Athanasian Creed

Athanasian Creed
a creed or formulary of Christian faith, of unknown authorship, formerly ascribed to Athanasius.
[1580-90]

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also called  Quicumque Vult (from the opening words in Latin) 

      a Christian profession of faith in about 40 verses. It is regarded as authoritative in the Roman Catholic (Roman Catholicism) and some Protestant churches. It has two sections, one dealing with the Trinity and the other with the Incarnation; (Incarnation) and it begins and ends with stern warnings that unswerving adherence to such truths is indispensable to salvation. The virulence of these damnatory clauses has led some critics, especially in the Anglican churches, to secure restriction or abandonment of the use of the creed.

      A Latin document composed in the Western Church, the creed was unknown to the Eastern Church until the 12th century. Since the 17th century, scholars have generally agreed that the Athanasian Creed was not written by Athanasius (died 373) but was probably composed in southern France during the 5th century. Many authors have been suggested, but no definite conclusions have been reached. In 1940 the lost Excerpta of Vincent of Lérins (Vincent of Lérins, Saint) (flourished 440) was discovered, and this work contains much of the language of the creed. Thus, either Vincent or an admirer of his has been considered the possible author.

      The earliest known copy of the creed was included as a prefix to a collection of homilies by Caesarius of Arles (died 542). The creed's influence seems to have been primarily in southern France and Spain in the 6th and 7th centuries. It was used in the liturgy of the church in Germany in the 9th century and somewhat later in Rome.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Athanasian creed — Creed Creed (kr[=e]d), n. [OE. credo, crede, AS. creda, fr. L. credo I believe, at the beginning of the Apostles creed, fr. credere to believe; akin to OIr. cretim I believe, and Skr. [,c]raddadh[=a]mi; [,c]rat trust + dh[=a] to put. See {Do}, v …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Athanasian creed — Athanasian Ath a*na sian (?; 277), a. Of or pertaining to Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria in the 4th century. [1913 Webster] {Athanasian creed}, a formulary, confession, or exposition of faith, formerly supposed to have been drawn up by… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Athanasian Creed — n. a 4th 5th cent. statement of Christian beliefs of unknown authorship, formerly attributed to Athanasius: as opposed to Arianism, it emphasizes faith in the Trinity …   English World dictionary

  • Athanasian Creed — The Athanasian Creed ( Quicumque vult ) is a statement of Christian Trinitarian doctrine and Christology which has been used in Western Christianity since the sixth century A.D. Its Latin name comes from the opening words Quicumque vult ,… …   Wikipedia

  • Athanasian Creed, The — • One of the symbols of the Faith approved by the Church and given a place in her liturgy Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Athanasian Creed — Ath′ana′sian Creed′ n. rel a creed or formulary of Christian faith, formerly ascribed to Athanasius • Etymology: 1580–90 …   From formal English to slang

  • Athanasian Creed — noun Date: 1586 a Christian creed originating in Europe about A.D. 400 and relating especially to the Trinity and Incarnation …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • ATHANASIAN CREED —    a statement, in the form of a confession, of the orthodox creed of the Church as against the Arians, and damnatory of every article of the heresy severally; ascribed to Athanasius at one time, but now believed to be of later date, though… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • ATHANASIAN CREED —    a CHRISTIAN CREED dating from the fifth century which concentrates on the doctrines of the INCARNATION and TRINITY that has been attributed to ATHANASIUS …   Concise dictionary of Religion

  • Athanasian Creed — /æθəˌneɪʒən ˈkrid/ (say athuh.nayzhuhn kreed) noun Theology a (probably) post Augustinian creed of the Christian faith, of unknown authorship, formerly ascribed to Athanasius …  

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