Christian Creeds (Part 3)

3. The Athanasian Creed
This creed is named after Athanasius of Alexandria who defended the equality of the Son and the Father at the First Nicene Council and opposed Arius who taught that the Son is inferior than the Father. However, many theologians doubt that Athanasius was the author of this creed. According to one opinion, its author was Augustine because this creed was written in his style.

The Athanasian Creed has two parts. The first part is about the Trinity. The second part is about Christ. The Athanasian Creed gives the most clear statements regarding the Trinity and Christ among the four commonly accepted Christian creeds.

The text of the Athanasian Creed:

1. Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith;Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.

2. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;

3. Neither confounding the persons, nor dividing the substance

4. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son and another of the Holy Spirit.

5. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.

6. Such as the Father is, such is the Son and such is the Holy Spirit.

7. The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate, and the Holy Spirit uncreate.

8. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.

9. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.

10. And yet they are not three eternals, but one eternal.

11. As also there are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensibles, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible.

12. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty;

13. And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty.

14. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God;

15. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.

16. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord;

17. And yet they are not three Lords, but one Lord.

18. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every person by himself to be God and Lord;

19. so are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say: There are three Gods or three Lords.

20. The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten.

21. The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten.

22. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

23. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.

24. And in this Trinity none is afore, nor after another; none is greater, or less than another.

25. But the whole three persons are co-eternal, and co-equal.

26. So that in all things, as aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.

27. He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.

28. Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

29. For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man.

30. God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and made of the substance of His mother, born in the world.

31. Perfect God and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.

32. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood.

33. Who, although He is God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ.

34. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of the manhood into God.

35. One altogether, not by the confusion of substance, but by unity of person.

36. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ;

37. Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead;

38. He ascended into heaven, He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty;

39. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

40. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies;

41. And shall give account of their own works.

42. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting, and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.

43. This is the catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved.

This creed teaches about the Trinity and Christ in a very clear, definite, and detailed way.

Christian Creeds (Part 2)

2. The Nicene Creed (The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed)
The Nicene Creed was adopted in the First Council of Nicaea (325) and revised at the First Council of Constantinople (381). Both versions were adopted as reaction to theological controversies.

The original version was a response to Arianism - the teaching that the Son does not equal the Father. Thus it stressed their equality.

The original version of the Nicene Creed (English translation):

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made both in heaven and on earth; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man; he suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

And in the Holy Ghost.

But those who say: 'There was a time when he was not;' and 'He was not before he was made;' and 'He was made out of nothing,' or 'He is of another substance' or 'essence,' or 'The Son of God is created,' or 'changeable,' or 'alterable' — they are condemned by the holy catholic and apostolic Church.

The original version of this creed did not say much about the Holy Spirit. In the revised version, the description of the Holy Spirit was added - as a response to the teaching of Eustaphius (Pneumatomachianism) - the teaching that the Holy Spirit does not equal the Father (though some Pneumatomachians also denied that the Son equals the Father). This description does not speaks directly that the Holy Spirit is God. However, it implies that.

The text of the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (revised version of the Nicene Creed):

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 the 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 Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; from thence he shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spake by the prophets. In one holy catholic and apostolic Church; we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

This version is different from the commonly used in the Western Church. Synod in Toledo, Spain in 589 added the words "and from the Son" (filioque) to the processing of the Holy Spirit. The Eastern Church has never agreed with this change.

The text of the commonly used in the Western Church version of the Nicene (Niceno-Constantinopolitan) Creed:

I 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 the Father before all worlds; God of God, 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 of 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 sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The main purpose of this creed is to declare the Trinity - the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. However, in some ways, its statements are not sufficient. This creed does not states clearly that there is only one God and also that the Holy Spirit is God. The Athanasian Creed contains much more clear definition of the Trinity.

Christian Creeds (Part 1)

There are four main Christian creeds that are accepted by practically all the branches of traditional Christianity with the exception of some oriental churches (Armenian, Syrian, and Coptic):
1. The Apostles' Creed
2. The Nicene Creed (The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed)
3. The Athanasian Creed
4. The Chalcedonian Creed

1. The Apostles' Creed
It is considered to be the oldest Christian creed that is believed to come from the apostles. This is why it has this name.

The text of the Apostles' Creed:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;

He descended into hell.

The third day He arose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the holy catholic church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.

Amen.

Many Christian theologians question Christ's descending into hell stated in this creed because the Bible does not clearly state that. All the other statements are in the agreement with the Bible and are accepted by all the branches of traditional Christianity. In this creed as well as in others, "the catholic church" is not Roman Catholic Church, but the universal church as it is presented in the New Testament.

Although this creed speaks about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, it does not clearly state that the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God. It does not clearly teach about the Trinity.

Basically, this creed just summarizes the main doctrines of the New Testament. It pays much attention to Christ. Many churches use this creed in their worship.

Muslim Creeds

The most famous Muslim creed is called shahada (testimony) or kalima shahada (the word of testimony). There are two variants of shahada:

1. 'Ashhadu 'al-la 'ilaha 'illa-llah wa-'ashhadu 'anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluh.
Translation: I testify that there is no god besides Allah and I testify that Muhammad is His slave and messenger.

2. La 'ilaha 'illa-llah wa Muhammadu-r-rasulu-llah.
Translation: There is no god besides Allah and Muhammad is Allah's messenger.

Everyone who desires to become a Muslim is required to pronounce shahada. Actually, this is the only requirement. So, everyone who pronounces shahada, believing that it is true, becomes a Muslim. Muslims also often pronounce shahada in their worship and in other situations. Pronounciation of shahada is the first of the five main rituals of Islam. Others are prayer, fast in Ramadan, alms (zakat), and pilgrimage (hajj).

The first part of shahada implies not only rejection all the pagan deities, but also rejection of the Trinity. The second part implies that Muhammad is the last prophet who brought the last revelations and laws from Allah. Muslims are required to believe everything that Muhammad said and keep all his commandments.

There are also longer Muslim creeds.
1. Iman mujmal (short confession of faith)
Amantu bi-llahi wa huwa bi-'asmaihi wa-sifatihi wa-kabiltu jami'a ahkamihi wa-'arkanih.
Translation: I believe in Allah with all His names and attributes and receive all His laws and commandments.

This confession emphasizes faith in Allah and His names and attributes.

2. Iman mufassal (detailed confession of faith). It is also called "Amantu" (from the first word which means "I believe"). There are two versions of "Amantu."

1) Amantu bi-llahi wa-mala'ikatihi wa-kutubihi wa-rusulihi wa-l-yawmi-l-'ahiri wa-l-kadiri hairihi wa-sharrihi mina-llahi ta'ala wa-l-ba'si ba'da-l-mawt.
Translation: I believe in Allah, and His angels, and His books, and His messengers, and the last day, and predestination of good and evil from Allah the Most High, and resurrection after death.

2) Amantu bi-llahi wa-mala'ikatihi wa-kutubihi wa-rusulihi wa-l-yawmi-l-'ahiri wa bi-l-kadiri hairihi wa-sharrihi mina-llahi ta'ala wa-l-ba'su ba'da-l-mawti hakk. 'Ashhadu 'al-la 'ilaha 'illa-llah wa-'ashhadu 'anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluh.
Translation: I believe in Allah, and His angels, and His books, and His messengers, and the last day, and in predestination of good and evil from Allah the Most High, and that resurrection after death is true. I testify that there is no god besides Allah and I testify that Muhammad is His slave and messenger.

"Amantu" is based on the hadith regarding Jibril (hadith 0001 from Sahih Muslim) where Jibril asked Muhammad about Islam, Iman (faith), and Ihsan (sincerity). Here is the part regarding faith:

He (the inquirer) said: Inform me about Iman (faith). He (the Holy Prophet) replied: That you affirm your faith in Allah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Apostles, in the Day of Judgment, and you affirm your faith in the Divine Decree about good and evil.

Here instead of "Apostles" should be "messengers."

So, according to Islam, the main points of faith are:
1. Allah
2. His angels
3. His books (Holy Scriptures)
4. His messengers and prophets
5. The Day of Judgment
6. Allah's predestination of everything good and evil

According to Sunni theology, there are two stages of faith:
1. Ijmali iman (general faith) - faith in the two point of shahada.
2. Tafsili iman (detailed faith) - faith in ever point of of "Amantu." A person who denies even one of them is not considered to be a Muslim.

Structures of Christian and Muslim Theology

The main parts of Protestant Christian systematic theology are the doctrines of:
1. The Bible
2. God
3. Christ
4. The Holy Spirit
5. Man (human being)
6. Sin
7. Angels, Satan, and demons
8. Salvation
9. Church
10. Future events

The main parts of Sunni Muslim dogmatics (akida) are faith in:
1. Allah
2. Angels and jinns
3. Books (Holy Scriptures)
4. Prophets and messengers
5. The Day of Judgment and future events
6. Predestination and destiny of everything

It is interesting to compare these two structures.

Christian systematic theology	Muslim dogmatics
The Bible	Books
God	Allah
Christ
The Holy Spirit
Man
Sin
Angels, Satan, and demons	Angels and jinns
Salvation
Church
Future events	The Day of Judgment and future events
	Prophets and messengers
	Predestination and destiny of everything

Muslim theology does not have special sections on Christ and the Holy Spirit because Islam denies the Trinity. Muslim theology does not have sections on man, sin, and salvation because Islam denies man's sinful nature and Christ's redemption. Muslim theology does not have a section on the Church because there is no Church in Islam. Muslim theology has special sections on Allah's prophets and messengers and on Allah's predestination of everything and carrying out this predestination. In Muslim theology, the section on the Books includes Qur'an, some parts of the Bible, and all the other Holy Scriptures.

Three Main Components of Islam

In addition to Qur'an, there is Sunnah. Sunnah is a compositions of hadiths - stories about Muhammad. Sunni Muslims believe that Sunnah as well as Qur'an is an authority for their faith, worship, and daily living. Not all the hadiths are regarded in the same way. There are reliable, good, and weak hadiths as well as so called known and unknown hadiths. It is defined by the ways of transmission of hadiths and by their contents. There are two books that contain only reliable hadiths - Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. "Sahih" means "reliable", al-Bukhari and Muslim are the names of their authors. There are also other books that contain reliable, good, and weak hadiths.

In order to understand Islam, it is important to know famous hadith of Jibril (Gabriel). There are several variants of this hadith in the beginning of Sahih Muslim. I will quote here the main part of hadith 0001:

He [Abdullah ibn Umar] further said: My father, Umar ibn al-Khattab, told me: One day we were sitting in the company of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) when there appeared before us a man dressed in pure white clothes, his hair extraordinarily black. There were no signs of travel on him. None amongst us recognized him. At last he sat with the Messenger (peace be upon him). He knelt before him placed his palms on his thighs and said: Muhammad, inform me about al-Islam. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Al-Islam implies that you testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and you establish prayer, pay Zakat, observe the fast of Ramadan, and perform pilgrimage to the (House) if you are solvent enough (to bear the expense of) the journey. He (the inquirer) said: You have told the truth. He (Umar ibn al-Khattab) said: It amazed us that he would put the question and then he would himself verify the truth. He (the inquirer) said: Inform me about Iman (faith). He (the Holy Prophet) replied: That you affirm your faith in Allah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Messengers, in the Day of Judgment, and you affirm your faith in the Divine Decree about good and evil. He (the inquirer) said: You have told the truth. He (the inquirer) again said: Inform me about al-Ihsan (performance of good deeds). He (the Holy Prophet) said: That you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, for though you don't see Him, He, verily, sees you. He (the enquirer) again said: Inform me about the hour (of the Doom). He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: One who is asked knows no more than the one who is inquiring (about it). He (the inquirer) said: Tell me some of its indications. He (the Holy Prophet) said: That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and master, that you will find barefooted, destitute goat-herds vying with one another in the construction of magnificent buildings. He (the narrator, Umar ibn al-Khattab) said: Then he (the inquirer) went on his way but I stayed with him (the Holy Prophet) for a long while. He then, said to me: Umar, do you know who this inquirer was? I replied: Allah and His Messenger know best. He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: He was Gabriel (the angel). He came to you in order to instruct you in matters of religion.

This hadith tells that there are three components of Islam:
1. Iman (faith)
2. Islam (this word here means rituals of worship)
3. Ihsan (sincerity)

There are six main points of faith (Iman):
1. Faith in Allah
2. Faith in His angels
3. Faith in His books (Holy Scriptures)
4. Faith in His messengers and prophets
5. Faith in the Last Day that includes judgment
6. Faith in His predestination of everything good and evil
Every Muslim is obligated to believe in each of these six points.

There are five main points of worship (Islam):
1. Shahadah (confession that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah)
2. Salah (ritual prayer 5 times a day)
3. Zakat (alms)
4. Sawm (fast at the month of Ramadan)
5. Hajj (pilgrimage to Kaaba in Mecca) if there is physical and financial possibility.
Every Muslim is obligated to believe that all these rituals are important and fulfill all of them unless he or she cannot fulfill them due to some reasons.

Introduction

In this blog, I am going to consider and compare Christian and Muslim theology. For quite a long time, I have been interested in Protestant and Sunni theologies and have studied both of them. Unfortunately, many Christians have many misunderstandings regarding Islam. Likewise, many Muslims have many misunderstandings regarding Christianity. This is why I preferred to use Christian literature to find information about Christianity and use Muslim literature to find information about Islam. Inside of both Protestantism and Sunni Islam, there are diversities. I am going to consider these diversities also.

For now, I was able to find only one book that presents both Christian and Muslim views without distortions and mutual attacks. This is the book A Muslim and a Christian in a Dialogue by Badru D. Kateregga and David W. Shenk. Kateregga is a Muslim, Shenk is a Christian, and they are friends. They present their religions and discuss religious matters without in a respectful way, without mutual attacks. I liked their approach. However, since the size of their book was limited, they were unable to discuss many Christian and Muslim doctrines. So, I am going to follow their approach in this blog and consider some doctrines here. Actually, I think there are many things to be considered, and I do not expect that I will be able to cover most of them. I am not going to re-post anything from this book here.

In my opinion, Christians should know more about Islam, and Muslims should know more about Christianity. This is the purpose of my blog. I am not going to promote any of these religions here. I am just going to consider them from the position of an outside observer. I do have my own religious preferences and opinions. However, I will do my best to be objective and avoid my subjectivity here. I will just provide the information without promotion of any religion.