The Four C’s of Doctrinal History Part 6 – The Athanasian Creed

By Taigen Joos | July 9, 2025

In the early centuries of the Christian church, there were important events that helped to articulate orthodox biblical truth.

The Apostles’ Creed may or may not have been the earliest chronologically, but it was significant for its understanding of trinitarian doctrine. The Councils of Nicaea in 325 and Constantinople in 381 helped to further articulate trinitarian truth. The Definition of Chalcedon, which spawned from the Council of Chalcedon in 451 was a pivotal description of orthodox belief, specifically with regards to the person of Jesus.

There is one other creed of significance in the early centuries to note here, and that is the Athanasian Creed.

The Origins of this Creed

Like the Apostles’ Creed, the origins of the Athanasian Creed are relatively unknown. Early thought had it written by Athanasius (296-373), bishop of Alexandria in Africa. As a strong proponent of the orthodox trinitarian position, he opposed Arius who taught that the Son was essentially an ontologically distinct from the Father, the first creation of the Father, who was then used to create everything else.

Because of his strong disagreement with Arius, Athanasius suffered persecution. Because of his stand, “it is said that the epitaph on Athanasius’ grave read Athanasius Against the World.”1

Today, it is believed that Athanasius himself did not write this creed. Further scholarship in the 17th century led to the abandonment of this notion for different reasons: 1) Athanasius himself never mentioned this document in any of his own writings; 2) none of the earlier councils mentioned it at all; 3) some of the language in this document is taken virtually verbatim from Augustine. Athanasius died in 373. Augustine was born in 354 but hadn’t been converted prior to Athanasius’s death.

So, despite the origins of this document being unknown, it is thought to have originated sometime in the late 5th or 6th centuries, or perhaps later. Some think it is from the 9th century from North Africa and attributed to Athanasius because of its strong trinitarian view.

The Significance of the Creed

Schaff calls this creed “a musical creed or dogmatic psalm.”2

Many Roman Catholics and Protestants during the Reformation period espoused it. It clearly reflects and further articulates the thoughts from Nicaea, Constantinople, and Chalcedon regarding the trinity in more detail than any of the previous.

The Content of the Creed

The Creed can be considered in three parts. Each line is numbered below for ease of reference.

Part 1 – Orthodox Teaching Regarding the Trinity (Lines 1-28)

  1. Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith;
  2. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
  3. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;
  4. Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.
  5. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit.
  6. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
  7. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit.
  8. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated.
  9. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.
  10. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.
  11. And yet they are not three eternals but one eternal.
  12. As also there are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensible, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible.
  13. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty.
  14. And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty.
  15. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God;
  16. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
  17. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord;
  18. And yet they are not three Lords but one Lord.
  19. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord;
  20. So are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say; There are three Gods or three Lords.
  21. The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten.
  22. The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten.
  23. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
  24. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
  25. And in this Trinity none is afore or after another; none is greater or less than another.
  26. But the whole three persons are coeternal, and coequal.
  27. So that in all things, as aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.
  28. He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.

The creed affirms that there is one God, but three persons, with each person of the Trinity being equal to the other. This aspect speaks against Arianism, which did not believe in the full equality of the Father with the Son and Spirit.

Lines 21-23 speak of the distinguishing mark of the Trinity: the Father begets, the Son is begotten, the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.

There are things we need to keep in mind when studying or theologizing on God when it comes to the Trinity:

One — REVELATION. God reveals some things regarding how he relates to himself. We call this “The Ontological Trinity.” God’s tri-unity as Father/Son/Spirit is included here, as is God’s aseity — his self-dependence apart from anything or any other being, for instance.

God also reveals some things regarding how he relates to us. We call this “The Economic Trinity.” We could include things like God’s love for us, his grace towards us, etc.

When considering theology proper, it is helpful to understand the difference between these two ideas.

Two — SCRIPTURE AUTHORITY. Scripture must shape and correct our own thoughts and ideas. The Scripture is the ultimate and final authority when it comes to the doctrine of the Trinity, not our own ideas or thoughts.

Three — MYSTERY. We must recognize that God has revealed himself to us, but not everything about himself. Neither does what God reveal about himself always fit neatly into our finite understanding, and we must be ok with that. We would not want a God whom we could completely understand.

There are hidden things about God; there are still mysteries. Those mysteries are not necessary for us to know. What God has revealed to us are important for us to study and understand as best we can.

Four — TENSION. There are undeniable tensions that exist when trying to articulate doctrinal truth. For instance, God is one God but three persons. We call this the Tri-unity of God. Or for the incarnation, the hypostatic union of Christ — his being both God and Man.

The ongoing battle in those early centuries of the church was trying to articulate a thoroughly biblical statement regarding the idea of the Trinity without jeopardizing or doing away with the tensions that exist. If we lean too far one way or another on the tightrope of these tensions, we will fall off and go into theological error.

Augustine wrote, “God is greater and truer in our thoughts than in our words; he is greater and truer in reality than in our thoughts.”3

Part 2 – Orthodox Teaching Regarding Christ (lines 29-44)

This section largely reflects the thinking of both Nicaea/Constantinople and Chalcedon in affirming the incarnation of Christ; God the Son taking on human flesh and blood, etc.

  1. Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
  2. For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man.
  3. God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of substance of His mother, born in the world.
  4. Perfect God and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.
  5. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood.
  6. Who, although He is God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ.
  7. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of that manhood into God.
  8. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person.
  9. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ;
  10. Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead;
  11. He ascended into heaven, He sits on the right hand of the Father, God, Almighty;
  12. From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
  13. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies;
  14. and shall give account of their own works.
  15. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.
  16. This is the catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved.

Part 3 – Three “Anathema” Statements (Lines 1, 28, 44)

This third section is what turns some people off. One thing to understand is that this is not articulating things that an unbeliever needs to fully understand to be saved. Which of us can say we fully understand the doctrine of the Trinity? It is saying, though, that anyone who calls themselves Christian, but rejects this doctrinal articulation regarding the Trinity cannot rightly call themselves Christian; they cannot truly be saved.

Though some have not wanted these “anathema” statements to be included in the Creed because of their harshness and narrowness, it is important to understand that at the core of Christianity is an orthodox belief about the Trinity.

There can be no true Savior who is not both fully God and fully man.

There can be no true Savior who is not eternal, and uncreated.

To deny the co-divinity and union of the Father, Son, and Spirit is to deny the teaching of Scripture, and thus to reject God. He who rejects the Son rejects the Father also.

At the heart of Christianity is Trinitarianism. One “God in three persons, blessed Trinity” as the hymnwriter articulates, who are co-equal, co-eternal, consubstantial.

Concluding Thought

Biblical trinitarianism is unique to Christianity. Though other religious may believe in some kind of Father, Son, and Spirit, they do not hold them as co-equals, nor con-substantial. It is important, therefore, for Christians to read these articulations of trinitarian thought from the early church Fathers, because it is this doctrine that forms part of the bedrock of the Christian faith. If we are not monotheistic trinitarians, then we are essentially idolators.

If we do not believe that God the Father, Son, and Spirit are fully and equally divine, then we degrade the godhead.

If we believe that the Son specifically is not ultimately divine or coequal with the Father, we lose the gospel.

As orthodox Christians, we must believe, and fight for the biblical truth of the Trinity. Without it, there is no hope for anyone’s salvation.

Previously in this Series:

Taigen Joos is the pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in Dover, NH.

Photo by Lawrence OP from flickr

  1. Ligonier Ministries, We Believe, Creeds, Catechisms, & Confessions of Faith (Sanford, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2023), 17. [↩]
  2. Phillip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1993), I: 37. [↩]
  3. Schaff, Creeds, I:39. [↩]

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