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The Creed of Athanasius
Whosoever will be saved,
before all things it is is necessary that he hold the
CatholicFaith.
Which Faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled,
without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
And the CatholicFaith is this:
That weworship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity,
neither confounding the Persons, nordividing the
Substance.
For there is one Person of the Father, another of the
Son, andanother 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
HolyGhost.
The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated,and the
Holy Ghostis uncreated.
The Father is incomprehensible,
the Son is incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost
isincomprehensible.
The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, and the Holy
Ghost iseternal.
And yet they are not three eternals, but one eternal.
As also there are not three incomprehensibles,
nor three uncreated, but one uncreated, and one
incomprehensible.
So likewise
the Father is Almighty, the Son is Almighty, and the
Holy Ghostis 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 Lord, and the Holy Ghost
Lord.
And yet not three Lords, but one Lord.
For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity
toacknowledge
every Person by Himself to be both God and Lord,
so we are forbidden by the Catholic Religion,
to say,
there be 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,
butbegotten.
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 afore, or after other;
none is greater, or less than another;
but the whole three Persons are co-eternal together and
co-equal.
So that in all things, as is aforesaid,
the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be
worshipped.
He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the
Trinity.
Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation
that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord
JesusChrist .
For the rightFaith is,
that we believe and confess,
that our
LordJesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man.
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 in human flesh subsisting;
Equal to the Father, as touching His Godhead;
and inferior to the Father, as touching His Manhood.
Who, although He be 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 ofPerson.
For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man,
so God and Man is one Christ.
He suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose
againthe third day from the dead.
He ascended into heaven, He sitteth on the right hand of
theFather, God Almighty,
from whence He shall come to judge the quick and the
dead;
at His coming
all men shall rise with their bodies and shall give
account fortheir own works.
And they that have done good shall go into life
everlasting;
and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.
This is theCatholic Faith,
which except a man believe faithfully,
he cannot be saved.
Amen.
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