5840. [CONVERSATION] WITH THE BABYLONIANS ABOUT THE CREED OF ATHANASIUS. I spoke with these, several times, about the Creed of Athanasius, and showed them that they have from it this doctrine, namely, that the Lord as to the Divine is one with the Father, since we read that He, in like manner, is Eternal, Infinite, Omnipotent, and many other things; also, that the Lord's Divine is in His Human, since it is stated, that, like as the soul and body make one man, so the Lord's Divine and Human make one Christ; likewise, that these two are not commingled, but that the Divine took the Human to itself. [I remarked], also, that it is manifest from this that the Lord's Divine is in His Human like the soul in the body, consequently, not separate, and that He thus had power of His Human from His Divine, which was in Him; and that, consequently, they need not have said that He had power from the Father, since it was from His very Self, inasmuch as His Divine was like the Divine which is called the Father.* And it was said, too, that the Lord's soul actually was from the Divine which was the Father, since He was conceived from Him; so that the Father's Divine was actually in Him, and, so, if they wanted to separate the Human from the Divine, it would be like separating soul from body. When they heard this, they could answer nothing, seeking various things in order that they might explain; but they were not able. They said that they abide in those decrees which issue from the Consistory at Rome; but it was inquired whether they have there changed any of those things which are in the Creed of Athanasius; and they replied that they have altered nothing at all. - Hence was shown that they have arrogated to themselves the Divine power of the Lord. * That is, of course, that this is the case according to the Athanasian Creed, out of which Swedenborg is here refuting the errors of these Papists. The statement of the Creed on the point is; "Equal to the Father as touching His God-head." -TR.