Drop the Filioque?
Drop the Filioque?
A group of Eastern Orthodox Christians are getting excited for the launch of a new project called, “Drop The Filioque.” One can presume it will intend to encourage the Western world to ditch the ancient creed’s inclusion of the “Filioque.” The new site is http://www.dropthefilioque.org.
The single Latin word means “and the son,” and is cited by many as one of the events leading up to the East-West Schism. Leading the charge, or at least purchasing the domain, is Gabriel Martini, an Eastern Orthodox blogger and marketing product manager for Logos Bible software. I first got wind of the project through Jamey Bennet, who put the project on twitter looking for allies in the Western tradition.
Do you know any prominent clergy of Roman Catholic or Protestant vintage who support the removal of the Filioque? If so, hit me up, homeboy.
— jamey w. bennett (@jameybennett) August 21, 2013
Why the Fuss?
The Western Church has held to the Filioque since its inclusion to the latin text of the Nicene Creed in the 6th Century. Maintaining that the Spirit proceedeth from the Father and from the Son as the standard view of the Trinitarian relationship. What theological implications does removing the Filioque have for our Trinitarian theology? In summarizing Abraham Kuyper’s thoughts, Edwin Palmer points to many.
“Abraham Kuyper has incisively pointed out, a denial of the filioque leads to an unhealthy mysticism. It tends to isolate the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives from the work of Jesus. Redemption by Christ is put in the background, while the sanctifying work of the Spirit is brought to the fore. The emphasis is more and more on the work of the Spirit in our lives, which tends to lead to an independence from Christ, the church, and the Bible. Sanctification can loom larger than justification, the subjective communion with the Spirit larger than the objective church life, and illumination by the Spirit larger than the Word. Kuyper believes that this has actually been the case to some extent in the Eastern church, as a result of the denial that the Spirit proceeds form the Son as well as from the Father.” (Thanks for this Greg Uttinger)
St. Augustine’s reasoning is more than adequate,”Why, then, should we not believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds also from the Son, when he is the Spirit also of the Son? For if the Holy Spirit did not proceed from him, when he showed himself to his disciples after his resurrection he would not have breathed upon them, saying, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’ [John 20:22]. For what else did he signify by that breathing upon them except that the Holy Spirit proceeds also from him” – Homilies on John 99:8 [A.D. 416].
It is important to remember that there is only one way to approach God – through the Son. Come to the Son, have him breathe the breath of the Spirit, so that you may be held in the arms of the Father. The difference between West and East remains an idea of “incarnational” living. The East prides itself in the traditions of monasticism and mysticism as attempts to escape the flesh, while the West models itself after the God made Man. The God-man who came into our reality to set the perfect example of righteous obedience. The Filioque centers our theology around the Spirit’s true purpose in filling the earth with the Kingdom of the Son. For dominion, not escapism.
The Orthodox “Drop the Filioque” website is set to launch in just over a week, perhaps we need to remind them why this creedal affirmation is so important.
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