Sophia Scriptura

Declaration of Faith (complete)

Gregory Thaumaturgus · Declaration of Faith · 3rd century · Neocaesarea · 1 passage

Greek text: PG 10.English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0). Compare: Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 6 (1886).

Chapter 1

1PG 10:983b–988a

Εἷς Θεὸς, Πατὴρ Λόγου ζῶντος, σοφίας ὑφεστώσης, καὶ δυνάμεως, καὶ χαρακτῆρος ἀϊδίου. Τέλειος τελείου γεννήτωρ, Πατὴρ Υἱοῦ μονογενοῦς. Εἷς Κύριος, μόνος ἐκ μόνου, Θεὸς ἐκ Θεοῦ· χαρακτὴρ καὶ εἰκὼν τῆς θεότητος, λόγος ἐνεργός· Σοφία τῆς τῶν ὅλων συστάσεως περιεκτική· καὶ δύναμις τῆς ὅλης κτίσεως ποιητική. Υἱὸς ἀληθινὸς, ἀληθινοῦ Πατρὸς, ἀόρατος ἀοράτου· καὶ ἄφθαρτος ἀφθάρτου· καὶ ἀθάνατος ἀθανάτου, καὶ ἀΐδιος ἀϊδίου. Καὶ ἔν Πνεῦμα ἅγιον, ἐκ Θεοῦ τὴν ὕπαρξιν ἔχον· καὶ διὰ Υἱοῦ πεφηνὸς, δηλαδὴ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· εἰκὼν τοῦ Υίοῦ· τελείου τελεία· ζωὴ, ζώντων αἰτία· πηγὴ ἀγία· ἀγιότης, ἀγιασμοῦ χορηγός. Ἐν ῷ φανεροῦται Θεὸς ὁ Πατὴρ, ὁ ἐπὶ πάντων καὶ ἐν πᾶσι καὶ Θεὸς ὁ Υἱὸς, ὁ διὰ πάντων. Τριὰς τελεία, δόξη καὶ ἀῖδιότητι καὶ βασιλείᾳ, μὴ μεριζομένη, μηδὲ ἀπαλλοτριουμένη. Οὔτε οὖν κτιστόν τι, ἢ δοῦλον ἐν τῇ Τριάδι· οὕτε ἐπείσακτον, ὡς πρότερον μὲν οὐκ ὑπάρχον, ὕστερον δὲ ἐπεισελθόν. Οὔτε οὖν ἐνέλιπέ ποτε Υἱὸς Πατρὶ, οὔτε Υἱῷ Πνεῦμα· ἀλλʼ ἄτρεπτος καὶ ἀναλλοίωτος ἡ αὐτὴ Τριὰς ἀεί.

Heis Theos, Patēr Logou zōntos, sophias hyphestōsēs, kai dynameōs, kai charaktēros aïdiou. Teleios teleiou gennētōr, Patēr Huiou monogenous. Heis Kyrios, monos ek monou, Theos ek Theou; charaktēr kai eikōn tēs theotētos, logos energos; Sophia tēs tōn holōn systaseōs periektikē; kai dynamis tēs holēs ktiseōs poiētikē. Huios alēthinos, alēthinou Patros, aoratos aoratou; kai aphthartos aphthartou; kai athanatos athanatou, kai aïdios aïdiou. Kai en Pneuma hagion, ek Theou tēn hyparxin echon; kai dia Huiou pephēnos, dēladē tois anthrōpois; eikōn tou Uiou; teleiou teleia; zōē, zōntōn aitia; pēgē agia; agiotēs, agiasmou chorēgos. En ǭ phaneroutai Theos ho Patēr, ho epi pantōn kai en pasi kai Theos ho Huios, ho dia pantōn. Trias teleia, doxē kai aidiotēti kai basileią, mē merizomenē, mēde apallotrioumenē. Oute oun ktiston ti, ē doulon en tę̄ Triadi; houte epeisakton, hōs proteron men ouk hyparchon, hysteron de epeiselthon. Oute oun enelipe pote Huios Patri, oute Huiǭ Pneuma; allʼ atreptos kai analloiōtos hē autē Trias aei.

One God, Father of the living Word, of subsistent Wisdom and Power, and of the eternal Imprint; perfect Begetter of the perfect, Father of the only-begotten Son. One Lord, Only from Only, God from God, Imprint and Image of the Godhead, active Word; Wisdom that embraces the constitution of all things, and Power that makes the whole creation; true Son of the true Father, Invisible of Invisible, and Incorruptible of Incorruptible, and Immortal of Immortal, and Eternal of Eternal. And one Holy Spirit, having existence from God and manifested through the Son (namely, to men); Image of the Son, perfect (Image) of the perfect; Life, cause of the living; holy Spring; Holiness, the giver of sanctification; in whom is manifested God the Father, who is over all and in all, and God the Son, who is through all. A perfect Trinity, in glory and eternity and sovereignty neither divided nor estranged. There is, then, nothing created or servile in the Trinity, nor anything brought in from outside, as if it did not exist before but came in later. So the Son was never lacking to the Father, nor the Spirit to the Son; but the same Trinity is ever unchangeable and unalterable.

Heb 1:3 (allusion, high confidence) · Col 1:15 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 1:24 (allusion, high confidence) · John 1:18 (allusion, medium confidence) · John 1:3 (allusion, medium confidence) · Eph 4:6 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Tim 1:17 (echo, medium confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: A creed confessing one God the Father, one Lord the Son, and one Holy Spirit, a perfect and undivided Trinity in which nothing is created.

  • The creed is transmitted in Gregory of Nyssa's Life of Gregory Thaumaturgus; its authenticity has been disputed (some date it to the fourth century).
  • Key terms: "subsistent" renders ὑφεστώσης (having real existence); "Imprint" renders χαρακτήρ (Heb 1:3); "existence" renders ὕπαρξις; "Trinity" renders Τριάς; "Godhead" renders θεότης. "Manifested through the Son" (διὰ Υἱοῦ πεφηνός) refers to the Spirit's manifestation to human beings, as the creed itself specifies.
  • Allusions: Heb 1:3; Col 1:15; 1 Cor 1:24; John 1:18; Eph 4:6.

Notes on the original text

  • Digital text corrected (OCR): Εἷς Κύ- ρος, μύνος ἐκ μόνου → Εἷς Κύριος, μόνος ἐκ μόνου; χαρακτὴρ καὶ εἴὼν τῆς θεότητος → χαρακτὴρ καὶ εἰκὼν τῆς θεότητος; ἀἶδίος ἀἶδίου → ἀΐδιος ἀϊδίου; διὰ Τἰοῦ πεφηνὸς → διὰ Υἱοῦ πεφηνὸς; Οὕτε ουν κτιστον τι, ἢ δὺ.λον → Οὔτε οὖν κτιστόν τι, ἢ δοῦλον; ὡς πρότεον μὲν → ὡς πρότερον μὲν; C οὗν ἐνέλιπέ ποτε Υἱὸς Πατρὶ, οὕτε tῷ: Πνεῦμα → Οὔτε οὖν ἐνέλιπέ ποτε Υἱὸς Πατρὶ, οὔτε Υἱῷ Πνεῦμα; ἀναλλοίωτος,ἡ αὐτῆ Τριὰς ἀεt. → ἀναλλοίωτος ἡ αὐτὴ Τριὰς ἀεί..

Topics: Trinity, Christology

Cite (SBL): Gregory Thaumaturgus, Expos. fid. 1 (PG 10:983b–988a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-thaum-creed/1/#p-1). (abbreviation not yet checked)

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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Migne's Patrologia Graeca (scan OCR, corrected where the OCR is clearly wrong; corrections logged), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of ANF 6 (1886); differences checked against the Greek.