# Declaration of Faith

- Author: [Gregory Thaumaturgus](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/gregory-thaumaturgus/)
- Latin title: *Expositio fidei*
- Date: 3rd century (approximate)
- Source: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Graeca 10 (Paris: Migne, 1857), cols. 983–988

- Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator
- Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-thaum-creed/
- Passages: 1

## Declaration of Faith

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-thaum-creed/1/#p-1
- Source: PG 10:983b–988a
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

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.

### Greek text

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.

### English translation (Claude)

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.

### Scripture references

- 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

### Translation notes

- 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.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory Thaumaturgus, Expos. fid. 1 (PG 10:983b–988a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-thaum-creed/1/#p-1).