Sarah Mitchell
The Filioque clause, meaning and the Son in Latin, has been a point of contention between the Eastern and Western churches. The Eastern Orthodox Church insists that the Holy Spirit proceeds only from the Father, while the Western Church includes the Filioque in the Nicene Creed, stating that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. This difference in understanding the Trinity led to debates and even accusations of heresy. Eastern Catholics are not required to accept the Filioque, as it is a Latin tradition, but they also do not overtly reject it. They maintain their traditional theology, emphasizing the monarchy of the Father, while acknowledging the legitimacy of the Western understanding. The Catholic Church has recognized the Eastern understanding as definitive, aiming to resolve this issue and promote Christian unity.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Eastern Catholic Churches' stance on the Filioque | Eastern Catholic Churches do not have to accept the Filioque, but they do not reject it either. |
| Filioque's origin | The Filioque was added to the Creed by Charlemagne to accuse the Byzantine Emperor of heresy. |
| Eastern Orthodox stance on the Filioque | Eastern Orthodox reject the Filioque statement and insist that the Holy Spirit proceeds only from the Father. |
| Filioque in the Latin Church | The Filioque has been included in the Creed throughout the Latin Church except where Greek is used in the liturgy. |
| Filioque in Eastern Catholic Churches | The adoption of the Filioque among Eastern Catholic Churches has been discouraged. |
| Vatican II's stance on Eastern Catholic Churches' theological traditions | Vatican II has asked Eastern Catholics to preserve their theological traditions. |
| Eastern Catholics' belief about the Filioque | Eastern Catholics believe that the Filioque is a legitimate understanding of the Trinity, particular to the Latin tradition. |
| Pope St. Leo I's stance on the Filioque | Pope St. Leo I confessed the Filioque dogmatically in 447. |
| Filioque in the Western tradition | The Western tradition expresses the consubstantial communion between Father and Son, saying that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (Filioque). |
| Filioque in the Eastern tradition | The Eastern tradition emphasizes the Father's character as the first origin of the Spirit. |
| Holy Father's stance on the Filioque | The Holy Father has embraced and implemented the Creed without the Filioque. |
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What You'll Learn
The Filioque is a Latin term meaning and the Son
The Filioque, a Latin term meaning "and the Son" or "and from the Son", refers to the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Father as the shared origin of the Holy Spirit. The Filioque clause was added to the original Nicene Creed in the late 6th century by some Latin churches, sparking controversy between Eastern and Western Christianity that persists to the present day.
The Nicene Creed, adopted by the Council of Nicea in AD 325, originally ended with the affirmation, "And in the Holy Spirit". However, the divinity of the Holy Spirit was called into question by a group known as the Pneumatomachi, or "killers of the Spirit". In response, the Council of Constantinople in 381 affirmed the Creed of Nicea and added a clarifying section, stating that the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father". This addition emphasised the distinct roles of the Father and the Son in the Trinity.
In the late 6th century, certain Latin churches introduced the Filioque clause, "and from the Son", to the description of the procession of the Holy Spirit. This alteration was later incorporated into the liturgical practice of Rome in 1014. The Eastern Orthodox Church rejected this change, arguing that it violated the teachings of the Council of Ephesus and altered the nature of the Trinity. According to the Eastern understanding, if the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son, the unique role of the Father in the Trinity is diminished, and the balance of the three persons in the Godhead is disrupted.
The inclusion of the Filioque clause has been a significant point of contention, resulting in the East-West Schism of 1054, which formally divided Eastern and Western Christianity. While the Roman Catholic Church upholds the Filioque as a legitimate expression of the Trinity, Eastern Catholics have generally not professed it, maintaining their traditional Eastern theology. However, they acknowledge its legitimacy within the Latin tradition and remain in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.
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The Filioque was added to the Nicene Creed in the 11th century
The addition of the word "Filioque" to the Nicene Creed has been a significant point of contention between Eastern and Western Christianity. The term, derived from the Latin "filioque," meaning "and from the Son," refers to the belief that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. The original Nicene Creed, established by the First Council of Constantinople in 381, stated that the Holy Spirit proceeded "from the Father" without the inclusion of "and the Son."
In the 11th century, the Pope approved the insertion of "Filioque" into the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, sparking controversy. This addition was not universally accepted, and the Eastern Church continued to adhere to the original Creed. The disagreement over the Filioque was not just a theological debate but also carried implications for the nature of the Church, its authority, and the distribution of power among its leaders.
The inclusion of "Filioque" in the Creed was seen by some as a violation of Canon VII of the Council of Ephesus, as it was not part of the original texts from the First Council of Nicaea or Constantinople. Eastern Orthodox Christians objected to the interpolation, arguing that even if the doctrine could be defended, its addition to the Creed was anti-canonical.
The controversy surrounding the Filioque persisted for centuries, with some historians suggesting that Charlemagne's adoption of the term was motivated by a desire to accuse the Byzantine Emperor of heresy and assert his sole legitimacy as the Christian world's true Emperor.
While the dispute over the Filioque has lost some of its intensity in recent years, it remains a sensitive topic for Eastern and Western Christians. Eastern Catholics, in particular, have a complex relationship with the issue. While they do not profess the Filioque, they recognize its legitimacy within the Latin tradition and maintain their unique theological understanding of the Trinity.
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Eastern Orthodox Christians reject the Filioque
The Filioque has been a contentious issue between Eastern Orthodox Christians and their Western counterparts. The Filioque is a Latin addition to the Nicene Creed, stating that the Holy Spirit proceeds "from the Father and the Son". This addition was made by the Toledo Council of the Spanish Church to unite the West Goths, who confessed the Arian heresy, with the Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church, however, interprets the Bible and the Trinity differently and believes that the Holy Spirit originates from the Father alone, with the Filioque confusing the theology defined at the councils of Nicaea and Constantinople.
The Eastern Orthodox Church bases its interpretation on the Bible, the teachings of the Church Fathers, creeds, and definitions of the seven Ecumenical Councils, as well as the decisions of its own particular councils. Theologians like Vladimir Lossky, Dumitru Stăniloae, John Romanides, and Michael Pomazansky have condemned the Filioque as incompatible with Orthodox theology. However, there are also liberal voices within the Orthodox tradition, such as Vasily Bolotov, who, while rejecting the Filioque in procession, classify it as a permissible theological opinion.
The dispute over the Filioque has been a significant cause of the divide between Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Christianity. While the Roman Catholic Church does not require Eastern Catholics to recite the Filioque, it does ask them to accept the legitimacy of the Filioque as a complementary understanding of the Trinity within the Latin tradition. The Filioque remains a sensitive issue, with some Eastern Orthodox Christians condemning it as heresy and others viewing it as a matter of terminology.
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The Filioque was originally added to the Creed by Charlemagne
The Filioque clause, a Latin term meaning "and from the Son", was added to the original Nicene Creed and has been a significant point of contention between Eastern and Western Christianity. The term refers to the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Father as the shared origin of the Holy Spirit. The original Nicene-Constantinople Creed did not include the Filioque Clause, which asserts that the Holy Spirit "proceeds" from the Father and the Son. The Creed of 381 AD stated that the Holy Spirit proceeds "from the Father", without the addition of "and the Son".
The Filioque was first introduced to the Creed at the Third Council of Toledo in 589 AD, and it gained regional recognition in Spain during the Second Council of Toledo in 447 AD. The addition of the Filioque to the Creed is often attributed to Charlemagne, who adopted the practice of chanting the Latin Credo at Mass in 798, and it spread throughout his empire. However, it was not accepted in Rome until 1014, and Pope Leo III refused to approve its interpolation into the Creed to avoid conflict between East and West.
Charlemagne's motivation for adding the Filioque has been debated, with some historians suggesting he wanted to accuse the Byzantine Emperor of heresy by providing grounds for accusations of infidelity to the faith of the First Council of Nicaea. This would establish Charlemagne as the sole legitimate Emperor of the Christian world. However, as the Pope at the time also refused to recite the Filioque, Charlemagne's actions created a theological dilemma.
The controversy surrounding the Filioque clause contributed to the 1054 Schism between Orthodox and Catholics, and it remains a topic of discussion in efforts towards reconciliation. Eastern Catholics do not profess the Filioque, as it is part of the Western tradition, but they do not overtly reject it. They maintain their traditional Eastern theology of the Trinity, emphasizing the monarchy of the Father, while acknowledging the legitimacy of the Western understanding.
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The Filioque is not heretical in Latin, but it is in Greek
The Filioque clause, or the addition of the phrase "and the Son" to the Nicene Creed, has been a significant point of contention between the Eastern and Western churches. The dispute centres around the question of whether the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone or from both the Father and the Son. While Eastern Orthodox churches generally reject the Filioque statement, the stance of Eastern Catholics is more nuanced.
The Filioque clause was gradually introduced into the Latin liturgy between the 8th and 11th centuries, with the Roman Catholic Church officially adding it to the Latin Creed in the 11th century. This unilateral change to the Creed centuries after its original formulation was met with opposition from the Eastern Orthodox churches, who insisted that the Holy Spirit proceeds only from the Father.
Eastern Catholics, while not expressly rejecting the Filioque, do not profess it as it is unique to the Roman Catholic tradition. They recognise that the Filioque is not heretical in Latin, but they maintain that it does not translate well into Greek and does not align with their understanding of the Trinity. Eastern Catholics are encouraged to preserve their theological traditions, which emphasise the monarchy of the Father. They acknowledge the Filioque as a legitimate understanding within the Latin tradition, complementary to their own Eastern understanding.
The distinction between the Eastern and Western understandings of the Trinity lies in the language used. In Latin, the Filioque clause makes a clear distinction between the source, causality, and principle of the Trinity. However, when translated into Greek, these nuances are lost, leading to potential misunderstandings.
Some historians argue that the addition of the Filioque to the Creed by Charlemagne was motivated by a desire to accuse the Byzantine Emperor of heresy, thereby claiming sole legitimacy as the true Emperor of the Christian world. Despite this historical dispute, the issue has largely been resolved in recent years, with the Catholic Church acknowledging the Eastern understanding of the Father as the source of the Trinity as definitive.
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Frequently asked questions
The Filioque is Latin for "and the Son", as said in the Nicene Creed. This means that you believe "in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life, proceeding from the Father and the Son".
Eastern Catholics do not have to accept the Filioque, as it is part of the West's tradition. However, they do not reject it as heretical. Instead, they maintain their traditional Eastern theology of the Trinity, emphasising the monarchy of the Father.
The Filioque was added to the Creed by Charlemagne as an excuse to accuse the Byzantine Emperor of heresy. Over time, the Latin Church adopted the Filioque, while the Eastern Orthodox continued to insist that the Holy Spirit proceeds only from the Father.
The Catholic Church acknowledges the Creed without the Filioque as the normative form. The Holy Father has embraced this, reciting the Creed without the Filioque when concelebrating with Eastern bishops.
