The Augsburg Confession

MP3 Audio CD. The Augsburg Confession

Article I: Of God.

Our Churches, with common consent, do teach that the decree of the
Council of Nicaea concerning the Unity of the Divine Essence and
concerning the Three Persons, is true and to be believed without any
doubting; that is to say, there is one Divine Essence which is called
and which is God: eternal, without body, without parts, of infinite
power, wisdom, and goodness, the Maker and Preserver of all things,
visible and invisible; and yet there are three Persons, of the same
essence and power, who also are coeternal, the Father the Son, and the
Holy Ghost. And the term "person" they use as the Fathers have used it,
to signify, not a part or quality in another, but that which subsists of
itself.

They condemn all heresies which have sprung up against this article,
as the Manichaeans, who assumed two principles, one Good and the other
Evil--also the Valentinians, Arians, Eunomians, Mohammedans, and all
such. They condemn also the Samosatenes, old and new, who, contending
that there is but one Person, sophistically and impiously argue that
the Word and the Holy Ghost are not distinct Persons, but that "Word"
signifies a spoken word, and "Spirit" signifies motion created in
things.