The Holy Spirit was not of the Father and of the Son, was
not created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

Unus ergo pater, non tres patres:
unus Filius, non tres Filii:
unus Spiritus Sanctus, non tres Spiritus Sancti.

So there is one father, not three fathers,
one son, not three sons,
one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.

Et in hac Trinitate nihil prius aut posterius,
nihil maius aut minus:
sed totae tres personae coaeternae sibi sunt et coaequales.

And in this Trinity there is nothing earlier or later,
nothing bigger or smaller,
but all three persons are equal and equal to each other,

Ita ut per omnia, sicut iam supra dictum est,
et unitas in Trinitate,
et Trinitas in unitate veneranda sit.

so that in everything, as has already been said above,
the unity in the trinity
and the trinity in the unity is to be venerated.

Qui vult ergo salvus esse,
ita de Trinitate sentiat.

So whoever wants to
be saved should have this conception of the Trinity.

Sed necessarium est ad aeternam salutem,
ut Incarnationem quoque Domini nostri Iesu Christi fideliter credat.

But for eternal salvation it is necessary
that he also sincerely believe in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Est ergo fides recta, ut credamus et confiteamur,
quia Dominus noster Iesus Christ Dei Filius,
Deus et homo est.

The correct faith is this: We believe and confess
that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is
God and man.

Deus est ex substantia Patris ante saecula genitus:
et homo est ex substantia matris in saeculo natus.

He is God, begotten from the being of the Father before times,
and he is man, born from the being of the Mother in time.

Perfectus Deus, perfectus homo:
ex anima rationali et humana carne subsistens.

Perfect God, perfect man,
composed of a reasonable soul and of human flesh.

Aequalis Patri secundum divinitatem:
minor Patre secundum humanitatem.

Like the Father after Godhead,
less than the Father after humanity.

Qui, licet Deus sit et homo,
non duo tamen, sed unus est Christ:

Yet although he is God and man,
Christ is not two but one.

Unus autem non conversione divinitatis in carnem,
sed assumptione humanitatis in Deum:

One, however, not by transforming the Godhead into flesh,
but by accepting humanity into God.

Unus omnino non confusione substantiae,
sed unitate personae.

He is totally one, not through a mixture of essence,
but through the unity of person.

Nam sicut anima rationalis et caro unus est homo:
ita Deus et homo unus est Christ.

For just as rational soul and flesh give one man,
so God and man give one Christ,

Qui passus est pro salute nostra, descendit ad inferos:
tertia die resurrexit a mortuis.

He suffered for our salvation, went down into the underworld,
rose from the dead on the third day,

Ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis:
inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos.

He has ascended to the heavens, he sits at the right hand of God the Almighty Father,
from where he will come to judge the living and the dead.

Ad cuius adventum omnes homines resurgere habent cum corporibus suis:
et reddituri sunt de factis propriis rationem.

When he arrives, all people must be resurrected with their bodies
and will give an account of their deeds.

Et qui bona egerunt, ibunt in vitam aeternam:
qui vero mala, in ignem aeternum.

And those who have done good will enter eternal life,
whereas those who have [done] will enter eternal fire.

Haec est fides catholica,
quam nisi quisque fideliter firmiterque crediderit,
salvus esse non poterit.

This is the Catholic faith.
Only those who sincerely and firmly believe in this
will be able to be saved.

Use in churches

At the time of the Reformation , the creed was still considered one of the three classic creeds. Both the confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Reformed confessions recognize his authority.

It is currently used in the liturgy of the Anglican churches, as well as on Trinity Sunday in the Lutheran churches . From the Catholic order of the Liturgy of the Hours, where it was sung or prayed instead of a psalm on Sundays outside of the coined times and except on high feasts until the liturgical reform, after the abolition of the Prim it has disappeared from the ordinary form of the Roman rite and is only used in Latin Hours of the Extraordinary Form used by those who pray the Prim. Accordingly, it is no longer explained in the handout of the German Roman Catholic Bishops on Trinity Theology (2006). This creed is also little appreciated in recent theology and catechesis .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.vatican.va/archive/DEU0035/_P1B.HTM Catechism of the Catholic Church, Article 193
  2. ^ Hubert Mordek : Canon Law and Reform in the Franconian Empire. The Collectio Vetus Gallica, the oldest systematic collection of canons in Franconian Gaul. Berlin 1975, pp. 84ff.

literature