Arius and Euzoius delivered in to Constantine, when they made a sort of feigned recantation before him. The form is recorded in Socrates" in these words: "We believe in one God the Father Almighty, and in Jesus Christ his Son our Lord, God the Word begotten of him before all ages, by whom all things were made that are in heaven and in earth; who came down from heaven, and was incarnate, and suffered and rose again, and ascended into heaven, and shall come again to judge the quick and the dead. And in the Holy Ghost, and in the resurrection of the flesh, and in the life of the world to come, and in the kingdom of heaven, and in one catholic church of God extended from one end of the earth to the other."

Sect. 11.

tioch.

28

The Creed of the church of AntiThe Creed of An- och seems to be that which is recorded in Cassian, who delivers it as it was probably received in that church from the time of the apostles, only with the addition of the word consubstantial, inserted from the time of the council of Nice. "The text and faith of the Creed of Antioch," says he, "is this: I believe in one only true God the Father Almighty, Maker of all creatures visible and invisible: and in Jesus Christ our Lord, his only begotten Son, the First-born of every creature, born of him before all ages, and not made, very God of very God, consubstantial with the Father, by whom the world was framed and all things made. Who for our sakes came and was born of the Virgin Mary, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and buried, and the third day rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and shall come again to judge the quick and the dead."

Cassian here repeats not the whole creed, but only those articles that were proper to be urged against Nestorius, who had been baptized into this faith, and by this creed, at Antioch, from which he shows his prevarications, and how he had started from the profession which he himself had made in the words of this creed both at his baptism and ordination, leaving the remaining articles unrecited. The reader may easily perceive, by

Sect. 12. commonly called the Apostles' Creed.

The Roman Creed, comparing the forementioned creeds, that the articles of the communion of saints, and the descent into hell, are not expressly

Socrat. lib. 1. c. 26.

Cassian. de Incarnat. lib. 6. p. 1272. Textus ergo et fides Antiocheni Symboli hæc est: Credo in unum et solum verum Deum Patrem Omnipotentem, Creatorem omnium visibilium et invisibilium creaturarum. Et in Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, Filium ejus unigenitum, et primogenitum totius creaturæ, ex eo natum ante omnia sæcula, et non factum, Deum verum ex Deo vero, homousion Patri, per quem et sæcula compaginata sunt et omnia facta. Qui propter nos venit et natus est ex Maria Virgine, et crucifixus sub Pontio Pilato, et sepultus, et tertia die resurrexit secundum Scripturas, et in cœlos ascendit, et iterum veniet judicare vivos et mortuos. Et reliqua.

mentioned in any of them. Nor were they originally in the Roman Creed, which is commonly called the Apostles' Creed, as appears not only from the testimony of Ruffin, but from some ancient copies of this creed still remaining. Bishop Usher" met with two copies here in England, which wanted these additions, and also that of life everlasting. The one was in Greek, though written in Saxon characters, at the end of King Athelstan's Psalter, about the year 703; and the other in Latin; but both exactly in the same form of words: "I believe in God the Father Almighty; and in Jesus Christ his only begotten Son our Lord, who was born of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and was buried, and the third day rose again from the dead, ascended into heaven, sitteth on the right hand of the Father, whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. And in the Holy Ghost, the holy church, the remission of sins, and the resurrection of the flesh. Amen."

30

The variations of these ancient forms from the present form of the Apostles' Creed, in the want of several words that have since been added, are noted by Bishop Usher, who also observes, that this creed is delivered by several ancient authors with some variety of expression. For in some authors, which use this creed, life everlasting is added after the resurrection of the flesh. As in the homilies of Petrus Chrysologus, bishop of Ravenna, where he expounds this creed. And in the author of the book de Symbolo ad Catechumenos, in the ninth tome of St. Austin's works. And in the creed which Marcellus, bishop of Ancyra, presented to Pope Julius, which is recorded in Epiphanius." But others conclude this creed with the resurrection of the flesh, and make no express mention of life everlasting; not that they supposed it to be no article of faith, but because it was included in the other article of the resurrection, as they rightly expound it. St. Jerom says plainly," that the creed was concluded with the resurrection of the flesh. And Maximus Taurinensis, who expounds every article of it distinctly, says the same. And St. Austin also 34 concludes the creed with the resurrection of the flesh, but then he includes eternal life in the exposition

29 Usser. de Symbolis, p. 6.
30 Petrus Chrysol. Homil. 57, &c.

Epiph. Hær. 72. Marcel. n. 3.

32 Hieron. Ep. 61. ad Pammach. In symbolo fidei-post confessionem Trinitatis et unitatem ecclesiæ, omne Christiani dogmatis sacramentum carnis resurrectione concluditur.

33 Maxim. Taurin. Hom. 1. de Diversis, p. 239. Hic religionis nostræ finis, hæc summa credendi est.

Aug. de Fide et Symbolo, t. 3. p. 66. Qua corporis resurrectione facta, a temporis conditione liberati, æterna vita ineffabili charitate et stabilitate sine corruptione perfruemur.

of it. For, says he, when the resurrection of the body is effected, we shall be freed from the conditions of time, and enjoy eternal life with ineffable charity and stability without corruption. And so the author of the sermons De Tempore under his name: The resurrection of the flesh is the end of all, but it is an end without end. For there is no death after that. Therefore they made it the conclusion of the creed, because it was the conclusion of all things in this world.

Sect. 13. The Creed of Aquileia.

And thus it was in the Creed of the church of Aquileia, which differed in other points both from the Roman and Oriental creeds. For Ruffinus, who wrote an exposition upon it, concludes it with the article of the resurrection, and neither mentions nor expounds the article of eternal life, but only tacitly, as it is implied in the resurrection. In other articles some additions were made to this creed, which were not in the Roman: for here the descent into hell is particularly mentioned; and not only the resurrection of the flesh in general, but the resurrection of this flesh in particular; and in the first article, after the word Almighty, were added, impassible and invisible, as peculiar appellations of God the Father. For it was thus conceived: "I believe in God the Father Almighty, invisible and impassible; and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was born by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and buried; he descended into hell, and the third day rose again from the dead, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father, whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. And in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic church, the remission of sins, and the resurrection of this flesh."

36

The reason of adding the words "invisible and impassible" to this creed, which were not in the Roman, was to obviate the Sabellian or Patripassian heresy, which asserted that God the Father was born of the virgin, and so made visible and passible in the flesh. In opposition to which impiety, Ruffinus says," their forefathers seem to have added those words, professing the Father to be invisible and impassible, that is, that he never was incarnate, as the Son only was, and not the Father. The descent into hell is also almost peculiar to this creed: for excepting this and the creed of the council of Sirmium or Ariminum, mentioned by Socrates," this

35 Aug. Serm. 119. De Tempore, t. 10. p. 306. Iste jam finis est. Sed finis erit sine fine resurrectio carnis, &c.

36 Ruffin. Expos. Symboli ad calcem Cypriani, p. 19. Credo in Deum Patrem Omnipotentem, invisibilem et impassibilem. Et in Christum Jesum unicum Filium ejus, Dominum nostrum, qui natus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, crucifixus sub Pontio Pilato, et sepultus, descendit ad inferna: tertia die resurrexit a mortuis, ascendit in cœlos, sedet ad dexteram Patris; inde venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos. Et in Spiritum Sanctum, sanctam

article was not expressly mentioned in any other creed of this age; though Ruffinus thinks it was always implied in the word "buried," which he reckons of the same importance. When it first came into the Roman Creed, the reader may find a particular account in Bishop Pearson, who speaks of it as done about the year 600.

Seet. 14. The Nicene Creed, as first published by the council of Suce

I have hitherto given an account of all such creeds as might be reckoned of use in the church before the time of the Nicene council. I shall now give the like account of the first forming of the Nicene Creed, and how it was afterward completed, and put into a new form, by the council of Constantinople. The Creed, as first published by the council of Nice, was in these words: "We believe in one God Almighty," Maker of all things visible and invisible and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father, the only begotten, that is, of the substance of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father, by whom all things both in heaven and earth were made. Who for us men and our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate and made man, and suffered, and the third day rose again, and ascended into heaven, and shall come again to judge the quick and the dead. And in the Holy Ghost. And those who say, there was a time when the Son of God was not, or that he did not exist before he was made, because he was made out of nothing, or of another substance or essence, or that he was created or mutable, the catholic and apostolic church anathematizes them."

This Creed often occurs in the writings of the ancient fathers and councils in this very form; as in Athanasius, Epist. ad Jovian. t. 1. p. 247; Hilar. de Synodis, p. 114; Leo, Ep. 95, ad Leonem Imperat.; the Council of Rome, under Julius, an. 337; the Council of Ephesus, Epist. ad Nestor.; the Council of Chalcedon, Act. 2; the Council of Hippo; the sixth Council of Carthage; the Preface to the African Code; the third Council of Bracara; the third and thirteenth of Toledo; the fifth General Council of Constantinople, Act. 17; and many others.

Now, some learned persons have been of opinion, that the ancient creeds before the council of Nice, had none of the articles which follow after the Holy

ecclesiam catholicam, remissionem peccatorum, hujus carnis resurrectionem.

37 Ruffin. ibid. p. 19. Sciendum quod duo isti sermones in ecclesiæ Romanæ symbolo non habentur: cons at autem apud nos additos hæreseos causa Sabellii, illius profecto quæ a nostris Patripassiana appellatur; id est, quæ Patrem ipsum vel ex virgine natum dicit, et visibilem factum, vel passum affirmat in carne.

3s Socrat. lib. 2. cap. 37. Ap. Socrat. lib. 1. c. 8.

excepted; not by the seed of man, nor merely by existing in man, but by framing flesh to himself into one holy unity; not after the manner as he inspired the prophets, and spake and wrought in them, but by being perfectly made man. For the Word was made flesh, not by undergoing any change, or transforming the Godhead into manhood, but by making one perfect and Divine union. For there is but one Lord Jesus Christ, not two, the same God, the same Lord, the same King. Who suffered in the flesh and rose again, and ascended with his body into heaven, and sitteth in glory at the right hand of the Father; whence he shall come with glory in the same body to judge the quick and dead, of whose kingdom there shall be no end. We believe in the Holy Ghost, who spake in the law, and preached by the prophets, and descended at Jordan; who spake by the apostles, and dwells in the saints: and thus we believe of him, that he is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the perfect Spirit, the Comforter, uncreated, proceeding from the Father, receiving from the Son, in whom we believe. We believe in one catholic and apostolic church, in one baptism of repentance, in the resurrection of the dead, in the just judgment of body and soul, in the kingdom of heaven, and life everlasting. And those that say, there was a time when the Son or the Holy Ghost was not, or that they were made out of nothing, or of another substance or essence; that say, the Son of God, or the Holy Ghost, are mutable or changeable; those the catholic and apostolic church, the mother of us and you, anathematizes. And again, we anathematize those that confess not the resurrection of the dead, and all heresies which accord not to this holy faith."

Now, if these creeds were in use in the church at the time which Epiphanius mentions, then it is certain the Nicene Creed was completed by the church for the use of her catechumens long before the general council of Constantinople: and what was done by that council, was rather to contract the form, than to augment or lengthen it, as any one may easily perceive, that will compare the Constantinopolitan Creed with either of those that have now been recited out of Epiphanius.

Sect. 16.

as completed by the tinople, anno 381.

For the creed that was drawn up The Nicene Creed, in the second general council of Concouncil of Constan- stantinople, is no other but the Nicene Creed, with the addition of such articles as were always used by the church in the interrogatories of baptism, though not inserted in the particular form used by the Nicene council. I need not here repeat the form, because it is the

45 Conc. Constantin. Conc. t. 2. p. 953.

46 Conc. Chalcedon. Act. 2. t. 4. p. 341.

47 Conc. t. 5. p. 1001.

48 Vid. Con. C. P. sub Menna, Act. 5. Con. t. 5. p. 166, 171, 179.

same with that which is commonly called the Nicene Creed in our liturgy. Only the word Filioque, expressing the procession of the Holy Ghost from the Father and Son together, was added afterward by the Latin church. For the first copies of this Creed in the council of Constantinople," and the councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon," have it only, proceeding from the Father, is rov Iarpòç ikπopevópevov, without any mention of the Son: but in the Latin councils, the word Filioque is commonly added, as in the first council of Bracara, anno 411, and the third council of Toledo," anno 589, where the Constantinopolitan Creed is recited.

As to the use of the Nicene Creed, it is certain, it was used in the Greek church much after the same manner

Sect. 17. Of the use of the Nicene Creed in the ancient

service of the church. And

when first t part of the Liturgy

taken in to be a

in the communion office.

as the Apostolical and other creeds were used in the Latin church; first in the office of baptism; afterward it was taken in to be a part of the liturgy in the communion service. Some learned persons, I know, are of opinion, that the Nicene Creed was never used in the administration of baptism, but only the Apostolical Creed still throughout the whole church. But this is a very plain mistake. 1. Because it does not appear, that the Apostolical Creed, which is the Roman Creed, was ever used in the Greek church, even before the Nicene Creed was made: for they had several creeds of their own, agreeing indeed with the Roman Creed in substance, but differing from it in words and expression; and those creeds were used by the Greek or Eastern church in the administration of baptism. 2. When the Nicene Creed was formed, it is very evident, that very form was used by many churches in the East as the creed of baptism. For the fathers of the council of Constantinople under Mennas, anno 536, do frequently call it the creed in which both they themselves were baptized," and also baptized others. And so it is said in the synodical epistles of the councils of Tyre and Jerusalem, which are related" in the acts of the same council. As also in the acts of the general councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon," in the former of which an order was made that catechumens should be taught the Nicene Creed, and no other. The like may be observed in the edict of the emperor Basiliscus mentioned by Evagrius, who, speaking of the Nicene Creed, calls it the creed in which both he and all his ancestors were baptized. And it is remarked by Epiphanius," of the two creeds which he recites, that they were the creeds which every catechumen repeated at his baptism; which were nothing but the Nicene

49 Ibid. p. 190 et 199.

50 Conc. Ephes. Act. 6. t. 3. p. 690. P. 341.

51 Conc. Chalced. Act. 2. t. 4.

52 Evagr. lib. 3. c. 4 et 7.

50

Epiphan. Anchorat. n. 120. t. 2. p. 120.

58

Creed, with the addition of such articles as the church supplied, to make it a complete summary of the faith. So that nothing can be more evident, than that the Nicene Creed was the creed then generally made use of in all the Eastern churches for the instruction of catechumens at their baptism. But as yet it was not made a part of the common liturgy of the church, to be repeated daily in Divine service. St. Ambrose" indeed speaks of it as used in private devotion, and gives directions to the holy virgins so to use it in their morning retirements, and upon other proper occasions. And Habertus 55 thinks it was also required of bishops at their ordination; which is not improbable, because they were obliged to make a profession of their faith. But all this did not yet make it a part of the daily liturgy of the church. For it is agreed among learned men, both of the Romish and protestant communion, that the creed was not used to be repeated in the daily service till about the middle of the fifth century in the Greek church, and not till some time after in the Latin church. So Valesius,56 Cardinal Bona," Schelstrate, Pagi," Christianus Lupus, Hamond L'Estrange, and Vossius."2 Theodorus Lector observes, that Peter Fullo, who was bishop of Antioch about the year 471, was the first that ordered the creed to be repeated in that church, v ráog ☛vvážu, in every church assembly. And the same author reports," that Timotheus, bishop of Constantinople, anno 511, was the first that brought in this custom into that church; which he did in hatred to his predecessor Macedonius, and with an intent to represent him as disaffected to the Nicene Creed, which before that time was used to be rehearsed in the church only once a year, on the parasceue, or great day of preparation before the passover, now called Maundy Thursday, when the bishop was wont to catechise such as were to be baptized at Easter. From the Oriental churches, the custom was brought into the West, first in Spain and Gallicia, at the petition of King Recaredus, by the order of the third council of Toledo, about the year 589, when those churches were newly recovered from the inundation of the Arian heresy, this practice was then thought a proper antidote to preserve them from relapsing into their ancient error. Lupus

61

and Pagi say, it was not brought into the French churches till the time of Charles the Great, and then Pope Leo III. advised them to lay it aside again, because it was not yet the custom of the Roman church. They concluded yet further, that in the time of Pope John VIII., anno 870, it was not yet the practice of the Roman church. But at last, in the days of Benedict VIII., anno 1014, as is collected from Berno Augiensis, the custom was admitted into the Roman church; for this reason, to give it in the words of Lupus, since the Roman church could not bring over the French and Spanish churches to her own way, she resolved at last to comply with their custom, that there might be no disagreement among them; and so the Nicene Creed came to be universally read throughout the whole church.

There is but one creed more, which

70

66

Sect. 18.

Creed.

I need to stand to give any account of the Athanasian of, and that is the creed which is commonly received under the name of the Athanasian Creed. Baronius is of opinion, that it was composed by Athanasius when he was at Rome, and offered to Pope Julius as a confession of his faith. Which circumstance is not at all likely, for Julius never questioned the faith of Athanasius. However, a great many learned men, have so far embraced the opinion of Baronius, as to believe this creed to be of Athanasius's composing; as Cardinal Bona, and Petavius, and Bellarmine, and Rivet, with many others of both communions. Scultetus leaves the matter in doubt. But the best and latest critics, who have examined the thing most exactly, make no question, but that it is to be ascribed to a Latin author, Vigilius Tapsensis, an African bishop, who lived in the latter end of the fifth century, in the time of the Vandalic Arian persecution. The learned Vossius" and Quesnel" have written particular dissertations upon this subject. Their arguments are, 1. Because this creed is wanting in almost all the manuscripts of Athanasius's works. 2. Because the style and contexture of it does not bespeak a Greek, but a Latin author. 3. Because neither Cyril of Alexandria, nor the council of Ephesus, nor Pope Leo, nor the council of Chalcedon, have ever so much as mentioned it

Ibid. p. 563.

Conc. Tolet. 3. c. 2. Petitione Reccaredi regis constituit synodus, ut per omnes ecclesias Hispaniæ et Galliciæ, secundum formam Orientalium ecclesiarum, concilii Constantinopolitani symbolum fidei recitetur: et priusquam Dominica dicatur oratio, voce clara populo prædicetur, &c. 66 Baron. an. 340. n. 11. 67 Bona de Psalmodia.

68 Petav. Not. in Epiphan. Hær. 72.

Bellarmin. de Scriptor. Eccles. p. 81.

70 Rivet, Critic. Sacr. lib. 3. c. 4. p. 240.

71 Voss. de Symbolis, Dissert. 2.

72 Quesnel. Dissert. de variis Fidei Symbolis in antiquo codice Romano.