Filioque

Filioque

Preface

This article was originally published 20181024. It has been revised as a secondary article for an entry on academia.edu on 20240902.

My Orthodox icon (art piece) from Bulgaria

Proceeding from: FILIOQUE-Pronounced FILLY O QUE or QAY (LATIN)

Nicene Creed section

Cited sections from the Nicene Creed 325 AD

The Nicene Creed: Zondervan Academic

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. 

The Nicene Creed: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Creator of life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke through the prophets.

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My short article is focusing on Filioque and not on the development of the Nicene Creed, 325, or on the 1054 schism. But the difference in theologies can be seen here with the two different versions of the Nicene Creed, I provided. In contrast to Orthodoxy, within traditional Western Theology, Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions, the Holy Spirit is understood as proceeding from both the Father and the Son.

Filioque

G.W. Bromiley states that the term ‘and from the Son' was not in the original 325 Nicene Creed or 381 Constantinople Creeds and was likely added to the Third Council of Toledo of 589. It was officially endorsed in 1017. Bromiley (1996: 415).

It did, in the minds of some historical commentators, in part, led to a split between the Western and Eastern Churches with the Eastern Churches rejecting it. Split in 1054.

V. Potapov 1996-98: Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist 

'In the Western Church consciousness, the Holy Spirit is subordinate to the Son of God. It is sufficient to leaf through Western theological texts in order to be convinced as to what an insignificant place Catholic theologians allocate to the activity of the Holy Spirit in the world, in the Church and in the life of individual men. The Filioque places the Holy Spirit in a state of subordination to the Father and the Son, and it distorted the teaching on the Church in the West (of this, we shall speak separately). Every false teaching about the Holy Spirit is a blow against the dogma about the Church. Because the place of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and in God's plan concerning man was ignored in Western theological thought, the Church gradually began to be accepted as an earthly institution, organized and administered according to the principles of worldly authority and juridical law.'

V. Potapov 1996-98, Filioque, Russian Orthdox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist 

https://stjohndc.org/en/orthodoxy-foundation/filioque 

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Based on the New Testament, is the Filioque clearly a false teaching? Both God the Father and God the Son sent the Holy Spirit in John 15: 26. Bromiley (1996: 415) further mentions that the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Christ (Son in Galatians) in Romans 8: 9 and Galatians 4: 6 which both support the same idea.

New Advent: Filioque

Key sources from that Roman Catholic, theological, website:

Maas, Anthony. "Filioque." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. .

Nihil Obstat. September 1, 1909. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.

Cited

'Filioque is a theological formula of great dogmatic and historical importance. On the one hand, it expresses the Procession of the Holy Ghost from both Father and Son as one Principle; on the other, it was the occasion of the Greek schism. Both aspects of the expression need further explanation.'

Cited

'The dogma of the double Procession of the Holy Ghost from Father and Son as one Principle is directly opposed to the error that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father, not from the Son. Neither dogma nor error created much difficulty during the course of the first four centuries.'

Cited

'At any rate, if the double Procession of the Holy Ghost was discussed at all in those earlier times, the controversy was restricted to the East and was of short duration.'

Cited 

'The rejection of the Filioque, or the double Procession of the Holy Ghost from the Father and Son, and the denial of the primacy of the Roman Pontiff constitute even today the principal errors of the Greek church.'

(I agree with Orthodoxy in denying the primacy of the Roman Pontiff)

Cited 

'As to the Sacred Scripture, the inspired writers call the Holy Ghost the Spirit of the Son (Galatians 4:6), the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9), the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:19), just as they call Him the Spirit of the Father (Matthew 10:20) and the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:11). Hence they attribute to the Holy Ghost the same relation to the Son as to the Father. Again, according to Sacred Scripture, the Son sends the Holy Ghost (Luke 24:49; John 15:26; 16:7; 20:22; Acts 2:33; Titus 3:6), just as the Father sends the Son (Romans 3:3; etc.), and as the Father sends the Holy Ghost (John 14:26).'

Cited 

'The only Scriptural difficulty deserving our attention is based on the words of Christ as recorded in John 15:26, that the Spirit proceeds from the Father, without mention being made of the Son. But in the first place, it can not be shown that this omission amounts to a denial; in the second place, the omission is only apparent, as in the earlier part of the verse the Son promises to "send" the Spirit.'

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In my mind, the Filioque clause is supported by John 15: 26.

Greek New Testament

Cited 

Two selected English translations...

King James Version 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

American Standard Version 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall bear witness of me:

Stephens 1550 Textus Receptus

otan de elqh o paraklhtoV on egw pemyw umin para tou patroV

(When but (But when) comes the helper (paracletos) whom I will send to you from the Father)

Bible Hub

Hort and Westcot

otan elqh o paraklhtoV on egw pemyw umin para tou patroV 

(When comes the helper (paracletos) whom I will send to you from the Father)

Theological leanings

Personally, I hold to the Protestant position, not primarily because I am Reformed but because of the Biblical text. I do not think this places Orthodox Eastern Christians in the category of cultic (outside of the faith) on this point. But I do I think it is a questionable position to take. The Holy Spirit, with the Father and the Son together are worshipped and glorified; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are all worshipped and glorified. The Holy Spirit is equally God within the trinity.

Boice explains that the Spirit is a person because He has knowledge, feelings and will and this is what is stated of God the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. Boice (1981: 376). Boice further explains that the definition of the Holy Spirit as Counselor (Helper ESV) in John 14 from Christ is certainly that of one person describing another. Boice (1981: 376).

Following are some key examples where God the Holy Spirit is demonstrated as being fully God in glory as are the Father and Son. We have noted that Holy Spirit is sent by the Father and Son is John 15. The Holy Spirit as God is of course equally part of the Baptism formula at the ending of Matthew (28: 19). Acts 2 and Pentecost we see the Holy Spirit is given to the Church along with manifestations in many Biblical cases. The arrival of the Counselor as God the Son promised.

The disciples received the Holy Spirit in John 20: 22 post resurrection. Acts 5 lying to the Holy Spirit equals lying to God. Ananias and Sapphira. who spoke by the prophets; and we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church; Not the Roman Catholic Church in context which evolved in time, but the universal Church of the triune God in Christ that has been delivered through the Apostles of Christ such as Peter, John, James and Paul. The Holy Spirit of course spoke through the Prophets, Apostles and Scribes in the development of the Old and New Testaments.
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BOICE, JAMES, MONTGOMERY (1981) Foundations of the Christian Faith, Downers Grove, IVP Press.

BROMILEY, G.W. (1996) ‘Filioque’ in Walter A. Elwell (ed.) Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Books.

BRUCE, F.F. (1987) Romans, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 

CALVIN, JOHN (1552)(1995) Acts, Translated by Watermark, Nottingham, Crossway Books. 

COAD, F. ROY (1986) ‘Galatians’, in F.F. Bruce (gen.ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Marshall Pickering/ Zondervan. 

COURSON, JON (2005) Application Commentary, Thomas Nelson, Nashville. 

CRANFIELD, C.E.B. (1992) Romans: A Shorter Commentary, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 

DUNNETT, WALTER M. (2001) Exploring the New Testament, Wheaton, Crossway Books. 

ELLISON, H.L. (1986) ‘Matthew’, in F.F. Bruce (ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Zondervan.

ELWELL, WALTER AND YARBROUGH, ROBERT W., Third Edition (2013) Encountering The New Testament, Grand Rapids, Baker Academic. 

ERICKSON, MILLARD (1994) Christian Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House.

FRANCE, R.T. (1985) Matthew, Grand Rapids, IVP, Eerdmans. 

GUNDRY, ROBERT (1981) A Survey of the New Testament, Grand Rapids, Zondervan. 

HANSON, Rev./Dr. B.B.M.J. Mackenzie-Hanson (2005-2006), Arian/Arianism
http://www.arian-catholic.org/arian/arianism.html

KNIGHT, KEVIN (2012) Filioque, New York, New Advent.

New Advent: Filioque

MOUNCE, ROBERT H. (1995) The New American Commentary: Romans, Nashville, Broadman & Holman Publishers. 

SLICK, MATTHEW J. (2012) Arianism, Nampa, Indiana, Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. 

The Orthodox Study Bible, New Testament and Psalms (1993) Saint Athanasius Orthodox Academy, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee.