On The Athanasian Creed

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INTRODUCTION In the middle ages, precisely from the 13th century, three creeds or symbols of faith were widely employed in the profession of faith in Western Christendom. These were, the Apostles creed, the Nicene creed and the Athanasian creed. Of these three, the first two are still widely used in Catholic liturgy in contemporary times. However, the last, a profession of faith in forty rhythmical sentences1or articles, no longer occupies a prominent place in Catholic liturgy. Paradoxically, my interest and the focus of this paper are on the Athanasian creed. My aim is to trace the history of this creed also known as the Quicunque vult (from the two initial words of the Latin text) and the Fides Catholica. I shall do this by looking at the content of the creed, its origin (authorship and date of composition), and its use down the ages. CONTENT2 The Athanasian creed may be divided into two principal parts addressing two fundamental doctrines. The first part gives an expression of the Trinitarian doctrine corresponding to time it was composed. The creed states that, “ . . . the Catholic faith is this, that we worship God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity.” In maintaining this Unity in Trinity, the creed uses the term substance to express the divine nature and refers to the Three in the Trinity as Persons, the word hypostasis was not used.3 The Latin4 text reads: neque confundentes personas (referring to the Three Persons of the Trinity), neque substantiam separantes (referring to the nature of God). Emphasis was laid on the unity of the Three Persons in common attributes such as immortality, incomprehensibility, being uncreated, etc, and on such divine appellations as Lord, etc. Thus, even though these attributes and names can be equally predicated of the Three Persons as distinct from one another, we do not have a multiplication of these attributes and names but only one. On the Persons of the Holy Trinity, the Quicunque vult asserts that: The Father is made of none,

1

Cf. G. Owens, “Athanasian Creed,” New Catholic Encyclopaedia. Vol. I. ed. W . J. Mcdonald et al. (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Com pany, 1967). 2

Given the length of this paper, I have deliberately om itted inserting the full text of the creed. For the full English text see, J. J. Sullivan, “Athanasian Creed,” Catholic Encyclopaedia. Vol. II. ed. C. G. Herberm ann et al. ( New York: Encyclopaedia Press Inc., 1913). 3 4

Cf. G. Owens, op. cit.

Latin articles of the creed are from J. Tixeront, “Athanase (Sym bole de Saint),” Dictionnaire de Théologie Catholique , Deuxièm e Partie. ed. A. Vacant et al (Paris: Librairie Letouzey et Ané, 1931).

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neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten. And interestingly enough in article 22, it states that: Spiritus Sanctus a Patre et Filio, non factus, nec creatus, nec genitus est sed procendens, thus stating that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. This particular article as we shall see later, made it difficult for the Eastern Church to accept the creed without some modifications. The second part of the Athanasian creed deals with the doctrine of the Incarnation. It states and restates this fundamental truth in terse and varied forms, as it did in the first part, so as to elucidate unmistakably the twofold nature in the one divine Person Jesus Christ.5 In article 29 which reads: Deus est ex substansia Patris ante saecula genitus, est homo est ex substansia matris in saeculo natus, it expresses the eternal begetting of the Son by the Father, and His incarnation in time and space. It also express the equality and inferiority of Christ to the Father with His Godhead and manhood as points of references respectively. The creed also makes very brief comments on the passion and death, resurrection and ascension of Christ.

ORIGIN Up to the 16th century, it was widely held that St Athanasius (c. 296 - 373), the great patriarch of Alexandria was the author of the Quicunque vult. This is not surprising because the patriarch, inter alia, was the ‘greatest champion of Catholic belief on the subject of the Incarnation that the Church has ever known and in his lifetime earned the characteristic title of “Father of orthodoxy.”’6 However, in 1644, Gerard Voss in his De Tribus Symbolis, came up with some points that are opposed to the Athanasian authorship. Firstly, he pointed out that no early writer of authourity ascribed the creed to Athanasius. Secondly, the language and structure of the creed suggest a Western rather an Alexandrian origin.7 Furthermore, some of the heresies which the creed seems to address, such as Eutychianism and Monophysitism came after Athanasius. Who then is the authour of the Fides Catholica if it is not Athanasius and when was it composed? Many historians seem to be of the opinion that it was originally composed in Latin and later translated into Greek. Also the creed has been attributed to many of the early Christian writers and fathers such as Sts

5

Cf. J. J. Sullivan, “Athanasian Creed,” Catholic Encyclopaedia. Vol. II. ed. C. G. Herberm ann et al. ( New York: Encyclopaedia Press Inc., 1913). 6

C. Clifford, “Athanasius,” Catholic Encyclopaedia. Vol. II. ed. C. G. Herberm ann et al. ( New York: Encyclopaedia Press Inc., 1913). 7

Cf. Sullivan, op cit.

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Ambrose of Milan, Vincent of Lerins, Ceasarius of Arles, Hilary of Poitiers, Eusebius of Vercelli and also Vigillus, Fulgentius of Ruspe and Nicetas of Remesiana.8 Vincent of Lerins is favoured as the author because there is so close an agreement substantially and often in the form of expression between his Commonitory (sections 36 - 42) and some of the articles of the creed. Hence Antelmi in his Nova de Symbolo Athanasiano Disquisito, ascribes the creed to St. Vincent and claims that it fulfils the promise the saint made at the close of section 41 of the Commomitory.9 An instance of this close agreement can be seen by juxtaposing sections 36 and 37 of the Commonitory and articles 28 and 5 of the Athanasian creed respectively. Commonitory

Athanasian Creed

§36: Unum Christum Jesum, non duos, eumdemque Deum pariter atque Hominen confitetur (One Christ Jesus, not two; the same both God and man, the one as truly the other).

Art.28: Est ergo Fides recta, ut credamus et confiteamur, quia Dominus noster Jesus Christus, Dei Filius, Deus pariter et Homo est (For the right faith is that we believe and confess that Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man).

§37: Alia est persona Patris, alia Filii, alia Spiritus Sancti (Because there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, another of the Holy Spirit).

Art.5: Alia est enim persona Patris, alia Filii, alia Spiritus Sancti (For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, another of the Holy Spirit).

Some authors hold that the creed was composed around 500 AD by a student of St Augustine of Hippo, probably Ceasarius, the 6th century bishop of Arles in southern France. This attribution was made on the weight of the fact that the creed bears some Augustinian traits. Berard Marthaler will even go as far as positing that the creed is a rhythmic paraphrase of St Augustine’s De Trinitate I, iv, 17.10 In line with this supposed Augustinian influence, Tixeront says that the symbol in verses 8 to 18 vividly borrowed the style and even the expressions of St Augustine. Furthermore, it was St Augustine who clearly formulated the procession of the Holy Spirit a Patre et Filio and by his authority made it a doctrine to be held in the Latin Church.11

8

Cf. J. H. Crehan, “Athanasian Creed,” A Catholic Dictionary of Theology. Vol. II. ed H. F. Davis et al. (London: Thom as Nelson and Sons Ltd, 1967). See also, Sullivan, op cit. and Owens, op cit. 9

Cf. P. Schaff and H. W ake (ed), Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series II, Vol XI. (Massachusetts: Hendrickson Pub. Inc., 1994), appendix I. The com parison between the Com m onitory and the Athanasian creed is also from this place. 10

Cf. B. Marthaler, “Creeds,” New Dictionary of Theology. ed J. A. Kom onchak et al. (Bangalore: Theological Pub. in India, 1996). He also attributed the creed to St. Ceasarius. 11

Cf. Tixeront, op cit.

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J. N. D. Kelly thinks that the creed is Augustinian through and through.12 The wide reputation the creed gained especially during the middle ages makes it understandable why it was attributed to the great men mentioned above. It is only a document issuing from the pen of such renown and respected authorities that can gain such wide acceptance. Nevertheless, the fact that for over two hundred years after these men, no allusions to their authorship of the creed and few even to its existence were to be found in the Church’s literature, seems to militate against attributing the creed to any of them. Thus, many other hypotheses were made regarding the origin of the creed. E. C. Ffoulkes assigned the creed to the 9th century by appealing to a fictitious story he constructed. The story has it that Charlemagne wanting to consolidate the West by a religious as well as political separation from the East, suppressed the Nicene creed. He then introduced a creed composed by Aquileia and named after Athanasius for easy acceptance among the people. Sidney Smith, a Jesuit, prefers to believe that the author may have been an obscure bishop or theologian who composed it for purely local use in some provincial diocese. Initially, the creed commanded minimal attention, not issuing from a man of wide reputation. But with time, the compactness and lucidity of its propositions drew attention to it. Seeing that the subject matter, the creed addressed was what occupied the interest of the great patriarch of Alexandria, the creed was consequently attributed to him.13 Much of these two foregoing hypotheses about the origin of the creed rests on speculations. Thus far, it seems that given the lack of adequate historical documentation concerning the creed, its origin remains a subject of speculation and debate. Nonetheless, there are some extant historical documents that allude to the creed. The Quicunque was already in by 542 AD. It seemed to have made its first appearance and influence in southern Gaul, Arles to be precise.14 Ceasarius of Arles admonished his priests to make use of the creed.15 The Canon of the Council of Autum (c. 670 AD) orders that: If any priest, deacon , or subdeacon or cleric, shall not have repeated without mistake the symbol which under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost the apostles handed down to us and the faith of St Athanasius the prelate, let him be condemned by his bishop.16

12

J. N. D. Kelly, Early Christian Doctrines. (New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1978) p.273.

13

Cf. Sullivan, op cit.

14

Cf. G. Owens, op cit.

15

Cf. J. H. Crehan, op cit.

16

Ibid.

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Epistula Canonica of the early 6th century (P.L, 56:890) states that clerics who fail in their “by head” examination

on Quicunque vult must abstain from wine for 40 days.17 Moreover, the contents of the creed reflects a doctrinal development corresponding at least to the era of the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD). At the council, the unity of person in the incarnate Word and perfect integrity of His two natures were maintained, thus rejecting Eutychianism and Monophysitism. It is probable that this last point was what led to the position that the Fides Catholica was a work of several authors or a compilation from the decrees of several synods.18 Given these historical documentations, it is most probable that the creed appeared before the 6th century. G. Owens places it composition between 434 and 440 (date of the Excerpta Vincentii Lirinesis, discovered in 1940, which suggests a source for some of the expression in the creed), with a terminal date of 542, the date of the death of Ceasarius of Arles.19

USES Several authors are of the opinion that the Athanasian creed was composed principally as a guide to orthodoxy for the clergy against Arianism or to counter the prevailing heresies of its era.20 This perhaps explains the ordinations given to priests, deacons, subdeacons and clerics concerning the creed as shown above. This opinion merits attention because of the heresies which the creed seems to address. Article 30 which reads: “perfect God and perfect man (perfectus Deus, perfectus homo), of a reasonable soul (anima rationali) and human flesh subsisting,” counters Appollonarianism which denied a human soul to Christ. Articles 32 - 34 which reads: Who although He be God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ. One, not by conversion (non conversione) of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of (assumptione) the manhood into God. One altogether, not by a confusion (non confusione) of substance, but by Unity of Person, counters Eutychianism and Monophysitism which both denied the two natures in Christ. The whole of the first part of the creed which insists on the unity and equality of the Divine Persons and indivisibility of substance (neque substantiam separantes), refutes the Arian Trinitarian heresy which denied the equality of the Divine Persons. From these points, it is apparently plausible to proffer the countering of heresies as a fundamental reason for

17

Ibid.

18

G. Owens, op cit.

19

Ibid.

20

Cf. B. Marthaler, op cit. and G. Owens, op cit.

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composing the Athanasian creed. Be that as it may, historical records show that the creed was employed in various other ways. In 798 AD, Denebert, bishop of Worchester used it as a profession of faith to Ethelheard, the archbishop of Canterbury (Hadanard Stubs, Councils III; 525).21 The Athanasian creed was present in the German liturgy by the 9th century. It was read on Sundays after the sermon. Later it was used in office at prime. Its entrance into the Roman liturgy came later. Until 1955, it was part of the ordinary Sunday office for prime in Roman liturgy. From 1955 it was used only at prime on feast of the Most Blessed Trinity.22 After Vatican II, it was dropped from the Roman liturgy of the Hours.23 Eastern Church and the Athanasian Creed: The earliest manuscripts of the creed in the Eastern Church are from the 14th century. It is probable that the western monks of Jerusalem presented it to their eastern counterparts in support of the filioque in the 9th century. Initially the eastern theologians paid no attention to the creed being attributed to Athanasius and rejected its authority on the matter of the filioque. When later, the creed was seen to be commanding attention in the Eastern tradition, the filioque text was regarded as an interpolation and was consequently removed. The Quicunque vult has been in use in the Russian liturgy since the 17th century. It was adopted into the Greek in 1780 for a relatively short period but was later abandoned. Nevertheless, many Eastern authors would not hesitate to accept the creed once the filioque was deleted.24 It is note worthy that the reformers of the 16th century incorporated the Athanasian creed unreservedly and it still has a place in Anglican and Lutheran liturgy.25

CONCLUSION I have tried in this paper to look at some of the historical facts concerning the Athanasian creed. I have tried to see whether its author and date of composition could be ascertained. However, much of the evidences I have examined, leaves us vague as to whom the author is. The only clearly evident point seems to be that

21

J. H. Crehan, op cit.

22

G. Owens, op cit.

23

B. Marthaler, op cit.

24

G. Owens, op cit.

25

G. Owens, op cit. and B. Marthaler, op cit.

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St Athanasius was not the author of the Quicunque vult. On the date of composition, one could with some certain degree of certainty, given the historical facts before us, place the first appearance of the creed between the middle of the 5th century and the early part of the 6th century. Much more certain however, than the former two, author and date of composition, is the use of the creed down the ages. Historical records attest to its use in liturgical functions. It is noteworthy that by way of its use, the creed did attain a quasi-ecumenical status. The Quicunque vult, indubitably surprises one with its great doctrinal synthesis. One marvels at the lucidity and aptness of its propositions. Its presentations of the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation did indeed anticipate a lot of the statements the Church was to make on the two doctrines later. Thus, it is important that further studies and research be carried out on the creed with a view to establishing more precisely the author of and the date of composition of the creed. In this regards, I believe that the archaeological enterprise will be of great help. Lastly, I think that it will be worthwhile to consider whether the creed can be reintroduced into the liturgy of the Catholic Church. The first part of the creed which dwelt on the Trinity can be used or modified to be used as a sequence for the solemnity of the Holy Trinity.