Antioch

Creed of the Council of Antioch

Date:	Beginning of 325
Language:	Originally Greek (only surviving records in Syriac, the Greek text reconstructed)
CPG:	8509
Source:	E. Schwartz, “Zur Geschichte des Athanasius.” Nachrichten von der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften und der Georg-Augusts-Universität zu Göttingen, Philologisch-Historische Klasse (Gottingen: Luder Horstmann, Jahre 1905) p. 275-7. The Greek is a reconstruction, the original Syriac is also available from the same pages. A slightly more recent Syriac version can be found in 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) p. 161-2
Historical note:	This Council was forgotten until Edward Schwartz published the Syriac of this letter in 1905 (click the link above to read the original at Google Books). Soon a few other Syriac editions of this letter were published from other manuscripts. Most scholars now accept the authenticity of this document and the council it describes. Hanson hypothesizes that this council was scheduled to meet and choose the new bishop of Antioch. Philogonius died most probably in December 324, Eustathius would then have been elected in early 325. He thinks that Ossius, as he was returning to Constantine from Alexandria, heard about the Council and stopped in and made sure they dealt with the current controversy. It is interesting that this council was not attended by Alexander of Alexandria, but the language is very similar to his. It is also interesting that this is the first known council to produce anathemas against false-doctrines. That the word ὁμοούσιος is not found in this anti-Arian creed written the same year as Nicaea, is also historically significant. For a fuller discussion see Hanson, The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God, pp. 146-151, from which this information was largely drawn.

For English translation, see Urkunde 18, sections 8-13.

Ἔστιν οὖν ἡ πίστις, ἣ προετέθη ὑπ᾿ ἀνδρῶν πνευματικῶν καὶ οὓς αὖθις οὐ δίκαιον νομίζειν κατὰ σάρκα ζῆν ἢ νοεῖν, ἀλλὰ ἐν πνεύματι ταῖς τῶν θεοπνεύστων βιβλίων ἁγίαις γραφαῖς συνησκῆσθαι, ἥδε· 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·

καὶ εἰς ἕνα κύριον Ἰησοῦν 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 εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱός, ἢ τὸν υἱὸν εἰ μὴ ὁ πατήρ.» τὸν ἀεὶ ὄντα καὶ οὐ πρότερον οὐκ ὄντα. (10.) εἰκόνα γὰρ αὐτὸν μόνον ἐκ τῶν ἀγίων γραφῶν μεμαθήκαμεν, οὐ - δῆλον ὅτι ὡς ἂν παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς - 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, (11.) ἀλλὰ διότι ὑπερβαίνει πᾶσαν ἔννοιαν ἢ διάνοιαν ἢ λόγον, ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ ἀγεννήτου γεννηθῆναι αὐτὸν ὁμολογοῦμεν, θεὸν λόγον, φῶς ἀληθινόν, δικαιοσύνην, Ἰησοῦν 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 ὑψίστῆς, ἐρχόμενος κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς·

ἔτι δὲ ὡς καὶ τὸν σωτῆρα ἡμῶν αἱ ἱεραὶ γραφαὶ διδάσκουσιν καὶ ἓν πνεῦμα πιστεῦσαι, μίαν καθολικὴν ἐκκλησίαν, τὴν νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν, καὶ κρίσιν ἀνταποδόσεως καθὰ ἔπραξέν τις ἐν σαρκὶ εἴτε ἀγαθὰ εἴτε κακά,

ἀναθεματίζοντες ἐκείνους, οἳ λέγουσιν ἢ νομίζουσιν ἢ κηρύττουσιν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ κτίσμα ἢ γενητὸν ἢ ποιητὸν καὶ οὐκ ἀληθῶς γέννημα εἶναι ἢ ὅτι ἦν ὅτε οὐκ ἦν, - ἡμεῖς γὰρ, ὅτι ἦν καὶ ἔστιν καὶ ὅτι φῶς ἐστιν, πιστεύομεν, - προσέτι δὲ κἀκείνους οἳ 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 τῷδε τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκηρύχθη ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν.

Created by AJW
Last updated:6/21/07 AJW
Copyright 2006 Wisconsin Lutheran College History Department
Fourth-Century Christianity Home