So we see that the Filioque has been debated and considered by various Western factions of the Church for centuries, but it has never been approved for general use by any Ecumenical body or conference.
Does it matter which version of the Nicene Creed we use? Yes, it actually matters a lot.
(For simplicity sake, I’ll hereafter refer to this historic expression as “the Creed.”)
At this writing, we’re two years away from the millennial anniversary of the first unauthorized insertion of the Filioque into a worship liturgy by the Roman (or Latin) Church. If our separation from Rome through the crucible of the Reformation has any continuing meaning, why do we continue to use the “altered Creed” as unilaterally revised by Rome in the year 1014?
In our local Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) congregation we use, on a monthly basis, the Roman version of the Creed in our morning liturgy. Some years ago I wondered why we use this version of the Creed that was altered by the Roman Church without any ecumenical approval.
Please note that the argument basis of this essay is not theological; it is canonical. The author of this essay, a layman and former CRC Elder, is not a trained theologian nor does he desire to go nose-to-nose with anyone on this issue from a theological perspective. My only concern is to learn how this addition came into popular usage in our western churches and why believing, Creed-embracing Protestants everywhere should want to delete this unauthorized phrase.
But first, let’s define the term, Filioque, and then summarize the pertinent history behind the Creed itself again, solely from a canonical point of view.
“Filioque” is a Latin term whose simple English translation is: and the Son. This infamous addition was inserted in the final paragraph of the Creed that begins with the words, “And I believe in the Holy Spirit, The Lord, and Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son . . .”
Having defined the phrase here follows a historical outline of the formation and use of the Creed with the Roman origination and insertion of the unauthorized Filioque:
325 – In this year, the First Ecumenical Council in the ancient city of Nicaea (modern Iznik, Turkey) adopted the original Creed. This “Nicene Creed” was drafted in part to combat the heresy of Arianism. Note: NONE of the Seven Ecumenical Councils ever authorized the Filioque.
381 – The Second Ecumenical Council meeting at Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey) enlarged the Creed with material added concerning the Holy Spirit.
418 – “It is clear that the architect of Filioque theology and Filioque Biblical exegesis was Saint Augustine. But, as Augustine stated in his concluding prayer in De Trinitate, he never intended to impose his triadological thought on the Church. He considered his triadology as theologoumenon [personal opinion] and not as dogma.” quotation taken from “Photius and the Carolingians: The Trinitarian controversy” by Richard Haugh, Norland Publishing Company, 1975, page 159.
430 – Saint Augustine died on August 28, 430.
431 – The Third Ecumenical Council meeting at the then-Greek city of Ephesus (near modern Selçuk, Turkey) reaffirmed the Creed of 381. This is the final time an Ecumenical body of the global Church acted on the text of the Creed, always without the Filioque.
589 – The Council of Toledo in Spain, organized by Bishop Leander of Seville, was a convocation of only Latin churches. It heavily promoted the Filioque addition to the Latin-literate, Western Church.
809 – At the Council of Aachen (now the western most city in modern Germany) the Frankish Church of Emperor Charlemagne adopted the Filioque. Again, the Latin West acted without global, ecumenical consideration or approval.
810 – Pope Leo III, who had crowned Charlemagne as “Roman Emperor” on Christmas day a decade earlier, forbade the official inclusion of the Filioque into regular worship because he knew he lacked Ecumenical authority to do so. To emphasize his orthodoxy, Leo installed two large silver shields or tablets containing the original wording of the Creed in both Latin and Greek and installed those devices (subsequently lost to history) in public areas of his cathedral at Rome.
1014 – Pope Benedict VIII, under the sway and military protection of Henry II of Germany, is the first Latin prelate to allow the Filioque to be included in his private chapel in an official service. No Ecumenical approval here.
1054 – The Great Schism, cleaving West from East, when both sparring factions simultaneously excommunicated each other.
1439 – Council of Florence (Italy) where an initial agreement was reached on the use of the Filioque. Every tentative East-West agreement made at this meeting later disintegrated when the Byzantine Empire fell to the Ottoman Empire on May 29, 1453. (The Russian Church never agreed to anything stemming from any discussion or decision at this Florentine conference.)
1994 – The 71st General Convention of the Episcopal Church, meeting at Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, recommended the removal of the Filioque from its Book of Common Prayer at that book’s next revision (yet to be completed). (This terrific nugget of valuable information was kindly provided by the Rev. Esther Poirier of the Church of the Good Shepherd, Federal Way, WA. Thank you!)
So we see that the Filioque has been debated and considered by various Western factions of the Church for centuries, but it has never been approved for general use by any Ecumenical body or conference.
Dear Christian brothers and sisters, we are now only two years away from the millennial anniversary of the first time the unauthorized Creed was chanted in a Christian service. The thrust of my argument is no slap against the many fine Christian believers who worship according to the Latin liturgy. (If anything, my appreciation of Roman Catholic hierarchy has only increased in recent months given their stouthearted defense of our recently-threatened religious liberties in the USA.)
Any version of the Creed containing the Filioque has never been approved by any Ecumenical convocation of the global Church. Therefore, our most authentic act is to use the Creed that does not include the Filioque. As believing Protestants, we separated from Rome centuries ago. Why then do we still recite a Creed as specifically altered by Rome?
All Creed-using Protestants now have an opportunity to correct an error made 998 years ago in the year 1014 and by the year 2014, start a fresh millennium using the original, authorized text for the Creed sans the Filioque.
If you are being asked to recite or sing the Creed with the unauthorized Filioque, ask your local church leadership to explain why. If they can’t — or won’t — urge your Session to return to the Creed as it was originally approved.
J. Wells “Jack” Bowdle is a former Ruling Elder in the CRC who, with his wife, Deborah, currently attends Faith Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Tacoma, WA. He is a graduate of Trinity College (Deerfield, IL), completed a 25 year career as a military aviator and is in the process of building a life insurance practice in the Pacific Northwest.