INSTRVMENTA PATRISTICA ET MEDIAEVALIA Research on the Inheritance of Early and Medieval Christianity 43 LIUWE H. WESTRA THE APOSTLES' CREED ORIGIN, HISTORY, AND SOME EARLY COMMENTARIES BREPOLS 2002 INSTRVMENTA PATRISTICA ET MEDIAEVALIA Research on the Inheritance of Early and Medieval Christianity Founded by Dom Eligius Dekkers (t 1998) Editorial Board F. Bossier R. Beyers G. Declercq L. De Coninck ]. Goossens M. Lamberigts P. Tombeur M. Van Uytfanghe P.Verdeyen This book has been printed on paper according to the prevailing ISO-NORMS. Ali rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. © 2002 BREPOLS@!PUBLISHERS (Turnhout - Belgium) Printed in Belgium D/2002/0095/78 ISBN 2-503-51395-6 THEODORO KORTEWEG MAGISTRO qU!SID!SADD!XIIHM rAT klSM!HU l-IOB!S OR·'-flOÙOO.)l O..: IC' Sl'C:U "-'OlJC\"' " l·c:R ,·os t L R HCUTJNCAÜO{!l/.I TR.~ Q\JIE5lt-JCA1ll5SCÏ ftcE rAl.JlMl-IOSIJl..(lMCOTJ t\IUJOM!NI\J\JM·AD DIAN\IM DANOillŒO Vll-l(J\!&.!GN\JM I\J \JM· Dll·HD!Mlr!INOB!f llAD!LF.flUU.IXlTAMôJ:.. î\115 A5WJDl!ADCAll\IM 5!DHADDIXTI UMoirA 1 '3 UB Utrecht MS. 32 fol. 90 R S LM!L! l lllOMl-!UOfülf PAT!ll· OMl-IJrOW-Hh· i!IJSOMt-l lfOI ENH!îtfSCs E!TAM!!-l l-IOJ-m.HOMi.11 q \JAM)..!lSlQ..l.llSQ\lf l!-1!! rol!).l T!S sI DVN\JSOMÎ'S C.UMJt-1\JlOLAIAMQ..l.lf l I0DSfAT!l\.DSU~tvs HR.l.IA\.llll..!IAJ\5Q\J !DU OSHSfllllHJS5(5. l\lO l!JA!t l!U-1\JMt !Jl...lSlî GîtAM!Nl-ION!llESDJl F lDfSA\lffMCAIHOil_fA.· J holM!NS\JJPAI!RJIJMfN îED\Jl:l\JSISIDS _ HA!CIHIJil.!N\JMDMJN 51.lifll! \JS ·' ll'{Mfb.U\!S J TAD!-JSfAHI'. Df.l!ftl!\I! TS..!Nl!AH-'HU..l!.Jl!A HSW. . 11\JSSCS ; Dl-·ÎS!IS f lll11 IJJ5ts • 1fM1!-1\ll-l lTAH\l !Nl.IU ~H!kNUHA1if...AHf.ll C?TTAM11'1NOl-ll1'.15DJ.JI M\JR.; N\JfÜL!\/SAEU,l..i.l\IS SID\JJ..1\JSLS roi::is NI«\iKO)..!flJ!,lD!NHS . l!SI'l!l..IT\JSSCS, CJl.llAS!(V!SlNC.lllATlM , f!R.50 IJ AS N LQ\I Hl.ISS!,\!o:I € 11AMIN).l01-<ls..l5Atll-H• \.INAMQl.IAMQl.l!r!ISÇN.I · TlAWlfAJU.1-H!S· S!D\JIJl.ISA!HH.J-11.lS DM1ro1-1.McoNfm.w:rrA AilArSII!-lllvlr!f-.SONA S l(VTNONUJ511-1WAIJ NAVlB...!1A1!COf.lr!ll!t.Wf. tAHJS ALlA(lLJ l ALLA N 1C îk!Sl!-1 MlJ..ISJ· .fi Dl.l J !AU .. !5Dl05AVf!Jl..!S SÛSÜ· . N.VSLf.ICUA 1\JS ltVNUJ' DOM J IJOS Dl C!UCA 1H O torAIJ..Hnf1U11rsissét INMINSl:JS· LJCAJl..!LJC.101-ll U..OHIBi MU!\. UB Utrecht MS. 32 fol. 90 V PREFACE When entering upon the project of which the present book is the outcome, I could not imagine what lay ahead of me. My original commission was to write a commentary on a number of anonymous credal texts. This commentary was intended to be a companion volume to a more encompassing text edition, to be prepared for the Corpus Christianorum series by Martien Parmentier. My task would be to assess the date and place of origin of those texts that were connected with the Apostles' Creed. Within this project, the several formulations of the Apostles' Creed were expected to become the main tools for such an assessment. Soon, however, as seems to be the fate of all such well-defined four-year study programmes, it turned out that things were not so straightforward. In fact, the present book has been written com pletely back to front. First, I had to prepare the appendix of text editions because, as will be argued more than once, a sound critical edition is a primary prerequisite for reconstructing a form of the Creed from any given text. Next, I reconstructed as precise a form of the Apostles' Creed as possible from these newly established texts, and tried to connect such a reconstruction with what was known of the history of that Creed in chapter 4. Here, I encountered the next difficulty, viz. that most if not all students of the Apostles' Creed had assumed some sort of a regional development of that venerable formula, but none of them had taken the trouble to describe this process in sufficient detail. Thus, I was forced to study not only my own small number of anonymous witnesses but basically any source text for the form of the Apostles' Creed from earliest times down to around 800, which resulted in the writing of chapter 3. My findings about the way that a fixed liturgical text such as the Apostles' Creed could change over the course of the centuries were collected separately in chapter 2. Naturally, one cannot write about the development of a text without paying attention to its origin, so adding chapter 1 proved necessary in the end as well. Here, I experienced the curious sensa tion of having to rethink all my premises at the last moment because of the publication of a new and rather revolutionary 2 PREFACE account of the birth of the Apostles' Creed. It is up to the reader to decide to what degree this rethinking has been successful. Arriving at the preface at last, 1 feel pleasurably obliged to thank many people. The first of these are my parents, heit en mem, who enabled me to study in my own way and according to my own wishes. Next, but by no means second to them, 1 want to thank my wife Baukje for her constant encouragement during a project which constantly turned out to be taking more time than the latest estimate. Our two children are happily unaware of what it has meant to have someone writing a dissertation in the vicarage. The same does not hold true for the members of my congregations in Lollum, Waaksens, Burchwert, Hartwert, and Hichtum. They always stimulated me to finish the work and were very encouraging when the moment of its completion drew nigh. In addition, the directors and staff members of Bouwbedrijf Burggraaff always cour teously allowed me to use their fax when quick contact with the outside world was of the essence. Although aware of the risk that readers might connect any flaws in this book with them instead of with the author, 1 feel nevertheless obliged to express my indebtedness to those who added considerably to the possible merits of this book. Of those who taught me during my studies, 1 would like to mention three by name. Prof. H. Roldanus introduced me to the world of church his tory and patristics. Prof. S. Radt allowed me to benefit from his ever thoughtful criticism even after 1 finished my classical studies, and will always remain an inspiring example of philological devo tion to me. Prof. H. Hofmann curtly wrote "no creeds in a thesis" in the margin of the first draft of my 1990 thesis on Ovid, in which 1 had cautiously expressed myself as 'believing' a certain opinion to be preferable to another. 1 am glad that he was nevertheless willing to take a seat in the leescommissie all the same. 1 wish to thank both the Katholieke Theologische Universiteit Amsterdam (piae memoriae) and the Katholieke Theologische Uni versiteit te Utrecht for the generous way they allowed me to con duct my studies during the years 1992-1995. Martien, later Profesor, Parmentier proved an ideal supervisor, allowing me true academic freedom without losing sight of the long-distance goal. Moreover, PREFACE 3 much of my work would have been impossible without his thorough investigations and preparations. Prof. Gerard Rouwhorst turned out to be the promoior in the original sense of the word who was needed to round off the project. Severa! scholarly conferences gave me the opportunity to present my work, for which I also wish to express my gratitude here. Next, the various staff members of the University Libraries in Utrecht, Groningen, and Ljouwert (Leeuwarden) deserve mention. The combination of expertise, helpfulness, and ready service of the latter two should, alas, be standard in more places. Abroad, many libraries answered my questions or received me in the kindest of ways. Sometimes, I succesfully requested the intervention of a per san in situ, for which 1 would like to thank Bianca van der Aa, Han neke de Vries, Gianni Nazzi, Prof. G. Bartelink, and my compatriot Wytse Keulen. Alco Meesters and Wytse Keulen also willingly pro vided me with data or photocopies from the Groningen University Library in the final stages of the work. The latter, now I corne to think of it, drew my attention to the present project by leaving an advertisement on our doormat, so those who appreciate the result should honour him as the man with whom it all began. Alco Meesters, Wytse Keulen, and Hans van Rijsen kindly read earlier drafts of this book and offered useful comments. Père Leroy let me use the unpublished work of his deceased assistant M. Ntshi niti on two pseudo-Chrysostomic sermons, and Profs. Kinzig and Vinzent most kindly sent me copies of their work on the Creed. I owe an interesting reference to Hilary of Poitiers entirely to Prof. D.H. Williams. Mark and Elena Stuijt-Cavagnaro and Jantsje Sikma patiently turned my drafts into intelligible Italian and French letters respectively. My friend Rommert Tjeerdsma was helpful in coping with some problems of a bibliographical nature. Julia Harvey was a patient and capable corrector of English for a stubborn Frisian. Of course, all those who have ever met me in the flesh know that my English is in reality much worser. In the last months, much has been asked of Roland Demeule naere and the other staff members of Corpus Christianorum as well as the printers of Cultura and Uniuersitas. I hope that they are as satisfied with the results of their efforts as I am.