September 25, 2024

The Procession of the Holy Ghost (Spirit)

by Dick Fichter, parishioner with input from Rev. Dina

My earlier caveat with respect to oversimplification of the issues and activities and with respect to quotes from Britannica equally apply here.

I had hoped that the answers to my question which I learned to be the procession of the Holy Spirit would be resolved at the Council of Constantinople. In part it was, but I came to appreciate that it was an important part of major theological and political differences that extended for over six hundred years; well beyond the time of the council of Constantinople, and which led to the Great Schism of 1054.  The different approaches taken by the Western and Eastern branches of the church still exist today. In some respects, it seems that many of these issues will never be completely resolved. 

The East and West Geography

Modern historians use the term Byzantine Empire to distinguish that political state which was previously known as the eastern part of the Roman Empire, from the western portion of the Roman Empire which expired in 476 and dissolved into feudal states.  Byzantine refers to Byzantium, an ancient Greek colony and transit point that became the location of the Byzantine Empire’s capital city, Constantinople. Inhabitants of the Byzantine Empire, which lasted 1000 years after the fall of Rome, would have self-identified as Romans. The failure of the Roman Empire provided the opportunity for the western Roman Church to assume more of a political leadership role and to take over many of the duties which were previously handled by the prior Roman administration.

The East and West Theology

The theological genesis of the East was different from that of the West. The Eastern theology had its roots in Greek philosophy, whereas a great deal of Western theology was based on Roman law. This gave rise to misunderstandings and at last led to two widely separate ways of regarding and defining one important doctrine, at that time,—the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father or from the Father and the Son. The Roman churches, without consulting the East, added “and from the Son” (Latin: Filioque) to the Nicene Creed. Also, the Eastern churches resented the Roman enforcement of clerical celibacy, the limitation of the right of confirmation to the bishop, and the use of unleavened bread in the Eucharist.

The resulting Schism principally included the western region which was Roman Catholic and included all of western and central Europe and the northern portion of Italy as far south as Naples. It also included the northern tip of Africa including Alexandria and Jerusalem. The Easter Orthodox region included Italy from Naples south, Sicily, Greece, the Balkans, Turkey and Cypress.  

Conflict on an Emotional Level

It is interesting to read of the conflicts at the councils and those conflicts over the theological and political issues which cover hundreds of years, in an abstract manner, but quite another when you are directly emotional involved with a church issue. Or for that matter any issue which affects you on a personal level and to which you become emotional involved rather than just analytically. Considering one’s own emotional experiences will give some insight into the emotional aspects of these disputes. Some of us here at Epiphany have gone through conflicts in the recent past over issues of belief and theology which led to division at Epiphany and with loss of friendships, in some cases, even animosity among individuals. These differences in preeminence of theology and leadership ultimately led to separation and litigation over property rights including ownership of the church. This went on over a protracted five-year period of time until the property issues were resolved by the courts. 

Virginia Law Prevails

Virginia law prevailed properly interpreting ownership of the church property by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, based on the canons. The Diocese established legal ownership over the Anglican position of ownership based on, in my opinion, the old adage that possession is nine-tenths of the law. After the decision, the remaining Epiphany church family returned from the school cafeteria to their former church building. As with any family dispute, there are hurt feelings, regrets and disappointments which hopefully heal over time with God’s help. So, it must have been emotional for all those attending the Councils at Nicaea and Constantinople and subsequently during the period leading to the Great Schism. 

The Gradual Addition  

The so-called Filioque clause (Latin filioque, “and the son”), inserted after the words “the Holy Spirit,…who proceeds from the Father,” was gradually introduced as part of the creed in the Western church, beginning in the 6th century. That is, about two hundred years after the creed from the Council of Constantinople, which did not contain this phrase. It was probably finally accepted by the papacy in the 11th century. It has been retained by the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant churches. The Eastern churches have always rejected it because they consider it a theological error and an unauthorized addition to a venerable document.

The Holy Spirit

The definition that the Holy Spirit (distinct from its procession) was a distinct divine person i.e., entity, equal in substance to the Father and the Son and not subordinate to them came at the Council of Constantinople in ce 381, following challenges to its divinity. The Eastern and Western churches have since viewed the Holy Spirit as the bond, the fellowship, or the mutual charity between Father and Son; they are absolutely united in the Spirit. The relationship of the Holy Spirit to the other persons of the Trinity has been described in the West as proceeding from both the Father and the Son, whereas in the East it has been held that the procession is from the Father through the Son which seems to conform to my original statutory construction of proceeds based on the clear meaning of the words. 

The Surprise Conclusion of the Episcopal Church 

This time I failed to look up the definition of filioque in the Episcopal glossary until after writing the preceding paragraphs. 

The Filioque Clause

The Episcopal glossary defines filioque as Latin for “and the Son.” The words were added to the Nicene Creed at the Council of Toledo in 589 and gradually grew in acceptance in the west.

The filioque states that the Holy Spirit proceeds not only from the Father, but from the Father and the Son. The Eastern Orthodox churches condemn the addition as contrary to the admonition of the Council of Chalcedon (451) that no change be made in the faith expressed in the Nicene Creed.

Disagreement over the filioque was a major cause of conflict between the eastern and western churches. The Lambeth Conference of 1988 recommended that the phrase be dropped from the Nicene Creed in Anglican churches.

The 1994 General Convention of the Episcopal Church resolved to delete the filioque from the Nicene Creed in the next edition of the Prayer Book. Where are we on the creation of the “next edition of the Book of Common Prayer?” 81st General Convention adopts constitutional change defining Book of Common Prayer – Episcopal News Service

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