The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-07-21

modestly expounded" this creed would
be found the best exposition Of the doc
trine of the Trinity
But it was gradually discovered that
many clauses of this Greed were open to
severe criticism, many others were entire
ly destitute of ancient authority, and that
the "cursing clauses" were SO contrary
to the spirit of the gospel, that benevo-
lent and devout minds recoiled from them
Hence many good Churchmen even in
England objected to them; and when
the Protestant Episcopal Church in the
United States was about to be established,
and was revising the Anglican Liturgy,
the Athanasian Greed was stricken out.
Against this, the Archbishops of Canter-
bury and York protested, and insisted
that this Greed should at least be printed
In the Book of Common Prayer for Amer
lea, though, with discretionary power in
American Episcopal clergymen as to its
use. And these high metropolitans went
so far as to intimate that unless their
wishes in this respect were complied with,
they would not ordain bishops for Amer
lea. But the American Episcopal church
es remained firm on the point, and the
English prelates gave way. Hence this
pseudo-Athanasian Greed has no place in
the Pray of the Protestant Epis-
copal Church. -
4. AS to the authenticity of its parts,
we will confine our remarks to single
clause, though others, on scrutiny, would
be found open to like objection. 1t will
be seem by the quotation in the Central
of June 30th, that this Greed contains
that same most Objectionable clause con-
corning Christ, viz: He descended into
hell, which deforms the Apostolic Creed
as it appears in the Episcopal Book of
Common Prayer, and in one of its Arti-
cles, and in other Protestant symbols.
This clause never made its appearance in
the Athanasian Greed until the ninth
century-just about the time when it was
foisted into the Apostles Greed, and
doubtless, both interpretations came from
the same discreditable source, viz, the
Arian Sirmian Creed. But in the case
of the Athanasian Greed we have distinct
proof that this clause is not authentic
and did not belong to its original form.
For, in the Latin copies of this Greed, we
have three varying forms of this clause.
The form best sustained is "descendt ad
l'yerOS" (which, as every scholar knows,
may be very adequately rendered: He
descended to the Spirit World or, "the
place of departed spirits" The other
two forms readrespectively lad infeamoS"
and e td Saferno, which certainly mean
the hell of despair and punishment
Therefore the best established reading is
adverse to the idea that Christ went into
the hell of the damned. But, in addi-
ton to this, Archbishop Usher showed
conclusively that, though the Greek
Church arepudiated this whole creed,
very ancient Greek copy of it existed,
and this copy omitted entirely this clause
Of course, the legitimate inference is that
the clause did not originally exist.
B. Under the last head of enquiry some
grave thoughts certainly present them
selves. The whole history of human
creeds tends more and more to demon
strate that they are only the uninspired
and fallible response of man to the voice
of God in His word: and that we have
no sure foundation for our faith save the
inspired and infallible oracles of God.
The Holy Scriptures, notwithstanding
every form of attack on them for more
than thousand years, were never so
cherished-so wrought into the very
hearts and memories of millions of be-
levers as in this very age; and yet it is
equally true that human creeds, symbols,
and dogmas of faith have never been sub
jected to criticism more exacting than
that of this age. 1t would be hard, in
our day, to find any confession, creed, or
articles of religion, which would, without
some modification, command the consensus
of all Christian believers. Perhaps the
Apostles Greed in the form in which it
was adopted by the Council of Mecca in
the fourth century would come nearer to
universal Christian acceptance than any
other printed symbol now known
Therefore, while the argument in favor
of creeds and confessions and distinctive
Church organizations remains mistaken.
we are ever to remember that they are
not the Temple. They are but the hui
man and temporary scaffoldings which
God encourages us to erect for the build
ing Of that glorious Temple, now invisi-
ble-that Church composed of living
stones, which the Master Builder is pre-
pairing for eternity. r. r. H.
I'VE think the language of our correspondent
with regard to creeds might be misunderstood.
"a /. -