92

Ancient Versions of the Athanasian Creed.

(1647.) 5. The fifth was first published by Usher, in the year 1647. This differs extremely from all the rest, having, besides many variations and slight insertions, one very large interpolation. It hath been often reprinted since Usher's time.

(1671.) 6. The sixth and last was first published by Labbe and Cossart, in the second Tome of Councils. This copy comes the nearest to the two first, and therefore is sometimes thrown into one with them: but it differs from both in about forty places, according to Gundling's computation.

These are all the printed copies; which are sometimes called four, and sometimes six: four, because the first, second, and sixth, may be tolerably thrown into one; six, because they may also be kept distinct, and may be reckoned as so many copies at least, if not so many several versions. So much for the Greek versions of our Creed.

To the versions already mentioned may be added the Sclavonian, of several dialects, and, as I conceive, pretty ancient: but we have little or no account of them; only, as I shall show in the sequel, we may be certain that there have been such. There are Italian, Spanish, Irish, and Welsh versions: but whether any that can justly be called ancient, I know not. Future searches into libraries may perhaps produce farther discoveries. Fabricius makes mention of an Hebrew version of late date, and of an Arabic one still later'; but these, or the like modern versions will be of no use to us in our present inquiries.

9 Hebraice versum a Julio Marcello Romano MS. in Bibliotheca Vaticana memorat Imbonatus in Bibl. Latino Hebraica p. 149. Sed omitto recentiores Versiones, ut Arabicam a Nisselio editam Ludg. Bat. 1656. quarto, una cum Cantico Canticor.-Fabric. Bibl. Græc. v. 5. p. 315.

Georgius Nisselius Symbolum Athanasii Arabico idiomate cum Cantico Canticorum Ethiopice et Arabice edito Ludg. Bat. An. 1656, conjunxit id tamen non hausit ex Codice MS. sed ipse in Arabicum sermonem transtulit.-Tentzel. p. 125.

CHAPTER VI.

Of the Reception of the Athanasian Creed in the
Christian Churches.

FROM the materials here laid down we may now be able to determine something about the reception of the Creed, especially in the Western Churches; among which the Churches of France, or Gaul, ought undoubtedly to be named first.

France, or Gaul.

(A. D. 550.) This Creed obtained in France in the time of Hincmar, or about 850, without all dispute. We may advance higher up to 772; for it was then in Charles the Great's Psalter, among the Hymns of the Church. The Cotton manuscript Psalter, with this Creed in it, will carry us up to 703; and the canon of the Council of Autun to 670; at which time the Gallican Clergy, at least of the diocese of Autun, in the province of Lyons, were obliged to recite this Creed, together with the Apostles', under pain of Episcopal censure; which shows of how great value and esteem the Creed was at that time, and affords a strong presumption (as Quesnel and Pagi1 well argue in the case) that it had been in use there long before.

1 Dubium non est quin multis ante Synodum illam Augustodunensem annis compositum esset, et jam olim per totam Ecclesiam celebre evasisset: Nunquam enim Sapientissimi Præsules id commisissent, ut istam Fidei Formulam omnium Ordinum Clericis amplectendam, et irreprehensibiliter, ut aiunt, recensendam, Synodali Edicto sub condemnationis pœna præciperent, imo et illam e regione cum Symbolo Apostolico ponerent, nisi jam longo usu recepta, approbata, et inter germanas Magni Athanasii Lucubrationes numerata fuisset; quod nisi post plurium annorum seriem fieri vix potuit. Quesnel. Dis. xiv. p. 731.

Quare jam ante centum fere annis opus illud Athanasio attributum fuerat.-Pagi Critic. in Baron. vol. i. p. 441.

There will be some doubt, as I intimated above, about the supposed canon of the Council of Autun, which will in some measure abate the force of our evidence, and of the argument built upon it. But as it is certain, from other evidence, that this Creed was received in the Gallican Churches as high as 772, or 703, so it must be owned that this very much confirms the supposition of the Council of Autun: and the concurring circumstances give very great light and strength to each other. But what most of all confirms the foregoing evidence, and the reasoning upon it, is, that Venantius Fortunatus, a full hundred years before the Council of Autun, had met with this Creed in the Gallican parts, and found it then to be in such esteem as to deserve to be commented upon, like the Lord's Prayer and Apostles' Creed; accordingly he wrote comments upon it, as well as upon the other. This wonderfully confirms the reasoning of Quesnel and Pagi, that this Creed must have been in use there near a hundred years before the Council of Autun, that is, as high as 570, about which time Fortunatus flourished and wrote. And considering that this Creed must have been for some time growing into repute, before it could be thought worthy to have such honour paid it, along with the Lord's Prayer and Apostles' Creed, I may, perhaps, be allowed to set the time of its reception in the Gallican Churches some years higher-reception of it, I mean, as an excellent formulary, or an acknowledged rule of faith ; though not, perhaps, admitted into their sacred offices. Upon the whole, and upon the strength of the foregoing evidences, we may reasonably conclude, that the reception of this Creed in the Gallican Churches was at least as early as 670; understanding it of its reception into the public offices: but understanding it of its reception as a rule of faith, or an orthodox and excellent formulary and system of belief, it may be justly set as high as 550; which is but twenty years, or thereabout, before Fortunatus commented

upon it. Le Quien scruples not to set it as high as 500 2.

Spain.

(630.) Next to France, we may mention her near neighbour Spain, which seems to have received this Creed very early, and within less than a hundred years after the time before fixed for its reception in France. As to the truth of the fact, it may be argued two several ways. 1. From the near affinity and relation between the Spanish and Gallican offices, before either France or Spain had received the Roman. 2. From the fourth Council of Toledo, their quoting passages from this very Creed.

1. As to the first argument, though a general one, it must appear of great weight. If the sacred offices in France and Spain were in those times the same, or very nearly so, then the reception of this Creed in France will afford a very considerable argument of its reception in Spain also.

Cardinal Bona is very large and diffuse in setting forth the agreement and harmony of the old Gallican offices with the Spanish in sundry particulars. And he supposes this uniformity of the two Churches to have been as early, at least, as the days of Gregory, bishop of Tours, who died in the year 595. Mabillon, after him, frequently asserts the same thing, and with greater assurance than Bona had done; having met with new and fuller evidences to prove it. Only he dates the agreement of the Spanish Mosarabic offices with the Gallican from the third and fourth Councils of Toledo, the latter of which was in the year 633. Mr. Dodwell, speaking of the same matter, says, "Nor does Mabillon himself judge it probable

2 Non nisi ex eodem Symbolo, quod jam ante receptum esset, Avitus Viennensis alicubi scribebat, etc.-Le Quien. Dissert,

Damascen. p. 98.

3 Bona Rerum Liturg. lib. i. cap. xii. p. 372.

Mabillon, de Liturg. Gallican Præf. et lib. i. cap. iii. p. 20. 23. 5 Mabillon, lib. i. cap. iv. p. 32.

that the innovations attempted by Pope Vigilius in Spain held long, of what kind soever they were. All Spain was soon after united in one form, and that different from the Romans, and agreeing with the Gallican." It is therefore a plain case, that the Gallican and Spanish offices were very much the same in the beginning of the seventh century, and so continued for some time. If, therefore, the Gallican Churches received the Athanasian Creed into their public offices before the year 670, it will appear extremely probable that the Spanish received it also, and about the same time. I here make a distinction, as I did before, between receiving the Creed as a rule of faith, and receiving it into the solemn offices, to be recited or sung in churches. The reception of it in the first sense I conceive to have been somewhat earlier in Spain as well as in France, than its reception in the latter sense. But as different Churches in France had anciently different customs, so also was it in Spain. And therefore it is probable that the reception of this Creed into the public offices was in some Churches sooner, and in others later, according to the various rites, customs, and circumstances, of the several Churches.

But I proceed to the second article, whereby we are to prove the reception of this Creed in Spain.

2. The fourth Council of Toledo cites a considerable part of this Creed, adopting it into their own Confession. We may be confident that the Creed did not borrow the expressions from them, but they

6 Dodwell, of Incense, p. 190.

7 Nec Personas confundimus, nec Substantiam separamus. Patrem a nullo factum, vel genitum dicimus: Filium a Patre non factum, sed genitum, asserimus : Spiritum vero Sanctum nec creatum, nec genitum, sed procedentem a Patre et Filio profitemur, ipsum autem Dominum Jesum Christum ex substantia Patris ante sæcula genitum æqualis Patri secundum Divinitatem, minor Patre secundum Humanitatem. Hæc est Ecclesiæ Catholicæ Fides: Hanc Confessionem conservamus, atque tenemus. Quam quisquis firmissime custodierit, perpetuam salutem habebit.-Concil. Tolet. IV. Capitul. I.