The Chalcedonian Creed of 451 (edited)

1. Creeds are not merely important nourishment of spiritual growth, they are vital and altogether necessary for life, be it spiritual or otherwise. For, insofar as modern humanity has so grossly deviated from the assumed norms and habits of conduct and thought of our forebearers – creeds, doctrines, and confessions pronounced from their own lips provide us with certain plumblines by which we might better orient our own values and beliefs so that we moderns may not continue in the ceaseless digression of the times toward ever-increasing relativity, obscenity, debauchery, individualism, pride, self-conceit, and the rest.

The Chalcedonian Creed

Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the fathers has handed down to us.

• – Council of Chalcedon, 431 a. d.