WTF? - What, the filioque?!

Holy Spirit, from whence doth thou proceed?

The 'filioque' clause is an issue which has divided Christendom since before the Great Schism in the 11th Century and perhaps even as early as the third century, before the council at Nicaea. Most Christians aren't even be aware of the issue nor would they know that many of them make reference to it every Sunday when they affirm their faith by reading out the Nicene Creed.

'Filioque' means "and (from) the Son" and the great debate is over does the Holy Ghost proceed from the Father and the Son or from the Father through the Son or, just from the Father alone.

In Eastern Churches the line from the Nicene Creed that in the Western Church states "And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and giver of life, who from the Father and the Son proceeds" omits "...and from the Son".

One thing that is important to mention is that the Western Church added the 'filioque' clause outside the authority of an ecumenical council which is where traditionally, doctrinal differences were discussed and ironed out.

Now I doubt that this blog post, amazing as it shall be, will solve over 1000 years of Christian division but let's look at the 'filioque' in the Anglican communion and as understood by the Protestant Reformers.

Obviously as Anglicans, we can't deny our catholic heritage and the Nicene creed is an important remnant of that but is the filioque as much of an important and divisive issue in the Anglican Communion as it is in the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Church?

In 1978 the Lambeth conference issued the following statement:

[The Conference] requests that all member Churches of the Anglican Communion should consider omitting the Filioque from the Nicene Creed... [Resolution 35, point 2]

Later in in 1993, Anglican Primates and the Anglican Consultative Council reaffirmed a requested action of the 1988 Lambeth conference that said:

"in future liturgical revisions the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed be printed without the Filioque clause', and to inform the Office of the Anglican Communion of their action." [Resolution 19]

As of yet, the omission of the 'filioque' clause hasn't been carried out in any part of the Anglican Communion however, I'm hopeful that it will.

The Reformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin affirmed the Western Churches beliefe that that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Luther continued the use of the 'filioque' in the Nicene creed as published in the 1589 'Book of Concorde.

Calvin believed that each person of the Triune God head was "autotheotic" that is that each person was divine of it's self which is in direct contrast to the Eastern Church which declares that the Father is the sole source of divinity.

Now, we can go on through the countless quotes by men about how they understand the relationship between the persons of the God-head but, what does Scripture say about the source of the Holy Ghost?

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever"

"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" - John 15:26

"And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!'" - Galatians 4:6

[You can also check out other verses that discuss the relationship of the Holy Ghost - Romans 8:9, Philippians 1:19, John 16:7, John 20:22]

I'm sure that none of those verse can convince someone either way when it comes to this debate because although in some we can see that Christ sends the Holy Ghost or see the 'Spirit of Christ' referred to but I understand it to mean that Christ is asking the Father to send the Holy Ghost which "proceedeth from the Father" and not that he is sending it out from himself.

The early Church Father Tertullian put it this way in 216 AD:

"I believe that the Spirit proceeds not otherwise than from the Father through the Son"          
(Against Praxeas 4:1)

Personally, that's how I attempt to understand the complex relationship of the Holy Ghost with the Father and the Son. The Father is the source of all divinity and that through Christ who is begotten of the Father, God sent the Holy Ghost down to Earth on that glorious day of Pentecost.

Doctrines and topic such as these often confound people, including myself, and make us worry but it's important not to get to bogged down in things that in reality aren't doctrines essential to our salvation. As St. Athanasius said:

“Man can only perceive the hem of the garment of the triune God; the cherubim cover
the rest with their wings.”

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