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Holy Catechism

Nikolaos Voulgaris, tr. Daniel, 1893

Of the Holy Creed

71. Ex. You will extremely gratify us, if you give us a clear exposition of these Twelve Articles, one by one.

C. The Twelve Articles of the Orthodox Faith, etymologists in the Etym. explain as being so called from fitting one another, since they are fastened one to the other and fitted like joints (articles), or what are called dovetails. And whereas they all contribute (συμβάλλουσι) together to the exposition of the Faith, many will have it that for this reason the holy Creed was named Symbol; though certainly the password is called Symbol, which even now is given to soldiers in the night watches, and to camps, that those who pass may be recognized. And thus with the same design, the Confession of the Faith is called a symbol, since it is the token and the sure sign which distinguishes the Faithful from unbelievers, orthodox from heretics. I happen to have seen a paraphrase of truly theological sort by Nicephorus, 54th Patriarch of Constantinople, addressed to Leo III., which as being evidently a Catholic collection of the most eminent dogmas of our orthodox Faith, we shall find it most helpful to the soul to listen to.

First Article

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

Paraphrase

I confess that I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, the Maker of all things, and Master and Lord; and in His only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ, the true God, the Word before the ages, Who without beginning and unutterably was begotten of Him, incomprehensibly and inconceivably to all spiritual and material creation; and in the Spirit of truth, the origin of life, the All-holy; the Trinity of one Substance, supersubstantial, invisible, incomprehensible, indivisible, unchangeable, simple, without parts or composition, inseparable, eternal, without body, quality or quantity, of equal honour, glory and Godhead, that cannot be touched or felt, without figure, of infinite goodness, light ever shining, threefold, transcendent: ever constant, abiding in the same manner, surveying all, completing all: upon all things reasonable and spiritual spiritually and indivisibly shining by the providence of the divine light in proportion to the receptive power of those who are enlightened, and preserving with a view to existence: made known in substantial things, not by mere names, in one Deity and power and kingdom glorified and worshipped by all creation visible and invisible.

Second Article

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all the worlds, light of light, very God of very God, begotten not made, being of one substance with the Father, by Whom all things were made.

Paraphrase

God then is one, even the Father, from Whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom are all things, and one Holy Ghost, in Whom are all things: from the perfect three one surpassing and supremely perfect, the Godhead; by their distinguishing and personal attributes, even differing from one another; for each of these which are by nature inseparable because of the union of substance, when it is considered apart in its proper functions, is acknowledged by us and believed in as God, being utterly full of the attributes of Godhead. And the three joined to one another are worshipped as one God by us, threefold in person but single in substance. And monarchy is what is honoured among us, not the Rule of Many, according to the disorderly and factious character of Greek stupidity and confusion. Monarchy however, not the circumscribed condition of one person, according to the imperfect and elementary character of Jewish poverty and childishness, but such as is shown by even dignity in nature, and agreement of thought, and identity of affection and by the combination into one of all that flows therefrom. This in generated nature is impossible, as says Gregory great among Divines. And nothing which is conjoined and naturally united in the Godhead viewed in Trinity is severed. For far be from us and renounced the mistake and frenzy of the mad Areius; since the Trinity itself is indivisible, not parted in glory or eternity, nor distinguished, since the thearchic Persons do not diverge and move round to one another; but in respect of each of them, the eternity is preserved unchangeable and unconfused. For far be banished and expelled the deceiving confusion of the foolish Sabellius.

Third Article

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

Paraphrase

I revere and adore the Mystery determined before all ages, but in the last times revealed for the salvation of our race, and accomplished through the great condescension and unspeakable dispensation of one of the Holy Lifegiving Trinity, Christ our true God; that the source which through His unspeakable goodness gave us being, might also grant us our well-being. I confess therefore and believe Him, one of the life-originating and Blessed Trinity, the Son and Word of God, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit is eternally worshipped and glorified together, as of one substance and throne, by boundless love towards man moved to pity His own formation, by the good-will of the Father and His compassion, and by the grace and co-operation of the Holy Spirit, to have come down from heaven and conversed with men, in order that whereas we had been condemned of old through sin and turned out of the delight of paradise and subjected to corruption, He might by grace rescue us and make us partakers of the Divine nature. For having sojourned in the womb of the Virgin, properly and truly Mother of God, in that she was cleansed beforehand by the Spirit both in soul and’flesh, and having from her taken all that was ours into Himself, as in the beginning having formed man, He came forth God incarnate, abiding what He was, true God; preserving as virgin even after childbirth her that supernaturally and unspeakably bare Him, her natural virginity being in no sense affected, in true proof that His Birth changed not by His issuing forth, and that its permanence is unalterable. For He Who is of one nature with the Father, Who became of one substance with us in all things yet without sin, takes hold of the seed of Abraham, having shared equally with us in word and flesh: He to a rational and intellectual soul hath taken animated flesh, which by no means pre-existed before the supreme union; but in the joint nature in Christ we believe one soul-endued rational flesh: not that by grace He dwelt among us, but having involved Himself in the whole of human nature, without confusion, indissolubly and supernaturally He so wrought the union, that the combined essences of Godhead and manhood might abide in their natural individuality and not pass into one another. Although we piously consider it fitting to allow concessions to the plea of the close union because of the conjunction of names (for we think the severance is in thought only, not in fact, owing to the supernatural union of what has come together:) yet the soleness and oneness of the Person we believe is preserved continuing indivisible and unbroken. Whence we confess the same Being to be created and uncreated, before the ages and in time,¹ heavenly and earthly, circumscribed and uncircumscribed, passible and impassible, without mother and without father. The one by reason of the ineffable generation from the Father, without beginning, before all ages; the other because of the secret and inconceivable union amongst us. And we proclaim His two generations, passing comprehension and reason. For the only-begotten Son Who is in the form of God, Who is in the bosom of the Father, that is, in the Father’s essence before all ages shone forth from Him, hath in the consummation of the ages emptied Himself, and assumed the form of a slave, namely our essence.

Fourth Article

Was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried.

Paraphrase

I believe He was crucified, not in the essence in which He shines with the Father, though it is said that the Lord of Glory was crucified, by way of exchange; but in our terrestrial nature, according to which He assumed our earthy lump, and has become a curse for us that He might exhibit us as partakers of the Blessing which is in Him, and endured the malefactor’s death in the flesh, that in His flesh He might condemn sin, the sting of death, and might bring to nought him that had the power of death, to wit, the devil; and His Body which was consigned to burial He preserved uncorrupt, by no means severed from the mysterious and unspeakable union, although during the three days’ interval it was separated from His reasonable and recent soul; with which He Himself has descended even into Hades, and to the spirits in prison, as the leader S. Peter said, went and preached the Resurrection and granted liberty and redemption; and He has become to us the first fruits of immortality, in that He lived again the first-begotten from the dead.

Fifth Article

And rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures.

Paraphrase

For He rose again having as God trampled on death, paving the way of Resurrection for all flesh, and made us who were fallen in the calamity of sin to stand up with Himself: He presented Himself after the Resurrection to the women, and announced joy to them, and withdrew the sorrow which lighted on us from the woman: He appeared too to His glorious Disciples guaranteeing the Mystery of His Resurrection; and He showed Who He was even before the Resurrection and wise Thomas’s touch on the Divine side.

Sixth Article

And He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father.

Seventh Article

And cometh again with glory, to judge the quick and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end.

Paraphrase

He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God and the Father with what He had assumed. Wherewith He shall again come in Divine glory and authority over all creation; and shall sit as judge, rendering to each one according to the manner of life; for we must all of us be made manifest before the Judgment-seat of Christ.

Eighth Article

And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord, the Lifegiver, which proceedeth from the Father, which with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, which spake by the Prophets.

Paraphrase

Of those Who are regarded in the Trinity, first the Father is without source, and is of uncaused existence: for He is from none; for He has His essence in Himself. Secondly, the Son; and not without source: for He is from the Father: for the Father is the source of the Son. Yet if you consider the source depending on time, He too is without source: for He is the maker of time, and not subject to time; through generation indeed, yet eternally and unintermittently shining forth upon the Father, as the effulgence of glory and impress of the Father’s substance. But the Holy Ghost proceeding, not begotten, eternally regarded and glorified together with the Father and the Son; not without source, because of the procession; for the Father is His source too, as pertains to cause; but Himself without source in time.

Ninth Article

In one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Paraphrase

In addition to these things, I accept and honour the Seven Holy and Œcumenical Councils, and what were therein determined and proclaimed divine and supernatural and saving dogmas by our pious and God-inspired Fathers, whom in due time the Holy Spirit set to shepherd His Church and to administer it: and I cherish the dogmas and labours of all the choice and blessed Fathers, as doctrine unblameable, and the foundation of salvation; and those whom the Catholic Church admits, I accept: and whom she abhors, I abhor. Moreover I reject and abhor those who in any way from Simon Magus until now have fallen from piety, and involved themselves in the opinions of evil and destroying dogmas, and have disregarded the tradition of the Saints, and have dared to introduce the bitter seed of tares into the field of orthodoxy; these I anathematize and all their followers, and abominate them as the ruin of Christ’s Church, and lay them under anathema.

Tenth Article

I acknowledge one Baptism for the Remission of sins.

Eleventh Article

I look for the Resurrection of the dead.

Twelfth Article

And the life of the world to come.

Paraphrase

Next I believe also the Resurrection of the flesh, when the change of the elements of the world takes place: that our mortal may put on immortality, and the corruptible may be clothed with incorruption. I acknowledge too one Baptism for the remission of sins, which is celebrated in the name of the Father and Son and Holy Ghost according to the evangelic Divine tradition. These venerable dogmas and Mysteries of our orthodox holy religion, both according to the high and most pure theology delivered to us by the divine instructors of the initiated, and according to the Word of God’s dispensation of salvation about us, together with all the doctrines conformable thereto, I maintain and embrace with all acceptation and faith.

In this Paraphrase do not marvel if in the first Article which applies to the Father alone, Nicephorus introduces at once also the Person of the Son and of the Spirit; since the moment you hear of the Father, you hear of the Son and the Spirit; and you confess God to be the Father of lights, namely of the Son and the Spirit; likewise the Father to be Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty; the Father to be Maker of heaven and earth, the Son to be Maker of heaven and earth, the Holy Ghost to be Maker of heaven and earth. He has dealt in the same way too with the second Article and with the eighth, which are peculiar to the Son and the Spirit, forasmuch as the things of special reference are of one and the same character; are together in nature, as the metaphysicians say. And he says, I confess that I believe, because we said that Christ demands from Christians as a necessary thing, as well the confession with the mouth; and not simple confession, and announcement of the mouth, but “whosoever shall lose his life, the same will save it,” Matt. xvi. 25, is true faith, and it is expressed thus: to die for Christ’s sake because of His commandment, and to believe this death introduces to life; to reckon poverty as wealth, mean estate and annihilation as glory, and in having nothing to believe one possesses all things, nay rather that one has acquired the unsearchable riches of the knowledge of Christ, and to esteem all visible things to be but clay or vapour. Symeon the younger divine.

Now we believe not that there is a God the Father, or a Christ Jesus, or a Holy Spirit, or a Holy Church, since the being or existence of God the very devils believe; one Holy Church even the heresiarchs of our own day confess,—the followers of Luther and Calvin. We believe in God the Father, in Christ Jesus, in the Holy Spirit; into which we have been baptized, in which we have hoped, unto which we look: reverencing one, celebrating one, serving one, our God from eternity in Trinity, and doing what pleases Him, (since without this all is dead; James ii. 17,) being built up on the foundation of Apostles and Prophets. Eph. ii. 20. We believe in one Holy Apostolic and Catholic Church, the spotless, stainless Bride of Christ, and in its inspired decrees and doctrines; unto which whoso does not yield and obey, cannot certainly say that he is a Christian. “Let him be to thee as a heathen man and a publican,” declared Christ, “Who is the head of the body, the Church, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have the pre-eminence.” Col. i. 8.

And do not suppose that because it is said the Son sitteth at the right hand of the Father, therefore He also takes precedence of the Father; far from it. For how could the uncircumscribed (this is the teaching of John of Damascus in the 4th book on the Orthodox Faith, ch. 75) have a local right hand? For right and left hands belong to what is circumscribed. But by the right hand of the Father we mean the right hand and the honour of Deity, on which the Son of God, being before the ages as God and consubstantial with the Father, in these last days being incarnate, sits in actual bodily shape.

“And we acknowledge one Baptism and three immersions; one baptism as being buried with the Lord through Baptism, Rom. vi. 4; three immersions signifying the three days of the Lord’s burial.” Damascenus. And as once for all the Lord’s death happened, so once for all we orthodox are baptized. I say We orthodox, because we are acquainted with the heresy of the Hemerobaptists,² who thought no one could anyhow be saved who was not daily baptized; of the Marcionists, who used to baptize one or two on behalf of those who had died; of the Tatians, who taught three baptisms; of the Anabaptists, who re-baptized all whom they would have baptized in infancy. All these the Damascene Illuminator himself nobly rejects (iv. 82) agreeably with what the blessed Paul says, Heb. vi. 6. “All who have been baptized into the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and are baptized afresh, these, he says, crucify Christ anew, as says the divine Apostle.” “For it is impossible as touching those who were once enlightened, and so forth, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves Christ afresh.” But we must with all our power securely keep ourselves pure from foul works, that we may not again, turning dog-like to our own vomit, make ourselves again servants of sin. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so likewise faith without works is dead.” James ii. 26.

Thus doing, by means of right faith and good works in that life to come, in the Resurrection of the dead which we all universally expect, (“Thus saith the Lord, behold I open your sepulchres, and when I open your graves I will put a new spirit in you, and ye shall live,” Ezek. xxxvii. 12, 14,) we shall be accounted worthy of the blessed raiment of those four much renowned gifts. All of us full of light, like the incorruptible body of Christ, Whose face shone as the sun, “and His garments became glistering, exceeding white.” Mark ix. 3. “Then shall the righteous shine forth like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.” Matt. xiii. 43. All of us immortal like the very body of Christ which “saw not corruption in Hades.” Ps. xvi. 10. “It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.” 1 Cor. xv. 42. All of us light like the very body of Christ, Who lightly without any weight “walked upon the waters.” Matt. xiv. 25. “They shall put forth wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary.” Isa. xl. 31. All of us subtle like the very body of Christ, Who both preserved the skin He had from His Mother-Maiden, and passed through closed doors, and went through the stone of the sealed tomb. “It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body,” 1 Cor. xv. 44, not absolutely spiritual, that is immaterial, but a spiritual body, or one that transfuses itself like the actual body of Christ.³ “Handle Me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have.” Luke xxiv. 39. All of us are to grow “unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ,” Eph. iv. 13; destined to “see Him as He is,” 1 John iii. 2, “face to face,” 1 Cor. xiii. 12, “and to be satisfied,” Ps. xvii. 15, in hearing and seeing “what eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into man’s heart, what God prepares for them that love Him,” 1 Cor. ii. 9, unto the endless ages. Matt. xxv.

72. Ex. Tell me further, who thus arranged these Articles?

C. The twelve Articles of the Creed we have received were drawn up in brief, (without being written, is the statement of Cyprian in the explanation which he writes of the same Creed; and of Jerome in his 61st Epistle addressed to Pammachius,) at the beginning of the Gospel-preaching by the Twelve holy disciples and Apostles of Christ; yet the Creed which we but now rehearsed, is the work of the First General Holy Council at Nicaea, though the four last Articles and the addition about the Holy Ghost were annexed by the Second Council at Constantinople; in fact, we are told on the authority of Mark of Ephesus, that it was entirely composed with the general consent of those inspired Fathers by the Divine of Nazianzum. And that the Orthodox Confession of Faith might never be altered through lapse of time, Baronius tells how in the 447th year from our Salvation, Pope Leo set up in the Temple of S. Peter two silver plates, (weighing, says Anastasius, 94½ pounds,) on which he engraved in Greek and Latin the entire holy Creed as we recite it to this day in the Church.⁴

The Arians exhibited nine creeds at various false councils, writes Athanasius, and through one tiny iota all but robbed the Church of the great mystery of the dispensation of the Incarnation, allowing the Son of God to be called Homoiousios (of like substance) with the Father, like Him that is in substance, and a creature fashioned, like ourselves, in the image of God, not Homoousios, of one and the same substance. So also the Nestorians by change of a single accent calling the Holy Virgin Theótokos (proparoxyton), born that is from God like all other creatures, did not believe her to be Theotókos (paroxyton), Mother of the Son of God.

Yet though so many of such influences warred against orthodoxy, in the Patriarchate of Eusebius at Constantinople, of George at Alexandria, of Leontius at Antioch, of Cyril at Jerusalem, and when Felix was Pope in Old Rome, (Jerome bewails this in his Ecclesiastical Writers addressed to Acacius,) and during the reign at the same time of that great beast, the apostate Constantius, who all at that time shared in the Arian madness and supported it, on the other hand the Catholic Church with its trophies of victory stands firm. “And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Matt. xvi. 18.

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