Fourth Century Christianity

Reference:	Dok. 20; Urk. 18; CPG 8509
Incipit:	Ἑνὸς σώματος
Date:	January 325
Council:	Antioch
Ancient Source:	Syriac: Paris, Bibl. Nat., Syr. 62 (c. AD 1100); Vatican, Syr. 148 (AD 1267); Birmingham, Mingana Syr. 8
Modern Edition	Fredrich Schulthess, “Die syrischen Kanones der Synoden von Nicaea bis Chalcedon.” Abhandlungen der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, Philologisch-Historische Klasse, N.F. 10, no. 2 (Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1908) pp. 160-62 Greek (reconstruction): E. Schwartz, “Zur Geschichte des Athanasius. VI.” Nachrichten von der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften  zu Göttingen, Philologisch-Historische Klasse (Gottingen: Lüder Horstmann, 1905), pp. 271-279
English Translation:	FCC: AW; J.N.D. Kelly’s Early Christian Creeds3 (NY, 1972), 208-211

This regional council was attended by some 60 bishops from Arabia, Palestine, Phoenicia, Syria, Cilicia and Cappadocia (§3), but not by any Egyptian bishops. Although the word homoousios is not found in the council’s anti-Arian creed (§8-12), the language used strongly reflects the language in Alexander’s recent encyclical letter (Dok. 17). This is also the first known council to produce anathemas against false-doctrines (§13). Three men (Theodotus of Laodicea, Narcissus of Neronias, and Eusebius of Caesarea) apparently refused to sign the creed and were censored/excommunicated. Since the latter two reappear half a year later at Nicaea, this censor must have been provisional. For a fuller discussion see Hanson (Search, 146-51) and Ayers (Nicaea, 18, 50-51). On the council as a whole, see L. Abramowski, “Die Synode von Antiochien 324/25 und Ihr Symbol, Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte 86 (1975): 356-366. 

The Greek text below is the retroversion from the Syriac of Paris, Bibl. Nat., Syr. 62 (as published by Schulthess), as printed by Opitz, AW 3.1:36-41 (he also prints the Syriac). The English translation is that of Aaron West for FCC. An alternative English translation of the creed can be found in J.N.D. Kelly’s Early Christian Creeds³ (NY, 1972), 208-211.

Greek	English
8. Ἔστιν οὖν ἡ πίστις, ἣ προετέθη ὑπ’ ἀνδρῶν, πνευματικῶν καὶ οὺς αὖθις οὐ δίκαιον νομίφειν κατὰ σάρκα τῆν ἢ νοεῖν, ἀλλὰ ἐν πνεύματι ταῖς τῶν θεοπνεύστων βιβλίων ἁγίαις γραφαῖς συνησκῆσθαι, ἥδε·	8. This faith has been set down by spiritual men; those who ought not be considered as living or reasoning according to the flesh, because they have been trained by the Spirit in the holy Scriptures found in God-breathed books. Our faith is as follows:
πιστεύειν εἰς ἕνα θεὸν πατέρα παντοκράτορα, ἀκατάληπτον, ἄτρεπτον καὶ ἀναλλοίωτον, προνοητὴν καὶ ἡγεμόνα τοῦ παντός, δίκαιον, ἀγαθόν, ποιητὴν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς, νόμου καὶ προφητῶν καὶ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης κύριον·	To believe in one God, Father, almighty, incomprehensible, unchangeable and unalterable, administrator and governor of all, just, good, maker of heaven and earth, and all that is in them, the Lord of the Law and the Prophets and the New Testament.
9. καὶ εἰς ἕνα κύριον ᾿Ιησοῦν Χριστόν, υἱὸν μονογενῆ, γεννηθέντα οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τοῦ πατρός, οὐχ ὡς ποιητόν, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς γέννημα κυρίως, γεννηθέντα δὲ ἀρρήτως καὶ ἀλέκτως, διότι μόνος ὁ πατὴρ ὁ γεννήσας καὶ ὁ υἱὸς ὁ γεννηθεὶς ἔγνω. “οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἐπιγινώσκει τὸν πατέρα εἶ μὴ ὁ υἱός, ἢ τὸν υἱὸν εἰ μὴ ὁ πατήρᾳ.” τὸν ἀεὶ ὄντα καὶ οὐ πρότερον οὐκ ὄντα.	9. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son, begotten not from nothing, but from the Father; not made, but a genuine offspring. He was begotten inexpressibly and unspeakably, because only the Father who begot and the Son who was begotten know it, “for no one knows the Father except the Son, or the Son except the Father” [Matt 11:27].
10. εἰκόνα γὰρ αὐτὸν μόνον ἐκ τῶν ἁγίων γραφῶν μεμαθήκαμεν, οὗ—δῆλον ὅτι ὡς ἂν παρὰ τοῦ πατρός—ἀγέννητον ὄντα· οὐ θέσει· ἀσεβὲς γὰρ καὶ βλάσφημον τοῦτο λέγειν, ἀλλὰ κυρίως καὶ ἀληθῶς υἱὸν λέγουσιν αὐτὸν αἱ γραφαὶ γεννηθέντα, ὥστε καὶ πιστεύομεν ἄτρεπτον εἶναι καὶ ἀναλλοίωτον αὐτὸν οὐδὲ θελήσει ἢ θέσει γεννηθῆναι ἢ γενέσθαι, ὥστε ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος αὐτὸν εἶναι φαίνεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καθὸ γεννηθῆναι αὐτὸν εἰκός, οὐδ᾽ ὅπερ οὐ θέμις ἐννοεῖν καθ᾽ ὁμοίωσιν ἢ φύσιν ἢ μῖξιν οὐδενὸς τῶν δι’ αὐτοῦ γενομένων,	10. He always exists and never before did he not exist, for we have been taught from the holy Scriptures that he alone is God’s image. He is not unbegotten, for he is clearly begotten of the Father. This status has not been placed upon him; in fact, it would be godless blasphemy to say so. But the scriptures say that he is the real and truly begotten Son, so we believe him to be unchangeable and unalterable. He has not been begotten or come into being merely by the Father’s will, nor has this status been placed upon him, which would make him appear to be from nothing. But he was begotten as was fitting for him, not at all according to the impermissible idea that he resembles, is of similar nature to, or is associated with any of the things that came into existence through him.
11. ἀλλὰ διότι ὑπερβαίνει πᾶσαν ἔννοιαν ἢ διάνοιαν ἢ λόγον, ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ ἀγεννήτου γεννηθῆναι αὐτὸν ὁμολογοῦμεν, θεὸν λόγον, φῶς ἀληθινόν, δικαιοσύνην, ᾿Ιησοῦν Χριστόν, πάντων κύριον καὶ σωτῆρα. εἰκὼν γάρ ἐστιν οὐ θελήσεως οὐδ’ ἄλλου τινός, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτῆς τῆς πατρικῆς ὑποστάσεως. οὗτος δ᾽ ὁ υἱὸς θεὸς λόγος καὶ ἐν σαρκὶ ἐκ τῆς θεοτόκου Μαρίας τεχθεὶς καὶ σαρκωθείς, παθὼν καὶ ἀποθανὼν ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν καὶ ἀνελήφθη εἰς οὐρανόν, κάθηται δὲ ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς μεγαλοσύνης τῆς ὑψίστης, ἐρχόμενος κρῖναι φῶντας καὶ νεκρούς·	11. But, because this transcends all thought, conception, and expression, we simply confess that he has been begotten from the unbegotten Father, God the Word, true Light, righteousness, Jesus Christ, Lord of all and Savior. He is the image not of the will or of anything else except the actual being (hypostasis) of the Father. This one, the Son, God the Word, was also born in the flesh from Mary the Mother of God and was made flesh. After suffering and dying, he rose from the dead and was taken into heaven, and he sits at the right hand of the Majesty of the Most High. He is coming to judge the living and the dead.
12. ἔτι δὲ ὡς καὶ τὸν σωτῆρα ἡμῶν αἱ ἱεραὶ γραφαὶ διδάσκουσιν καὶ ἕν πνεῦμα πιστεῦσαι, μίαν καθολικὴν ἐκκλησίαν, τὴν νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν, καὶ κρίσιν ἀνταποδόσεως καθὰ ἔπραξέν τις ἐν σαρκὶ εἴτε ἀγαθὰ εἴτε κακά,	12. Just as the holy writings teach us to believe in our Savior, so also they teach us to believe in one Spirit, one catholic church, the resurrection of the dead, and the judgment which will pay back to each man according to what he has done in the flesh, whether good or evil.
13. ἀναθεματίφοντες ἐκείνους, οἱ λέγουσιν ἢ πιστεύουσιν ἢ κηρύττουσιν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ κτίσμα ἢ γενητὸν ἢ ποιητὸν καὶ οὐκ ἀληθῶς γέννημα εἶναι ἢ ὅτι ἣν ὅτε οὐκ ἦν—ἡμεῖς γάρ, ὅτι ἦν καὶ ἔστιν καὶ ὅτι φῶς ἐστιν, πιστεύομεν—προσέτι δὲ κἀκείνους οἱ τῇ αὐτεξουσίῳ θελήσει αὐτοῦ ἄτρεπτον εἶναι αὐτὸν ἡγοῦνται, ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος παράγοντες τὴν γέννησιν καὶ μὴ φύσει ἄτρεπτον κατὰ τὸν πατέρα. εἰκὼν γὰρ ὡς ἐν πᾶσιν, οὕτως καὶ μάλιστα ἐν τῷ δε τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκηρύχθη ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν.	13. We anathematize those who say or think or proclaim that the Son of God is a creation; has come into being, or was made, or was not truly begotten; or that there was a time when he did not exist (for we believe that he was and that he is Light); still also those who think he is unchangeable only by his free will [i.e., not according to his essence], as with those who think he did not exist before he was begotten and that he is not unchanging by his nature as the Father is. He has been proclaimed as the Father’s image in every respect, especially in this respect, that he does not change.
14a. Αὕτη οὖν ἡ πίστις προετέθη καὶ πᾶσα ἡ ἱερὰ σύνοδος συνέθετο καὶ ὡμολόγησε ταύτην εἶναι τὴν ἀποστολικὴν καὶ σωτήριον διδασκαλίαν.	14a. This faith was put forth, and indeed the entire holy synod consented and confessed that this is the apostolic teaching which alone is able to save.

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Last updated 12-21-24 by JSW

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