The confession formula of the Second Council of Sirmium (357) /Σύμβολο πίστης της Β΄ Συνόδου του Σιρμίου (357)

Σρέμσκα Μιτρόβιτσα

Cum nonnulla putaretur esse de fide disceptatio, diligenter omnia apud Sirmium tractata sunt et discussa, praesentibus Valente, Ursacio, Germinio et caeteris.

Unum constat Deum esse et Patrem omnipotentem, ut sic per universum orbem creditur.

Et unicum Filium ejus Jesum Christum Dominum Salvatorem nostrum, ex ipso ante saecula genitum. Duos autem Deos nec possc nec debere prsedicari, quia ipse Dominus dixit, «Ibo ad Patrem meum et ad Patrem vestrum, ad Deum meum et ad Deum vestrum.» Ideo omnium Deus unus est, sicut Apostolus docuit: «An Judaeorum Deus tantum? nonne et Gentium? Immo et Gentium. Quoniam quidem unus est Deus, qui justificat circumcisionem ex fide, et prseputium per fidem.» Sed et caetera convenerunt nec ullam haberepotuerunt discrepantiam.

Quod vero quosdam aut multos movebat , de substantia, quae Grsece Usia appellatur, id est, (ut expressius intelligatur) homousion, aut quod dicitur homoeusion: nullam omnino fieri oportere mentionem nec quemquam praedicare, ea de causa et ratione, quod nec in divinis Scripturis contineatur: et quod super hominis scientiam sit, nec quisquam possit nativitatem Filii enarrare, de quo scriptum est: «Generationem ejus quis enarrabit?» Scire autem manifestum est solum Patrem quomodo genuerit Filium suum; et Filium quomodo genitus sit a Patre. Nulla ambiguitas est majorem esse Patrem. Nulli potest dubium esse Patrem, honore, dignitate, claritate, majestate et ipso nomine Patris majorem esse Filio, ipso testante, «Qui me misit Pater, major me est.» Et hoc Catholicum esse, nemo ignorat, duas personas esse Patris et Filii. Majorem Patrem, Filium subjectum, cum omnibus his quse ipsi Pater subjecit. Patrem initium non habere, invisibilem esse, immortalem esse, impassibilem esse: Filium autem natum esse ex Patre, Deum ex Deo, lumen ex lumine. Cujus Filii generationem, ut ante dictum est, neminemscire, nisi Patrem suum. Ipsum autem Filium Dei, Dominum et Deum nostrum, sicuti legitur, carnem vel corpus, id est, hominem suscepisse ex utero Virginis Mariae, sicut Angelus praedicavit. Ut autem Scripturse omnes docent, et prsecipue ipse magister Gentium Apostolus, hominem suscepisse de Maria Virgine, per quem compassus est. Illa autem clausula est totius lidei, et illa confirmatio quod Trinitas semper servanda est, sicut legimus in Evangelio: «Ite et baptizate omnes gentes in nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus sancti» Integer, perfectus numerus Trinitatis est, Paracletus autem Spiritus per Filium est: qui missus venit juxta promissum, ut Apostolos et omnes credentes instrueret, doceret, sanctificaret.

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Ἐπειδὴ περὶ πίστεως ἔδοξέ τινα διάσκεψιν γενέσθαι, πάντα ἀσφαλῶς ἐζητήθη καὶ διηρευνήθη ἐν τῷ Σιρμίῳ ἐπὶ παρουσίᾳ Οὐάλεντος καὶ Οὐρσακίου καὶ Γερμινίου καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν.

Συνέστηκεν ἕνα θεὸν εἶναι πατέρα παντοκράτορα, καθὼς καὶ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ καταγγέλλεται,

Καὶ ἕνα μονογενῆ υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, ἐξ αὐτοῦ πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων γεννηθέντα. δύο θεοὺς μὴ χρῆναι λέγειν, ἐπειδὴ αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος εἴρηκε· «πορεύομαι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μου καὶ πατέρα ὑμῶν καὶ θεόν μου καὶ θεὸν ὑμῶν». διὰ τοῦτο καὶ πάντων θεός ἐστι, καθὼς καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος ἐδίδαξεν· »ἢ Ἰουδαίων μόνων ὁ θεός, οὐχὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν; ναὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν· ἐπείπερ εἷς ὁ θεός, ὃς δικαιώσει περιτομὴν ἐκ πίστεως καὶ ἀκροβυστίαν διὰ πίστεως». καὶ τὰ μὲν λοιπὰ πάντα συμφωνεῖ καὶ οὐδεμίαν ἔχει ἀμφιβολίαν.

Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολλούς τινας κινεῖ περὶ τῆς λεγομένης Ῥωμαιστὶ μὲν ‘σουβσταντίας’, Ἑλληνιστὶ δὲ λεγομένης ‘οὐσίας’, τουτέστιν ἵνα ἀκριβέστερον γνωσθῇ τὸ ὁμοούσιον ἢ τὸ λεγόμενον ὁμοιοούσιον, οὐ χρή τινα τούτων παντελῶς μνήμην γίνεσθαι οὐδὲ περὶ τούτων ἐξηγεῖσθαι ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ διὰ ταύτην τὴν αἰτίαν καὶ διὰ τοῦτον τὸν λογισμόν, ὅτι ἐν ταῖς θείαις γραφαῖς οὐ γέγραπται περὶ τούτων, καὶ ὅτι ταῦτα ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀνθρώπων γνῶσιν καὶ τὸν ἀνθρώπων νοῦν ἐστι, καὶ ὅτι οὐδεὶς δύναται τὴν γενεὰν τοῦ υἱοῦ διηγήσασθαι, καθὼς γέγραπται· «τὴν γενεὰν αὐτοῦ τίς διηγήσεται»; μόνον γὰρ εἰδέναι τὸν πατέρα φανερόν ἐστι, πῶς τὸν υἱὸν ἐγέννησε, καὶ πάλιν τὸν υἱόν, πῶς αὐτὸς γεγέννηται παρὰ τοῦ πατρός. οὐδενὶ δὲ ἀμφίβολόν ἐστι μείζονα εἶναι τὸν πατέρα. οὐδὲ γὰρ διστάσειεν ἄν τις τὸν πατέρα τιμῇ καὶ ἀξίᾳ καὶ θειότητι καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ ὀνόματι τῷ πατρικῷ μείζονα εἶναι, διαμαρτυρουμένου αὐτοῦ τοῦ υἱοῦ· «ὁ ἐμὲ πέμψας πατὴρ μείζων μού ἐστι». καὶ τοῦτο δὲ καθολικὸν εἶναι οὐδεὶς ἀγνοεῖ δύο πρόσωπα εἶναι πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ, καὶ τὸν μὲν πατέρα μείζονα, τὸν δὲ υἱὸν ὑποτεταγμένον τῷ πατρὶ μετὰ πάντων, ὧν αὐτῷ ὁ πατὴρ ὑπέταξε, τὸν δὲ πατέρα ἀρχὴν μὴ ἔχειν καὶ ἀόρατον εἶναι καὶ ἀθάνατον εἶναι καὶ ἀπαθῆ εἶναι, τὸν δὲ υἱὸν γεγεννῆσθαι ἐκ τοῦ πατρός, θεὸν ἐκ θεοῦ, φῶς ἐκ φωτός, καὶ τούτου τὴν γένεσιν, καθὼς προείρηται, μηδένα γινώσκειν, εἰ μὴ μόνον τὸν πατέρα, αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν υἱὸν καὶ κύριον καὶ θεὸν ἡμῶν σάρκα ἤτοι σῶμα, τουτέστιν ἄνθρωπον, ἀνειληφέναι ἀπὸ Μαρίας τῆς παρθένου, καθάπερ καὶ ὁ ἄγγελος προευηγγελίσατο, καθὼς δὲ πᾶσαι αἱ γραφαὶ διδάσκουσι καὶ μάλιστα αὐτὸς ὁ ἀπόστολος ὁ διδάσκαλος τῶν ἐθνῶν· ἄνθρωπον ἀνέλαβεν ὁ Χριστὸς ἀπὸ Μαρίας τῆς παρθένου, δι' οὗ πέπονθε. τὸ δὲ κεφάλαιον πάσης τῆς πίστεως καὶ ἡ βεβαιότης ἐστίν, ἵνα τριὰς ἀεὶ φυλάττηται, καθὼς ἀνέγνωμεν ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ· «πορευθέντες βαπτίζετε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος». ἀκέραιος δὲ καὶ τέλειός ἐστιν ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῆς τριάδος. Ὁ δὲ παράκλητος τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον δι' υἱοῦ ἀποσταλὲν ἦλθε κατὰ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν, ἵνα τοὺς ἀποστόλους καὶ πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας ἀναδιδάξῃ καὶ ἁγιάσῃ.

* Αθανάσιος / Athanasius, 
Επιστολὴ περὶ τῶν γενομένων ἐν τῇ Ἀριμίνῳ τῆς Ἰταλίας καὶ ἐν Σελευκείᾳ τῆς Ἰσαυρίας συνόδων
[De synodis Arimini in Italia et Seleuciae in Isauria].

(Opitz 2.1:256, 257)

Whereas it seemed good that there should be some discussion concerning faith, all points were carefully investigated and discussed at Sirmium in the presence of Valens, and Ursacius, and Germinius, and the rest.

It is held for certain that there is one God, the Father Almighty, as also is preached in all the world.

And His One Only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, generated from Him before the ages; and that we may not speak of two Gods, since the Lord Himself has said, 'I go to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God' (John xx. 17). On this account He is God of all, as also the Apostle taught: 'Is He God of the Jews only, is He not also of the Gentiles? yea of the Gentiles also: since there is one God who shall justify the circumcision from faith, and the uncircumcision through faith' (Rom. iii. 29, 30); and every thing else agrees, and has no ambiguity.

But since many persons are disturbed by questions concerning what is called in Latin 'Substantia,' but in Greek 'Usia,' that is, to make it understood more exactly, as to 'Coessential,' or what is called, 'Like- in-Essence,' there ought to be no mention of any of these at all, nor exposition of them in the Church, for this reason and for this consideration, that in divine Scripture nothing is written about them, and that they are above men's knowledge and above men's understanding; and because no one can declare the Son's generation, as it is written, 'Who shall declare His generation' (Is. liii. 8)? for it is plain that the Father only knows how He generated the Son, and again the Son how He has been generated by the Father. And to none can it be a question that the Father is greater for no one can doubt that the Father is greater in honour and dignity and Godhead, and in the very name of Father, the Son Himself testifying, The Father that sent Me is greater than I' (John x. 29, Ib. xiv. 28). And no one is ignorant, that it is Catholic doctrine, that there are two Persons of Father and Son, and that the Father is greater, and the Son subordinated to the Father together with all things which the Father has subordinated to Him, and that the Father has no beginning, and is invisible, and immortal, and impassible; but that the Son has been generated from the Father, God from God, Light from Light, and that His origin, as aforesaid, no one knows, but the Father only. And that the Son Himself and our Lord and God, took flesh, that is, a body, that is, man, from Mary the Virgin, as the Angel preached beforehand; and as all the Scriptures teach, and especially the Apostle himself, the doctor of the Gentiles, Christ took man of Mary the Virgin, through which He has suffered. And the whole faith is summed up, and secured in this, that a Trinity should ever be preserved, as we read in the Gospel, 'Go ye and baptize all the nations in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost' (Matt. xxviii. 19). And entire and perfect is the number of the Trinity; but the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, sent forth through the Son, came according to the promise, that He might teach and sanctify the Apostles and all believers.

(Later Post-Nicene Fathers [LPNF-2] 4:466)

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