CHAPTER XII.
OF THE THREE CREEDS.
"The Three Creeds, Nicene Creed, Athanasius's Creed, and that which is commonly called the Apostles' Creed, ought thoroughly to be received and believed: for they may be proved by most certain warrants of holy Scripture."—Article VIII.
The only one of these three Creeds in use among the Nestorians is the Nicene. This differs from that of the Western Church in its omission of the Filioque, and the part added by the council of Constantinople, as has already been observed under Art. V.
The Creed known as the Athanasian, is found in none of the Nestorian rituals, nor have I heard of its existence in any of their theological writings. The Patriarch Mar Shimoon on reading it said that the only objection against it was the declaration of the Spirit's procession from the Father and the Son, and the sentence "one altogether; not by confusion of substance, but by unity of Person;" and believing it to be the work of Athanasius he pointed out to me the following extract from the Gezza, appointed for the commemoration of the Greek Doctors, in which that saint is recorded:—"With the silver of the Spirit the zealous Fathers became teachers in the ocean of the world, being directed in the right way, the way of the Star, which is Christ, and attained at last unto that blessedness which fadeth not away.—They are Saint Ignatius, Polycarp, Athanasius, Eustathius, Miletus, Flavian, Gregory, Basil, John [Chrysostom,]
