Stage #1 -- A.D. 150 (attested by Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Cyprian)
I believe:
I. In one God the Father Almighty.
II. (1) And in Jesus Christ, God's Son, our Lord
(2) Born of the Virgin Mary
(3) Under Pontius Pilate crucified and buried
(4) The third day risen from the dead
(5) Ascended into heaven
(6) And seated on the right hand of the Father
(7) From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
III. (1) And in the Holy Spirit
(2) The holy Church
(3) The forgiveness of sins
(4) The resurrection of the flesh.
(attested by Rufinus of Aquileia in A.D. 390, Marcellus of Ancyra in A.D. 350, Ambrose of Milan, Augustine, etc.)
I believe:
I. In One God the Father Almighty
II. (1) And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord
(2) Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary
(3) Under Pontius Pilate crucified and buried
(4) The third day He rose again from the dead
(5) He ascended into heaven
(6) And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty
(7) From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
III. (1) And in the Holy Spirit
(2) The holy Catholic Church
(3) The forgiveness of sins
(4) The resurrection of the flesh.
(an official revision, made in Rome and quoted in the Psalter of Pope Gregory III (A.D. 731-741), as well as in many other places)
I believe:
I. In God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth.
II. (1) And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord
(2) Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary
(3) Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell
(4) The third day He rose again from the dead
(5) He ascended into heaven
(6) And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty
(7) From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe:
III. (1) In the Holy Ghost
(2) The Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints
(3) The forgiveness of sins
(4) The resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things seen and unseen;
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father; unique, that is, of the substance of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one substance with the Father, by Whom all things were made, those that are in Heaven and those that are on earth, Who for us men and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man; He suffered and rose again the third day, ascended into Heaven, and is coming to judge the living and the dead;
And in the Holy Spirit.
But those who are saying, "There was a time when He was not," and "Before He was begotten He was not," and "He came into being out of non-being," or are saying that His essence or substance is different, or created, or altered, or changed, the holy, universal, and apostolic Church accurses.
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not made, being of one substance with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father. And He shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end.
And (we believe) in the Holy Spirit, the lord and Giver-of-Life, Who proceedeth from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; Who spake by the prophets. . . .
Following the holy fathers, we teach with one voice that the Son (of God) and our Lord Jesus Christ is to be confessed as one and the same (Person), that He is perfect in Godhead and perfect in manhood, very God and very man, of a reasonable soul and (human) body consisting, consubstantial with the Father as touching His Godhead, and consubstantial with us as touching His manhood; made in all things like unto us, sin only excepted; begotten of His Father before the worlds according to His Godhead; but in these last days for us men and for our salvation born (into the world) of the Virgin Mary, the mother of God, according to his manhood. This one and the same Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son (of God) must be confessed to be in two natures, unconfusedly, immutably, indivisibly, inseparably (united), and that without the distinction of natures being taken away by such union, but rather the peculiar property of each nature being preserved and being united in one Person and subsistence, not separated or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son and only-begotten, God the Word, our Lord Jesus Christ, as the Prophets of old time have spoken concerning Him, and as the Lord Jesus Christ hath taught us, and as the Creed of the Fathers hath delivered to us.
These things, therefore, having been expressed by us with the greatest accuracy and attention, the holy Ecumenical Synod defines that no one shall be suffered to bring forward a different faith, nor to write, nor to put together, nor to excogitate, nor to teach it to others. But such as dare either to put together another faith, or to bring forward or to teach or to deliver a different Creed, to such as wish to be converted to the knowledge of the truth from the Gentiles, or Jews or any heresy whatever, if they be bishops or clerics, let them be deposed, the bishops from the episcopate, and the clerics from the clergy; but if they be monks or laics, let them be anathematized.
1. Whosoever will be saved: before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith (catholicam fidem):
2. Which Faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled: without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
3. And the Catholic Faith is this: That we worship God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity (Trinitatem in Unitate);
4. Neither confouding the Persons (personas): nor dividing the substance (substantiam).
5. For there is one Person of the Father: another of the Son: and another of the Holy Spirit.
6. But the Godhead (divinitas) of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, is all one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
7. Such as the Father is: such is the Son: and such is the Holy Spirit.
8. The Father uncreated (increatus): the Son uncreated: and the Holy Spirit uncreated.
9. The Father unlimited (immensus): the Son unlimited: and the Holy Spirit unlimited.
10. The Father eternal: the Son eternal: and the Holy Spirit eternal.
11. And yet they are not three eternals: but one eternal (unus aeturnus).
12. As also there are not three uncreated: nor three unlimiteds, but one uncreated: and one unlimited.
13. So likewise the Father is omnipotent (omnipotens): the Son omnipotent: and the Holy Spirit omnipotent.
14. And yet they are not three omnipotents: but one omnipotent.
15. So the Father is God (deus): the Son is God: and the Holy Spirit is God.
16. And yet they are not three Gods: but one God.
17. So likewise the Father is Lord (dominus): the Son Lord: and the Holy Spirit Lord.
18. And yet not three Lords: but one Lord.
19. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord:
20. So we are forbidden by the Catholic Religion (catholica religione) to say, There are three Gods, or three Lords.
21. The Father is made (factus) of none: neither created (creatus), nor begotten (genitus).
22. The Son is of the Father alone: not made, nor created: but begotten.
23. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and the Son: neither made, nor created, nor begotten: but proceeding (procedans).
24. So there is one Father, not three Fathers: one Son, not three Sons: one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
25. And in this Trinity there is nothing before or after (nihil prius, aut posterius): nothing greater or lesser (nihil majus, aut minus).
26. But the whole three Persons are coeternal (coaeternae) and coequal (coaequales).
27. So that in all things, as aforesaid: the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped.
28. He therefore that will be saved, let him thus think of the Trinity.
29. Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation: that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
30. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess: that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man;
31. God, of the substance (substantia) of the Father; begotten before the worlds (ante secula genitus): and man, of the substance (substantia) of his mother, born in the world.
32. Perfect God: and perfect man, of a reasonable soul (ex anima rationali) and human flesh (humana carne) subsisting (subsistens).
33. Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead (divinitatem): and less than (minor) the Father as touching his manhood.
34. Who although he is God and man; yet he is not two, but one Christ.
35. One; not by conversion (conversione) of the Godhead into flesh: but by assumption (assumptione) of the manhood into God.
36. One altogether; not by confusion (confusione) of substance: but by unity (unitate) of Person.
37. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man: so God and man is one Christ;
38. Who suffered for our salvation: descended into Hades (inferos): rose again the third day from the dead.
39. He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty.
40. From thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
41. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies;
42. And shall give account for their own works.
43. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting: and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire.
44. This is the Catholic Faith: which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.
According to this truth and this Word of God, we believe in one only God, who is one single essence, in which are three persons, really, truly, and eternally distinct, according to their incommunicable properties; namely, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The Father is the cause, origin, and beginning of all things, visible and invisible; the Son is the Word, Wisdom, and Image of the Father; the Holy Ghost is the eternal Power and Might, proceeding from the Father and the Son. Nevertheless God is not by this distinction divided into three, since the Holy Scriptures teach us that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost have each his personality, distinguished by their properties; but in such wise that three persons are but one only God. Hence, then, it is evident that the Father is not the Son, nor the Son the Father, and likewise the Holy Ghost is neither the Father nor the Son. Nevertheless these persons thus distinguished are not divided nor intermixed; for the Father hath not assumed the flesh, nor hath the Holy Ghost, but the Son only. The Father hath never been without His Son, or without his Holy Ghost. For they are all three co-eternal and co-essential. There is neither first nor last; for they are all three one, in truth, in power, in goodness, and in mercy.
We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, whose name is Jehovah, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct and harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
Say that in the one essence of God there is a trinity of persons; you will say in one word what Scripture states, and cut short empty talkativeness.
When we profess to believe in one God, under the name of God is understood a single, simple essence, in which we comprehend three persons, or hypostates.
The doctrine of the Trinity, therefore, is that in which a peculiar and incomprehensible application of the term three to the divine persons is taught, but in such a manner that not anything composed of three, but three persons of one essence are postulated. God is triune, therefore, because, in essence one, He has three modes of subsistence.
Theology . . . asserts that God is one in respect to essence, and is three in respect to personal distinctions.