05/31/2026
Tomorrow is Trinity Sunday and an opportunity to confess the historic Athanasian Creed!
SUMMARY OF THE ATHANASIAN CREED
The Athanasian Creed is one of the three ecumenical creeds traditionally confessed by Western Christians, alongside the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. Despite its name, it was almost certainly not written by Athanasius of Alexandria, but it faithfully reflects the Trinitarian theology for which Athanasius fought.
Main Purpose
The creed seeks to:
1. Define the orthodox doctrine of the Holy Trinity.
2. Define the orthodox doctrine of Christ's person (Christology).
3. Warn against teachings that deny these truths.
Part 1: The Trinity (Articles 1–28)
The creed emphasizes that Christians worship:
• One God in three Persons:
o Father
o Son
o Holy Spirit
It carefully balances two truths:
The Persons are distinct
• The Father is not the Son.
• The Son is not the Holy Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit is not the Father.
The Persons are fully equal
• Each is eternal.
• Each is almighty.
• Each is God and Lord.
Yet:
• There are not three Gods, but one God.
• There are not three Lords, but one Lord.
A common summary is:
We worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the Persons nor dividing the substance.
Part 2: The Person of Christ (Articles 29–44)
The creed then explains who Jesus Christ is:
• He is true God, begotten of the Father from eternity.
• He is true man, born of the Virgin Mary in time.
• He possesses:
o a divine nature
o a human nature
These two natures are:
• not mixed together,
• not changed into one another,
• but united in one Person.
Thus:
One Christ, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking the manhood into God.
This protects against ancient heresies that either:
• denied Christ's deity,
• denied His humanity,
• or confused the two natures.
Part 3: Christ's Saving Work
The creed briefly summarizes Christ's work:
• He suffered for our salvation.
• He descended into hell.
• He rose again on the third day.
• He ascended into heaven.
• He will return to judge the living and the dead.
The Closing Warning
The creed ends with a solemn statement:
This is the catholic faith; whoever does not believe it faithfully and firmly cannot be saved.
This is not saying that salvation comes through perfect intellectual mastery of theology. Rather, it teaches that the truths concerning the Trinity and Christ are essential because they identify who God is and who the Savior is.
A One-Sentence Summary
The Athanasian Creed teaches that the one true God eternally exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that Jesus Christ is one Person with two natures—fully God and fully man—through whom salvation is accomplished.
