How did the discovery of Vincent of Lerins’s Excerpta affect ideas about the authorship of the Athanasian Creed?

The discovery of the lost Excerpta by Vincent of Lerins in 1940 significantly impacted ideas about the authorship of the Athanasian Creed. This work contains language that is also found in the creed, leading scholars to suggest that either Vincent himself or someone who admired his writings may have authored the Athanasian Creed.1

The Athanasian Creed, a Christian profession of faith originating in the Western Church around 400 AD, deals with the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation. While it was once believed to have been written by Athanasius, who died in 373 AD, scholarly consensus since the 17th century has concluded that he was not the author. The discovery of Vincent of Lerins' Excerpta provided a crucial link, suggesting a possible author or at least a strong influence on the creed's composition, likely in southern France during the 5th century.21