"...and of the Holy Spirit", pt. 4 (06/10/2024)

In the year 325, the council of Nicaea convened to combat heresies, especially Arianism, which holds that Jesus and the Holy Spirit were created beings (we will look at Trinitarian heresies next cycle). At the end of the council, the bishops signed this creed:

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

But one word change in this creed led to one of the most heated splits in church history. Let me read the new version that was made, to see if you can spot the difference.

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

“who proceeds from the Father and the Son”. In Latin, this word for “and the Son” (filioque), was a single word added, but was very controversial.

One side considered the addition of the Filioque to be complete heresy, and the other said it was a necessary addition.

Though it was not the only factor, it was one of the leading factors to the Great Schism of 1054.

I will borrow this short rundown of Filioque history from the Essential Lexham Dictionary of Church History:

The Essential Lexham Dictionary of Church History Filioque

A clause and concept specifying the Trinitarian relationship. Also known as the “double procession of the Holy Spirit,” the filioque is the interpretation of the Holy Spirit as proceeding from both God the Father and God the Son, the filius, in the Trinity. Augustine (354–430) articulated the procession of the Holy Spirit from both the Father and the Son. The Western Church adopted the filioque clause as its official stance as articulated in both the Nicene and Chalcedonian Creeds. At the Third Council of Toledo in 589, an interpolation was made in the Nicene Creed with the phrase “and the Son” to affirm the belief and acceptance of the filioque. The Eastern Church objected to the filioque clause on ecclesiastical and theological grounds, reasoning that God is the sole source and cause of both the Son and the Spirit. Photius (d. 895), patriarch of Constantinople, confirmed for the Eastern Church that the filioque was a heretical concept. The Western Church rejected that notion, and in 1014 Pope Benedict VIII (d. 1024) reinforced the decision of the Third Council of Toledo that the filioque was orthodox. The Roman Catholic Church officially formalized it via an official creed in 1215 at the Fourth Lateran Council convened by Pope Innocent III (1160/1–1216). The filioque was reaffirmed in 1274 by the Second Council of Lyon and in 1439 by the Council of Florence. Among the leading medieval theologians who wrote apologies on the filioque were Anselm of Canterbury (c. 1033–1109) and Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225–1274).

You don’t need to know who all these people are, but this is just to show that it was a complicated process, since I’m far from an expert on this subject. (So take my opinions in this lesson lightly!)

I will base the reason why I believe in the Filioque on Galatians 4:6

Galatians 4:6 NKJV

6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

I think that “the Spirit of His Son” is very clear evidence that the Filioque works, but the argument against holds that this is something separate from procession, so I won’t comment that much.