Athanasian Creed.

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The Shield of The Trinity.

A visual representation of The Doctrine of The Trinity, derived from The Athanasian Creed.

The Latin reads: "The Father is God, The Son is God, The Holy Spirit is God. God is The Father, God is The Son, God is The Holy Ghost; The Father is not The Son, The Son is not The Father, The Father is not The Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit is not The Father, The Son is not The Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit is not The Son."

English: Compact version of a basic minimal (equilateral triangular) version of

The Shield of The Trinity, or "Scutum Fidei", diagram of Traditional

Christian symbolism, with original Latin captions.

Français: Le « bouclier » ou l' « écusson » de la Trinité, un

symbole traditionnel dans le christianisme occidental.

Source: Own work.

Author: AnonMoos.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Athanasian Creed, or Quicunque Vult (also Quicumque Vult), is a Christian Statement of Belief focused on Trinitarian Doctrine and Christology. The Latin name of The Athanasian Creed, Quicunque vult, is taken from the opening words "Whosoever wishes". The Athanasian Creed has been used by Christian Churches since the 6th-Century. It is the first Creed in which The Equality of The Three Persons of The Trinity is explicitly stated. It differs from The Nicene-Constantinopolitan and Apostles' Creeds in the inclusion of anathemas, or condemnations, of those who disagree with The Creed (like the original Nicene Creed).

Widely accepted among Western Christians, including The Roman Catholic Church and some Anglican Churches, Lutheran Churches (it is considered part of The Lutheran Confessions in The Book of Concord), and ancient, Liturgical Churches, generally, The Athanasian Creed has been used in public worship less and less frequently, but part of it can be found as an "Authorised Affirmation of Faith" in the recent (Year 2000) Common Worship Liturgy of The Church of England [Main Volume, Page 145].

The Athanasian Creed has never gained much acceptance in Liturgy among Eastern Christians. It was designed to distinguish Nicene Christianity from the Heresy of Arianism. Liturgically, this Creed was recited at The Sunday Office of Prime in The Western Church, It is not in common use in The Eastern Church. Today, The Athanasian Creed is rarely used, even in The Western Church. When used, one common practice is to use it once a year on Trinity Sunday.

English: Title Page of Book of Concord 1580.

Dansk: Titelbladet til Konkordiebogen 1580.

Deutsch: Titelseite des Konkordienbuchs 1580.

Date: 5 September 2007 (original upload date).

Source: Transferred from da.wikipedia;

Transferred to Commons by User:Broadbeer using CommonsHelper.

Author: Original uploader was Finn B. Andersen at da.wikipedia

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Athanasian Creed.

Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold The Catholic Faith.

Which Faith, except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.

And The Catholic Faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity. Neither confounding The Persons, nor dividing The Essence.

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 co-eternal. 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 unlimited. The Son unlimited. And The Holy Ghost unlimited.

The Father eternal. The Son eternal. And The Holy Ghost eternal.

And yet they are not three eternals, but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated, nor three infinites, but one uncreated, and one infinite.

So, likewise,The Father is Almighty. The Son is Almighty. And The Holy Ghost is Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.

So, The Father is God. The Son is God. And The Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.

So, likewise, The Father is Lord. The Son is Lord. And The Holy Ghost is Lord. And yet not three Lords, but one Lord.

For like as we are compelled, by the Christian verity, to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord. So are we forbidden by The Catholic Religion to say there are three Gods, or three Lords.

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.

So, there is one Father, not three Fathers. One Son, not three Sons. One Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts.

And, in this Trinity, none is before, or after, another. None is greater, or less, than another.

But the whole Three Persons are co-eternal and co-equal. So that, in all things, as aforesaid, The Unity in Trinity, and The Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, let him thus think of The Trinity.

Furthermore, it is necessary to Everlasting Salvation that he also believe faithfully 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. God of the Essence of The Father. Begotten before the World. And Man, of the Essence 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. 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 assumption of The Manhood by God. One altogether, not by confusion of Essence, but by Unity of Person.

For, as the Reasonable Soul and Flesh is One Man, so God and Man is one Christ. Who suffered for our Salvation, descended into Hell, Rose Again The Third Day from The Dead. He ascended into Heaven, He sitteth on The Right Hand of God The Father Almighty, from whence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

At Whose coming all men will Rise Again with their bodies. And shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into Life Everlasting. And they that have done evil, into Everlasting Fire. This is The Catholic Faith, which, except a man believe truly and firmly, he cannot be Saved.

Quicumque vult salvus esse, ante omnia opus est, ut teneat catholicam fidem: Quam nisi quisque integram inviolatamque servaverit, absque dubio in aeternum peribit. Fides autem catholica haec est: ut unum Deum in Trinitate, et Trinitatem in unitate veneremur. Neque confundentes personas, neque substantiam separantes. Alia est enim persona Patris alia Filii, alia Spiritus Sancti: Sed Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti una est divinitas, aequalis gloria, coeterna maiestas. Qualis Pater, talis Filius, talis [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Increatus Pater, increatus Filius, increatus [et] Spiritus Sanctus.

Immensus Pater, immensus Filius, immensus [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Aeternus Pater, aeternus Filius, aeternus [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Et tamen non tres aeterni, sed unus aeternus. Sicut non tres increati, nec tres immensi, sed unus increatus, et unus immensus. Similiter omnipotens Pater, omnipotens Filius, omnipotens [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Et tamen non tres omnipotentes, sed unus omnipotens. Ita Deus Pater, Deus Filius, Deus [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Et tamen non tres dii, sed unus est Deus. Ita Dominus Pater, Dominus Filius, Dominus [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Et tamen non tres Domini, sed unus [est] Dominus. Quia, sicut singillatim unamquamque personam Deum ac Dominum confiteri christiana veritate compellimur: Ita tres Deos aut [tres] Dominos dicere catholica religione prohibemur. 

Pater a nullo est factus: nec creatus, nec genitus. Filius a Patre solo est: non factus, nec creatus, sed genitus. Spiritus Sanctus a Patre et Filio: non factus, nec creatus, nec genitus, sed procedens. Unus ergo Pater, non tres Patres: unus Filius, non tres Filii: unus Spiritus Sanctus, non tres Spiritus Sancti. Et in hac Trinitate nihil prius aut posterius, nihil maius aut minus: Sed totae tres personae coaeternae sibi sunt et coaequales. Ita, ut per omnia, sicut iam supra dictum est, et unitas in Trinitate, et Trinitas in unitate veneranda sit. Qui vult ergo salvus esse, ita de Trinitate sentiat.

Sed necessarium est ad aeternam salutem, ut incarnationem quoque Domini nostri Iesu Christi fideliter credat. Est ergo fides recta ut credamus et confiteamur, quia Dominus noster Iesus Christus, Dei Filius, Deus [pariter] et homo est. Deus [est] ex substantia Patris ante saecula genitus: et homo est ex substantia matris in saeculo natus. Perfectus Deus, perfectus homo: ex anima rationali et humana carne subsistens. Aequalis Patri secundum divinitatem: minor Patre secundum humanitatem. Qui licet Deus sit et homo, non duo tamen, sed unus est Christus.

Unus autem non conversione divinitatis in carnem, sed assumptione humanitatis in Deum. Unus omnino, non confusione substantiae, sed unitate personae. Nam sicut anima rationalis et caro unus est homo: ita Deus et homo unus est Christus. Qui passus est pro salute nostra: descendit ad inferos: tertia die resurrexit a mortuis. Ascendit ad [in] caelos, sedet ad dexteram [Dei] Patris [omnipotentis]. Inde venturus [est] judicare vivos et mortuos. Ad cujus adventum omnes homines resurgere habent cum corporibus suis; Et reddituri sunt de factis propriis rationem. Et qui bona egerunt, ibunt in vitam aeternam: qui vero mala, in ignem aeternum. Haec est fides catholica, quam nisi quisque fideliter firmiterque crediderit, salvus esse non poterit.