Gregory Ordained and the Creed Rewritten

Eusebius had been proposed, but he was afraid to go to Alexandria, so the synod at Antioch named Gregory bishop of that church. When this was done, they altered the creed. They did not claim to condemn anything in the creed set out at Nicaea. In fact, however, they were determined to overturn and cancel the doctrine that the Son is of one substance with the Father, by means of frequent councils and the publication of various statements of the faith, and so to establish the Arian views little by little. How these things turned out we will set out in the course of our narrative. But the letter then issued about the faith was as follows: [a]

“We have not become followers of Arius. How could we, who are bishops, be led by a presbyter? Nor have we embraced any other faith than the one set out from the beginning. Rather, having been appointed examiners and judges of his opinions, we have acknowledged that they are sound, instead of adopting them from him. You will see this from what we are about to state. “We have learned from the beginning to believe in one God of the universe, the Creator and Preserver of all things, both those known by the mind and those perceived by the senses; and in one only Son of God, existing before all ages and existing together with the Father who begot him, through whom also all things visible and invisible were made; who in the last days, by the Father’s good pleasure, came down and took flesh from the holy virgin; and who, having fully carried out his Father’s will, that he should suffer and rise again and ascend into the heavens and sit at the right hand of the Father, is coming to judge the living and the dead, remaining King and God forever. “We believe also in the Holy Spirit. And if this needs to be added, we believe in the resurrection of the flesh and the life everlasting.” [b]

Having written this in their first letter, they sent it to the bishops of every city. But after staying some time at Antioch, as though to condemn the first, they published another letter in these words:

Another Statement of the Faith

In agreement with the tradition of the Gospels and the apostles, we believe in one God, the Father Almighty, the Creator and Maker of the universe. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, his Son, God the only Son, through whom all things were made; begotten of the Father before all ages, God from God, Whole from Whole, Only from Only, Perfect from Perfect, King from King, Lord from Lord; the living Word, the Wisdom, the Life, the True Light, the Way of Truth, the Resurrection, the Shepherd, the Gate; unchangeable and unalterable; the unvarying image of the Godhead, substance, power, counsel and glory of the Father; born “before all creation”; who was in the beginning with God, God the Word, as it is declared in the Gospel, “and the Word was God,” through whom all things were made and in whom all things hold together; who in the last days came down from above and was born of the virgin according to the Scriptures, and was made man, the Mediator between God and men, the Apostle of our faith and the Prince of Life, as he says, “I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me”; who suffered for us and rose again for us on the third day, and ascended into the heavens, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come again with glory and power to judge the living and the dead. We believe also in the Holy Spirit, who is given to believers for their comfort, sanctification and perfection, just as our Lord Jesus Christ commanded his disciples, saying, “Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” That is, of the Father who is truly Father, of the Son who is truly Son, and of the Holy Spirit who is truly Holy Spirit. These names are not given loosely or without meaning; they express exactly the proper subsistence, glory and order of each of those named, so that they are three in person but one in agreement. Holding this faith, then, in the presence of God and of Christ, we anathematize all heretical and false teaching. If anyone teaches contrary to the sound and right faith of the Scriptures, saying that there is or was a time or an age before the Son of God existed, let him be accursed. If anyone says that the Son is a creature like one of the creatures, or an offspring like one of the offspring, and does not hold each of the doctrines stated above as the divine Scriptures have handed them down to us, or if anyone teaches or preaches any other doctrine contrary to what we have received, let him be accursed. For we truly and without reserve believe and follow everything handed down to us from the sacred Scriptures by the prophets and apostles. [c]

Such was the statement of the faith published by those then assembled at Antioch. Gregory also signed it as bishop of Alexandria, although he had not yet entered that city. When the synod had done these things and made some other canons, it broke up. At this time public affairs too happened to be in turmoil. The nation called the Franks raided the Roman territories in Gaul, and at the same time there were violent earthquakes in the East, especially at Antioch, which went on being shaken for a whole year.