Churchs Definition of Trinity, Filioque Controversy and Role of Holy Spirit in Contemporary Theology - Essay Example

Steps in Church’s Definition of Trinity, the ‘Filioque’ Controversy and Role of the Holy Spirit in the Contemporary Theology Unit Date There have been controversies among the Christian scholars on pertinent issues that surround the history of Christianity. Chief among these is the concept of the Holy Trinity and the precedence of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament of the Bible, the trinity doctrine does not feature prominently as it is the case in the New Testament. The divinity of Christ facilitated the emergence of the trinity doctrine. The ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus aroused the talk on whom Christ was and his status in the trinity. The debate over the nature of God and the position of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit facilitated the steps that led to the positions held today about the Holy Spirit. Through the filioque controversy there arose a disagreement among the believers on the emergence of the Holy Spirit which caused a split between the Eastern Orthodox Church and Catholic Church. The biblical thinking of the three in one Godhead (trinity) emanated from the teachings of Jesus and that of his disciples later on. The word trinity is not found in any section of the Bible hence it is a creation that was made over the centuries to define what was brought forth in the New Testament especially through the teachings of Jesus. Jesus talked of the ‘the father’, ‘the son’ and ‘another helper.’ For the first time, one of the church fathers, Tertullian, advanced the term trinity around 192 C.E. Despite lack of use of the word trinity, the concept of three in one features prominently in the New Testament. In Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians13:14, Ephesians 2:18, I Peter 1:2, Romans 15: 30, I Corinthians 12: 4-6, Ephesians 4:4-6 and Jude 20,21, both God the father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit have been mentioned. Despite the mention of the three, scholars have differed on the concept of them being one. The proponents have claimed deducing the concept from the scripture while the opponents quoting the Old Testament Deuteronomy 4: 2 that states, “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it.” In addition, they claim other three-fold phrases that exist in the Bible The first step towards the adoption of the trinity doctrine came forth in the fourth century. During the first century, the Jewish monotheism was the most dominant. This belief was founded on the belief that there is one God (the father), no other was recognized. However, in the second century, Jesus as the son of God began coming to the picture, though he was considered an inferior God. This went on until early 4th century where it started emerging that the two God’s (father and son) were equal. The three in one (trinity) gained popularity in the later years of the 4th century. The rising debate on the doctrine brought forth a dispute that coerced Constantine the Great, the Roman emperor at the time to call for the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 (Dünzl 2007, p. 22). The heightened debate concerning the Arian controversy was the central issue to be addressed at the Council of Nicaea. Arius was a presbyter from Alexandria that taught people that Jesus was the son of God created by God. This was contrary to the beliefs of Bishop Alexander, who was his senior. This made Arius to be ex-communicated from the church hence resulting to a division. The division that was created in the church provoked Constantine to convene the council to discuss the controversy. Since the emperor’s main objective was to consolidate power using Christians, he convened the council to deliberate on the way forward in order to combat divisions among the Christians based on the nature of God. Through the council meeting, the first part of the Creed of Nicaea was composed. In addition, the Holy Spirit was recognized while God the father and the son were decreed to be homonusios (the same thing). To the Athanasius creed the phrase “we believe in Holy Spirit” was incorporated, an aspect that brought confusion among the people since they did not know what distinction existed with God the father (Kelly 1972, p.365). Years after the Nicaea Council had convened Emperor Theodosius the Great convened the Council Constantinople. This was geared towards finding solutions to the problems that had faced Christianity over the disagreements in beliefs. The council, which was convened in 381, was dominated by the proposal by Gregory Nazianzus who served as the archbishop of Constantinople. Most of the bishops from Macedonia disagreed with his proposal that the Spirit and God were of same being. This created a division that made it difficult to reach a consensus. Soon afterwards, Gregory fell ill and was replaced by Nectarius, the man who did not have a Christian background neither was he baptized. However, the council made a major step towards the adoption of trinity as an acceptable doctrine. Through a presentation by three theologians from Cappadocia, the council was convinced on embracing the divinity of Holy Spirit. The council affirmed the belief in God the father and the lordship of Jesus Christ as well as the Holy Spirit. They also introduced the phrase that they believed in ‘one holy catholic and apostolic church’. This forms the basis of the creed as it is in the modern context, the declarations and agreements forms the basis of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan creed. Anatolius convened the council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D under the request of Pope Leo I to deliberate on issue the nature of Jesus. There was need for clarity on the dual-nature of Jesus as a man and God. The council clearly noted that Christ had two natures, which were present in one person. This formed the basis of the Chalcedonian Creed, which provided Jesus to be fully divine as well as fully human. In addition, the council held the previous view of Jesus being the second person of the Holy Trinity (Price & Gaddis 2005, p. 94-96). The Filioque Controversy emanated from the question on the source of the Holy Spirit. Having learnt about the God as the creator from the teachings of both New and Old Testament, people believed in existence of God. In addition, having seen Jesus Christ reveal himself in body form was evidence that he came from God. The question on where the Holy Spirit comes from is justified. In the words of Jesus to the disciples, “I will leave you another helper” brought the controversy on whether the Holy Spirit came from God or Jesus (McGrath 1994, p.286). The Filioque controversy was grounded on the view that the trinity is one but the question that arises is on how a relationship can be drawn between them. The Latin Church had a different view from the Eastern Church. The Eastern Church stood with the view that the Holy Spirit as well as the son are from God the father while the Latin Church was grounded on the belief that the Holy Spirit came from both the father and the son. The Eastern were opposed to the view that the Holy Spirit came from the son based on the view that the Holy Spirit was being subordinated. The filioque controversy was facilitated by the addition of “and the son” in the Nicene Creed, an aspect that brought the view that Holy Spirit came from Jesus (Siecienski 2010, p. 45). The addition of the phrase, “and the son” in the Nicene Creed creates a huge difference in the understanding of the position of Holy Spirit in the Holy Trinity. As it has been used up to date, the Holy Spirit is mentioned last, an aspect that shows the Holy Spirit as a lesser God. To some extent, the role of the father in the Trinity is not fully captured hence creating a scenario where the spirit is considered to be under the Father as well as the son. The controversy created a distinct difference between the eastern and western churches. The acceptance of the additional phrase by the Pope in 1014 provided a perfect platform for the change to be propagated and become part of the creed. Apart from the introduction of the contentious phrase, the Filioque Controversy has been faulted by the proponents on the basis of the orthodoxy of the doctrine. Despite the questioning of the doctrine, the assenting of the changes by the Pope in the eleventh century gave a leeway for the changes to be made permanent. More questions than answers are raised on the role of Pope in defining what should be considered legitimate and what should not. The Filioque Controversy does not only question the nature of God but it goes ahead to question on how power is distributed among the trinity. Whether the Holy Spirit comes from the father or the son or is, independent the most important question is the credibility of the doctrine. There are controversies in the contemporary context that continue to surround the work and the person of the Holy Spirit. Various theologians have pointed out to the role of the Spirit in salvation while in other cases, the role of God the father has been amplified more. The different churches are divided on the work and person of Holy Spirit as well as his positioning in the Holy Trinity. According to the Roman Catholic, the Holy Spirit comes from both the father and the son. They consider both the father and the son as one thing from which the spirit comes from. This position can also take the view that the Spirit can proceed from the father through the son. This is the contemporary view for the Roman Catholics. In addition, they adhere to the Creed in accordance to the First Council of Constantinople which did not have the additional phrase ‘and the son’. Therefore, they do not have a provision for the Filioque. The Anglican does not have much difference with the Catholics. The Lambeth Conference convened in 1978 affirmed the church’s position to get rid of the Filioque from the Nicene Creed. Later on, it was recommended by the General Convection of Episcopal Church to have the Filioque removed from the creed. On the other hand, the Protestants have been against the removal of the filioque in the creed citing that the unification call by the ecumenical movement does not hold any water. However, despite the support from a majority of protestant theologians, there are those who have opposed it with some of the protestant churches having no history of the use of the filioque. Even to date, the Eastern Orthodox have carried the view that the Holy Spirit solely originates from God the Father. They further observe that the Spirit and the Son are one with God and are inseparable. Theologians that have conformed to the eastern orthodoxy observe that the father and the spirit as well as the son are united in a perfect manner yet they are distinct in the way they operate. In addition, they observe that the doctrine of filioque presents a confused state for both the Constantinople creed as well as the Nicene creed. It is apparent that a split in the perception exists between theologians and churches in approaching the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Those opposed to the filioque have been faulted as being traditional. Exploring literature, the Greek view has been found to support the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father through Jesus Christ. On the flipside, the Latin view is different, where it is perceived that the Spirit proceeds from both the father and the son. Modern theologians have supported both views, hence leaving many unanswered questions. A recommendation by faith and Order Commission instituted by the World Council of Churches on the filioque doctrine stated that the Nicene Creed should be reinstated. Despite the split among the theologians, there is a bigger inclination towards the Nicene Creed. The proponents of the filioque are relatively fewer. References Dünzl, F. A (2007) Brief History of the Doctrine of the Trinity, T. and T. Clark. Kelly, J.N.D (1972) Early Christian Creeds, Longman, 231-368 McGrath, A.E. (1994) Christian Theology: An Introduction, Blackwell, 284-6. Price, R. & Gaddis, M. (2005) The acts of the council of Chalcedon, Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. Siecienski, A.E. (2010) The Filioque: History of a doctrinal controversy, New York: Oxford University Press. Read More