At this time during the session of the Synod, Eusebius, surnamed Pamphilus, bishop of
Cæsarea in Palestine, who had held aloof for a short time, after mature consideration
whether he ought to receive this definition of the faith, at length acquiesced in it, and sub-
scribed it with all the rest: he also sent to the people under his charge a copy of the Creed,
with an explanation of the word homoousios, that no one might impugn his motives on ac-
count of his previous hesitation. Now what was written by Eusebius was as follows in his
own words:
’You have probably had some intimation, beloved, of the transactions of the great
council convened at Nicæa, in relation to the faith of the Church, inasmuch as rumor gen-
erally outruns true account of that which has really taken place. But lest from such report
alone you might form an incorrect estimate of the matter, we have deemed it necessary to
submit to you, in the first place, an exposition of the faith proposed by us in written form;
and then a second which has been promulgated, consisting of ours with certain additions
to its expression. The declaration of faith set forth by us, which when read in the presence
of our most pious emperor, seemed to meet with universal approbation, was thus expressed:
‘“According as we received from the bishops who preceded us, both in our instruction171
[in the knowledge of the truth], and when we were baptized; as also we have ourselves
learned from the sacred Scriptures: and in accordance with what we have both believed and
taught while discharging the duties of presbyter and the episcopal office itself, so now we
believe and present to you the distinct avowal of our faith. It is this:
‘“We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invis-
ible:—and in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Word of God, God of God, Light of light, Life of
life, the only-begotten Son, born before all creation,172 begotten of God the Father, before
all ages, by whom also all things were made; who on account of our salvation became incarn-
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ate, and lived among men; and who suffered and rose again on the third day, and ascended
to the Father, and shall come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. We believe also
in one Holy Spirit. We believe in the existence and subsistence of each of these [persons]:
that the Father is truly Father, the Son truly Son, and the Holy Spirit truly Holy Spirit; even
as our Lord also, when he sent forth his disciples to preach the Gospel, said,173 ‘Go and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit.’ Concerning these doctrines we steadfastly maintain their truth, and avow our full
confidence in them; such also have been our sentiments hitherto, and such we shall continue
171 κατηχήσει ; the word is used of the steps preliminary to baptism, chief among which was instruction in
the truth. Cf. VII. 17, and Smith’s Dict. of the Bible.
172 πρωτότοκον πάσης κτίσεως, taken from Col. i. 15. For the uses of πρῶτος instead of πρότερος, see John
i. 15.
173 μαθητεύσατε , from Matt. xxviii. 19.
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Of the Synod which was held at Nicæa in Bithynia, and the Creed there put…