What is the Athanasian Creed?

Understanding Matthew 28:19

The Athanasian Creed (also known by its Latin opening words, Quicunque Vult — 'Whoever wishes') is the longest and most theologically precise of the three ecumenical creeds of Western Christianity. Where the Apostles' Creed summarizes the faith in simple narrative form and the Nicene Creed addresses specific heresies about Christ's divinity, the Athanasian Creed provides the most detailed and rigorous statement on the Trinity and the incarnation ever produced in creedal form.

Attribution and Origin

Despite its name, the creed was almost certainly not written by Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296-373), the great defender of Trinitarian orthodoxy against Arianism. Several facts point away from Athanasian authorship:

• The creed was originally written in Latin, not Greek — and Athanasius wrote in Greek
• Athanasius never mentions it in his extensive writings
• No Eastern church father references it during Athanasius' lifetime
• Its theological vocabulary and style are more consistent with 5th-6th century Western theology

Modern scholarship generally dates the creed to the late 5th or early 6th century, most likely composed in southern Gaul (modern France). Some scholars have suggested Caesarius of Arles (c. 470-542) or Vincent of Lerins (d. c. 445) as possible authors, but no definitive attribution has been established.

The creed was attributed to Athanasius because his name carried enormous theological authority — he had spent his career defending the very Trinitarian theology the creed articulates. Naming it after him was a way of claiming his legacy for the creed's precise formulations.

Structure

The creed has two main sections:

1. The doctrine of the Trinity (approximately the first two-thirds)
2. The doctrine of the incarnation (the final third)

Both sections are framed by strong statements about the necessity of right belief for salvation — a feature that has made the creed controversial in modern times.

The Trinitarian Section

The creed's Trinitarian statements are built on a systematic pattern of affirmation and distinction:

'We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance.'

This single sentence contains the entire Trinitarian formula: one God, three Persons, one Substance (essence). The two errors to avoid are 'confounding the Persons' (modalism — treating Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as merely different modes or masks of one Person) and 'dividing the Substance' (tritheism — treating the three Persons as three separate Gods).

The creed then applies this principle with rigorous repetition:

'For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal.'

'Such as the Father is; such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreated; the Son uncreated; and the Holy Ghost uncreated. 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 eternals; but one eternal.'

The pattern continues through 'uncreated,' 'incomprehensible' (better translated 'unlimited' or 'immeasurable'), 'almighty,' 'God,' and 'Lord' — in each case affirming that each Person fully possesses the attribute, yet there are not three Gods, three Almighties, or three Lords, but one.

This repetitive structure serves a pedagogical purpose. The Trinitarian doctrine is inherently difficult — the creed addresses this by stating the same principle from multiple angles, building up the reader's understanding through iteration rather than through a single definition.

'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.'

This section distinguishes the three Persons by their relationships of origin:

• The Father is 'unbegotten' — He does not derive from another Person
• The Son is 'begotten' from the Father — He is eternally generated from the Father's being
• The Holy Spirit 'proceeds' from the Father and the Son (the filioque — 'and the Son' — which became the most divisive theological issue between Eastern and Western Christianity)

The distinction between 'begotten' and 'proceeding' is ancient — it appears in the Nicene Creed itself. The Athanasian Creed makes it explicit: the Son and Spirit relate to the Father in distinct ways, even though both are fully and equally divine.

The Christological Section

The second section addresses the incarnation — how the eternal Son of God became human:

'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.'

The creed then defines Christ's two natures with the same systematic precision used for the Trinity:

'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 Godhead; and inferior to the Father as touching his Manhood.'

This formulation reflects the definition of Chalcedon (AD 451), which declared that Christ is one Person with two complete natures — fully divine and fully human — 'without confusion, without change, without division, without separation.'

'Who although he is God and Man; yet he is not two, but one Christ. One; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by taking of the Manhood into God. One altogether; not by confusion of Substance; but by unity of Person.'

The creed guards against two opposite errors:

• Nestorianism — dividing Christ into two persons (one divine, one human)
• Eutychianism — merging Christ's two natures into one mixed nature

Christ is one Person, but His divinity was not converted into humanity ('not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh'), nor were the two natures blended ('not by confusion of Substance'). Rather, humanity was taken into the divine Person ('by taking of the Manhood into God').

The Damnatory Clauses

The most controversial feature of the Athanasian Creed is its opening and closing declarations:

'Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic [universal] Faith. Which Faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled; without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.'

And at the end: 'This is the catholic Faith; which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved.'

These 'damnatory clauses' have led some churches to remove the creed from liturgical use, viewing the language as too severe. Others argue that the creed is simply stating what the New Testament itself teaches — that right belief about who God is and who Christ is matters for salvation (John 8:24; 1 John 2:22-23; 2 John 1:7-9).

The creed was written in a context where theological error was not academic but existential — Arianism (denying Christ's full divinity) and various Christological heresies threatened to redefine Christianity itself. The strong language reflects the conviction that what you believe about God is not merely interesting but salvifically consequential.

Liturgical Use

The Athanasian Creed has been used differently across Christian traditions:

Roman Catholic: Historically recited at the Sunday office of Prime, particularly on Trinity Sunday. Its liturgical use declined significantly after Vatican II.

Anglican/Episcopal: The Book of Common Prayer (1662) prescribes it for thirteen feast days throughout the year, including Christmas, Easter, and Trinity Sunday. Many modern Anglican churches have reduced or eliminated its use.

Lutheran: Luther valued the creed highly, calling it 'the most important and glorious composition since the days of the Apostles.' It remains part of the Lutheran confessional tradition (included in the Book of Concord) and is sometimes recited on Trinity Sunday.

Eastern Orthodox: The creed is not used liturgically in Orthodox churches, primarily because of the filioque clause ('and the Son') in its description of the Holy Spirit's procession. The Orthodox Church teaches that the Spirit proceeds from the Father alone (or from the Father through the Son), and the filioque remains a point of theological difference between East and West.

Theological Significance

Precision matters in theology. The Athanasian Creed demonstrates that Christian theology is not vague spirituality but precise claims about reality. The careful distinctions between 'begotten' and 'proceeding,' between 'Person' and 'Substance,' between 'confusion' and 'division' — these are not word games but attempts to faithfully describe the God who has revealed Himself in Scripture.

The Trinity is not optional. The creed insists that Trinitarian belief is not an advanced topic for theologians but the foundation of Christian faith. To worship a non-Trinitarian God is, according to the creed, to worship a different God entirely.

The creeds build on each other. The Apostles' Creed provides the narrative framework of faith. The Nicene Creed addresses specific heresies about Christ's divinity and the Spirit's identity. The Athanasian Creed provides the most thorough systematic statement, completing the trilogy. Together, the three creeds represent the church's comprehensive confession of who God is.

Doctrine serves worship. The creed is not an academic document — it was written for liturgical use, to be spoken aloud in community. Its repetitive structure is designed for oral recitation, and its purpose is not merely intellectual assent but corporate confession. Right belief leads to right worship, and right worship forms right believers.