Filioque Debate

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Ryan-

What was the end result? Was the second parish built or not?
Not to my knowledge. And the fact that it was not built is not necessarily the fault of the Latin hierarch-at least no entirely. My point is that the Latin bishop’s opposition was unwarranted from the beginning, and reveals that we are not without our own problems with squabbling over turf.
 
It would be weird if there were any Christological differences. But both the EO and OO agree that we share the one and same Orthodox faith. And neither the EO or OO believe that Roman Catholics share that faith with us. I’m afraid my friend, among the ancient Apostolic Churches, the Roman Catholic Church is quite alone.
Athanasius was alone, too. But he was right.

As for the rest:

The Oriental Orthodox churches came to a parting of the ways with the remainder of Christianity in the 5th century. The separation resulted in part from the Oriental Orthodox churches’ refusal to accept the Christological dogmas promulgated by the Council of Chalcedon, which held that Jesus Christ is in two natures — one divine and one human, although these were inseparable. To the hierarchs who would lead the Oriental Orthodox, this was tantamount to accepting Nestorianism. In response, they advocated a formula that stressed unity of the Incarnation over all other considerations, that being “one nature of God the Word Incarnate”, “of/from two natures” in and after the union. The Oriental Orthodox churches are therefore often called “Monophysite” churches, although they reject this label, which is associated with Eutychian Monophysitism, preferring the term non-Chalcedonian or Miaphysite churches. Oriental Orthodox Christians anathematize the Monophysite teachings of Eutyches. They are sometimes also known as anti-Chalcedonians.

In the 20th century, a number of dialogues have occurred between the Oriental Orthodox and the Chalcedonian Orthodox which revealed that both communions now share a common Christology with differing terminology. As yet, full communion has not been restored. There have also been some agreed Christological statements issued in conjunction with the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox (Chalcedonian) family (Ecumenical Patriarchate and official representatives of other Eastern Orthodox Churches) [1]. (orthodoxwiki.org/Oriental_Orthodox)
  1. Why has full communion not been restored if the receiving of “communion” the highest form of “communion” there is? Doesn’t this suggest that there is another, more comprehensive form of communion of which the sharing of “communion” in the Divine Liturgy is but a part? I REST MY CASE. 😃
  2. What happens when the OO and the RCC reach similar agreements concerning past Christological misunderstandings? :eek:
  3. Why would “agreed Christological statements” be issued if, as you claim, “the Roman Catholic Church is quite alone”?
🙂
 
I’m am honestly trying to understand something that I have not considered before.

Seraphim suggests that the sharing of communion between the EO and OO means that the “two become one”. Yet, two (EO and OO) remain.

What is he saying and what am I missing?

It seems to me that he has just proven that “communion” as he defines it is insufficient to bring about unity.

The “communion” which I referred to (mocked by Cav and others) is that unity itself.
All of the autocephalous Churches remain. We are united in our shared faith and shared Eucharist. As to EO/OO relations you don’t heal 1,500 years of separation over night. We really only reestablished formal contact a few decades ago. But even in that short time a remarkable amount of progress has been made. There is already extensive, officially sanctioned inter-communion and concelebration. There have been numerous agreed statements that state quite clearly that we hold the exact same faith. Here is a paragraph from the 1989 meeting in Egypt which is particularly pertinent for this thread. 😉

Our mutual agreement is not limited to Christology, but encompasses the whole faith of the one undivided church of the early centuries. We are agreed also in our understanding of the Person and Work of God the Holy Spirit, Who proceeds from the Father alone, and is always adored with the Father and the Son.

There is still much to discuss. Who will remain the patriarchs of Antioch and Alexandria? What to do with the overlapping dioceses all over the world? By what process will we examine each others canonical literature? These are not simple questions but action is already being taken. It’s just a matter of time before they are all sorted out. The bottom line is there are no theological disagreements between us. Glory to God for that.
 
Not to my knowledge. And the fact that it was not built is not necessarily the fault of the Latin hierarch-at least no entirely. My point is that the Latin bishop’s opposition was unwarranted from the beginning, and reveals that we are not without our own problems with squabbling over turf.
I was just curious, and I understand the point that you are trying to illustrate. Fair enough.

But really, this sounds like a tempest in a teapot…nothing like the scale of the challenges facing the organizers of the 2016 Pan-Orthodox Council.

Agreed? 🤷
 
Athanasius was alone, too. But he was right.

As for the rest:

The Oriental Orthodox churches came to a parting of the ways with the remainder of Christianity in the 5th century. The separation resulted in part from the Oriental Orthodox churches’ refusal to accept the Christological dogmas promulgated by the Council of Chalcedon, which held that Jesus Christ is in two natures — one divine and one human, although these were inseparable. To the hierarchs who would lead the Oriental Orthodox, this was tantamount to accepting Nestorianism. In response, they advocated a formula that stressed unity of the Incarnation over all other considerations, that being “one nature of God the Word Incarnate”, “of/from two natures” in and after the union. The Oriental Orthodox churches are therefore often called “Monophysite” churches, although they reject this label, which is associated with Eutychian Monophysitism, preferring the term non-Chalcedonian or Miaphysite churches. Oriental Orthodox Christians anathematize the Monophysite teachings of Eutyches. They are sometimes also known as anti-Chalcedonians.

In the 20th century, a number of dialogues have occurred between the Oriental Orthodox and the Chalcedonian Orthodox which revealed that both communions now share a common Christology with differing terminology. As yet, full communion has not been restored. There have also been some agreed Christological statements issued in conjunction with the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox (Chalcedonian) family (Ecumenical Patriarchate and official representatives of other Eastern Orthodox Churches) [1]. (orthodoxwiki.org/Oriental_Orthodox)
  1. Why has full communion not been restored is the receiving of “communion” the highest form of “communion” there is? Doesn’t this suggest that there is another, more comprehensive form of communion of which the sharing of “communion” in the Divine Liturgy is but a part? I REST MY CASE. 😃
  2. What happens when the OO and the RCC reach similar agreements concerning past Christological misunderstandings? :eek:
  3. Why would “agreed Christological statements” be issued if, as you claim, “the Roman Catholic Church is quite alone”?
🙂
Come on Randy you’re smarter than that. Simply because we don’t agree on everything doesn’t mean we don’t agree on some things. And I imagine the agreement on the Christological issues has already happened between the OO and RCC. There is no reason why it couldn’t. That’s not where we disagree with you. And no there is no higher union than union in the Precious Body and Blood of God. How someone could even think there was is just astounding to me.
 
Come on Randy you’re smarter than that.
You may be the only Eastern Christian, Orthodox or Catholic, ever to suggest that possibility. 😛
Simply because we don’t agree on everything doesn’t mean we don’t agree on some things.
Which applies to Rome, also. If Rome and Constantinople(?) Moscow(?) agree on the ‘Filioque’ in a way that satisfies all parties, then all that would remain would be differences over the governance of the Church (universal jurisdiction, supremacy and infallibility), right? All significant, to be sure, but not one of them would have anything to do with orthodoxy of belief about God or the validity of apostolic succession and holy orders. Surely, we can share the Eucharist at that point, right?
And I imagine the agreement on the Christological issues has already happened between the OO and RCC. There is no reason why it couldn’t. That’s not where we disagree with you.
Well, on the scale of importance, is there much higher than proper doctrine concerning God Himself?
And no there is no higher union than union in the Precious Body and Blood of God. How someone could even think there was is just astounding to me.
I kinda want to agree with you but then I consider that there may be many people walking the planet right now who are more pleasing to God than I am but who have never received the Eucharist. And when you get to heaven, you will be one with those folks IN CHRIST, so it seems to me that while the mass (or the Divine Liturgy) is the highest form of WORSHIP, it may not be the highest form of communion. I reserve the right to change my mind on this precise point.

However, that is NOT how I defined communion when I wrote the “BIG MYTH” and sent you into a tizzy. There are multiple meanings, and you have applied YOUR meaning to MY post. Not good.
 
You may be the only Eastern Christian, Orthodox or Catholic, ever to suggest that possibility. 😛
Well as long as you’re smarter than me you’re good…
Which applies to Rome, also. If Rome and Constantinople(?) Moscow(?) agree on the ‘Filioque’ in a way that satisfies all parties, then all that would remain would be differences over the governance of the Church (universal jurisdiction, supremacy and infallibility), right? All significant, to be sure, but not one of them would have anything to do with orthodoxy of belief about God or the validity of apostolic succession and holy orders. Surely, we can share the Eucharist at that point, right?
But there is no agreement on the filioque. I think agreement is possible if Rome very publicly clarifies that the Father alone is the cause of the Trinity. But the biggest problem isn’t Church governance. It’s that you’ve made Church governance a matter of dogma. Now there is no going back on these issues unfortunately.
Well, on the scale of importance, is there much higher than proper doctrine concerning God Himself?
Proper doctrine is of paramount importance and is a necessary condition to share Communion.
I kinda want to agree with you but then I consider that there may be many people walking the planet right now who are more pleasing to God than I am but who have never received the Eucharist. And when you get to heaven, you will be one with those folks IN CHRIST, so it seems to me that while the mass (or the Divine Liturgy) is the highest form of WORSHIP, it may not be the highest form of communion. I reserve the right to change my mind on this precise point.

However, that is NOT how I defined communion when I wrote the “BIG MYTH” and sent you into a tizzy. There are multiple meanings, and you have applied YOUR meaning to MY post. Not good.
But your meaning is a misunderstanding. 🤷
 
But there is no agreement on the filioque. I think agreement is possible if Rome very publicly clarifies that the Father alone is the cause of the Trinity.
Numerous Fathers expressed the idea that the Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son. Could you explain why “through the Son” is an error?

Joey, we’ve disagreed on a lot of stuff over the past few weeks, and sometimes quite vehemently. But I do think this might be one area where we can come to some agreement.

Take a look at this, and let me know if you have any concerns or objections: catholic.com/tracts/filioque

Thanks.
 
Numerous Fathers expressed the idea that the Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son. Could you explain why “through the Son” is an error?

Joey, we’ve disagreed on a lot of stuff over the past few weeks, and sometimes quite vehemently. But I do think this might be one area where we can come to some agreement.

Take a look at this, and let me know if you have any concerns or objections: catholic.com/tracts/filioque

Thanks.
No Orthodox would disagree that the Spirit is sent through the Son. But the addition to the Creed as written sows confusion. And that article has some gross mischaracterizations that honestly I’m just not in the mood to address right now. 🙂
 
No Orthodox would disagree that the Spirit is sent through the Son. But the addition to the Creed as written sows confusion. And that article has some gross mischaracterizations that honestly I’m just not in the mood to address right now. 🙂
Ah. Well, perhaps this explanation is better:

THE GREEK AND LATIN TRADITIONS REGARDING THE PROCESSION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Pontificial Council for Promoting Christian Unity
ewtn.com/library/CURIA/PCCUFILQ.HTM

And, this official document:

JOINT COMMISSION FOR THEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE BETWEEN
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE ORTHODOX CHURCH


SECOND PLENARY MEETING

Munich, June 30 to July 6 - 1982

THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH AND OF THE EUCHARIST
IN THE LIGHT OF THE MYSTERY OF THE HOLY TRINITY
  1. Taken as a whole, the eucharistic celebration makes present the Trinitarian mystery of the church. In it one passes from hearing the word, culminating in the proclamation of the Gospel Y the apostolic announcing of the word made flesh Y to the thanksgiving offered to the Father and to the memorial of the sacrifice and to communion in it thanks to the prayer of epiclesis uttered in faith. For the epiclesis is not merely an invocation for the sacramental transforming of the bread and cup. It is also a prayer for the full effect of the communion of all in the mystery revealed by the Son.
In this way the presence of the Spirit itself is extended by the sharing in the sacrament of the word made flesh to all the body of the church. Without wishing to resolve yet the difficulties which have arisen between the East and the West concerning the relationship between the Son and the Spirit, we can already say together that this Spirit, which proceeds from the Father (Jn 15:26) as the sole source in the Trinity and which has become the Spirit of our sonship (Rom 8:15) since he is also the Spirit of the Son (Gal 4:6), is communicated to us particularly in the eucharist by this Son upon whom he reposes in time and in eternity (Jn 1:32).

That is why the eucharistic mystery is accomplished in the prayer which joins together the words by which the word made flesh instituted the sacrament and the epiclesis in which the church, moved by faith, entreats the Father, through the Son, to send the Spirit so that in the unique offering of the incarnate Son, everything may be consummated in unity. Through the eucharist believers unite themselves to Christ, who offers himself to the Father with them, and they receive the possibility of offering themselves in a spirit of sacrifice to each other, as Christ himself offers himself to the Father for the many, thus giving himself to men.

This consummation in unity brought about by the one inseparable operation of the Son and the Spirit, acting in reference to the Father in his design, is the church in its fullness.

vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/ch_orthodox_docs/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_19820706_munich_en.html
 
I should note that intercommunion between the EO and OO is sporadic and irregular, like it is with the Orthodox and the Latins. It happens out of oikonomia (whether it is an abuse of oikonomia is another matter), but it is the exception, not the norm.
 
I should note that intercommunion between the EO and OO is sporadic and irregular, like it is with the Orthodox and the Latins. It happens out of oikonomia (whether it is an abuse of oikonomia is another matter), but it is the exception, not the norm.
Well, thank you, Cav.

That sort of confirms what I’ve been arguing all along, and I appreciate the fact that you stepped up to acknowledge this.
 
Well, thank you, Cav.

That sort of confirms what I’ve been arguing all along, and I appreciate the fact that you stepped up to acknowledge this.
Here you go, twisting people’s words again. It confirms nothing of the sort. At best, we traditionally regard the non-Chalcedonians as schismatics, at worst as heretics (and they likewise with us). Unless you are erroneously equivocating, you can’t use the schism over Chalcedon as evidence that the Orthodox are divided at least not any more so than you could use the same schism to claim that Catholicism is divided (they do, after all, make their own exclusive claim to being the Catholic faith and the Catholic Church).
 
I think agreement is possible if Rome very publicly clarifies that the Father alone is the cause of the Trinity.
If this were the issue, then there wouldn’t be any because Rome states the same aside for the analogy of cause. There is no contradiction of the monarchy of the Father nor the fact that he is the sole principle of principles. So the problem certainly isn’t here, but is misunderstanding. 😉
 
Here you go, twisting people’s words again. It confirms nothing of the sort. At best, we traditionally regard the non-Chalcedonians as schismatics, at worst as heretics (and they likewise with us). Unless you are erroneously equivocating, you can’t use the schism over Chalcedon as evidence that the Orthodox are divided at least not any more so than you could use the same schism to claim that Catholicism is divided (they do, after all, make their own exclusive claim to being the Catholic faith and the Catholic Church).
For most of the past day or two, I have been explaining how the idea of “unity” or “communion” among the xx autocephalous churches is a “Big Myth”.

In the course of that discussion with various members of this forum, I questioned the relationship between the Eastern group and the Oriental group (cf #348, 351, 354)…whereupon Seraphim73 took exception and began explaining how he might receive the Eucharist in an Oriental church and vice-versa. I, on the other hand, conceded that while inter-faith communion was an important step toward full communion, it is a far cry from the deeper communion that I had in mind when I cited Schmemann and Hovorun on several occasions.

Well, just as things had moved back to discussion of the ‘Filioque’, you post acknowledging that relations between the OO are “sporadic and irregular”. Couple that with Seraphim’s allusion to “marital relations” in a prior post, and I now have a wonderful mental image of what these dialogues must be like: “sporadic and irregular relations”. :crying:

But in all seriousness, your statement proves my primary point: reception of the Eucharist in another church is NOT evidence of true communion between the various branches of Orthodoxy.

And now a question: You have accused me of using Schmemann incorrectly. (I don’t think that I did; I think you initially misunderstood my reason for quoting Schmemann and still do.) That is relatively minor, however, compared to the second passage I posted, you know, the one about all the lack of unity among the Orthodox churches? Is there any chance you will be attempting to prove that Schmemann really didn’t believe what he wrote or that I quoted him out of context or somehow distorted his words? For example, he said:

if we were true to the spirit of our faith we ought to repent in ‘sackcloth and ashes,’ we ought to cry day and night about the sad, the tragical state of our Church…Nothing can justify the bare fact: Our Church is divided.

Schmemann said it, Hovorun said it, Soloviev said it, and now, you’ve confirmed the lack of EO communion with the OO despite Seraphim’s protestations to the contrary. So, how am I twisting people’s words, Cav?

Here’s the whole article…online…for free. See what you come up with: aggreen.net/autocephaly/canonical_problem.html

Oh, and here’s Archbishop Peter of New York reflecting on Fr. Schmemann 30 years later: orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/canon_law/peter_archbishop_canonical_situation.htm

One last question: how many more witnesses do I need to bring forth to create reasonable doubt about the vaunted unity of the Eastern Orthodox church(es)?
 
So thats not an issue, #366, but what is the point of discussion is we cannot neglect Gods word either.

The Gospel clearly states, John 16:15 "All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.
 
If this were the issue, then there wouldn’t be any because Rome states the same aside for the analogy of cause. There is no contradiction of the monarchy of the Father nor the fact that he is the sole principle of principles. So the problem certainly isn’t here, but is misunderstanding. 😉
It looks like it all resulted from a mistranlation…🤷

From Randy’s link:

In the seventh century, the Byzantines were shocked by a confession of faith made by the Pope and including the Filioque with reference to the procession of the Holy Spirit; they translated the procession inaccurately by ekporeusiV. St Maximus the Confessor then wrote a letter from Rome linking together the two approaches — Cappadocian and Latin-Alexandrian — to the eternal origin of the Spirit: the Father is the sole principle without principle (in Greek aitia) of the Son and of the Spirit; the Father and the Son are consubstantial source of the procession (to proienai) of this same Spirit. “For the procession they [the Romans] brought the witness of the Latin Fathers, as well, of course, as that of St Cyril of Alexandria in his sacred study on the Gospel of St John. On this basis they showed that they themselves do not make the Son Cause (Aitia) of the Spirit. They know, indeed, that the Father is the sole Cause of the Son and of the Spirit, of one by generation and of the other by ekporeusiV — but they explained that the latter comes (proienai) through the Son, and they showed in this way the unity and the immutability of the essence” (Letter to Marinus of Cyprus, PG 91, 136 A-B). According to St Maximus, echoing Rome, the Filioque does not concern the ekporeusiV of the Spirit issued from the Father as source of the Trinity, but manifests his proienai (processio) in the consubstantial communion of the Father and the Son, while excluding any possible subordinationist interpretation of the Father’s monarchy.
 
It looks like it all resulted from a mistranlation…🤷

From Randy’s link:

In the seventh century, the Byzantines were shocked by a confession of faith made by the Pope and including the Filioque with reference to the procession of the Holy Spirit; they translated the procession inaccurately by ekporeusiV. St Maximus the Confessor then wrote a letter from Rome linking together the two approaches — Cappadocian and Latin-Alexandrian — to the eternal origin of the Spirit: the Father is the sole principle without principle (in Greek aitia) of the Son and of the Spirit; the Father and the Son are consubstantial source of the procession (to proienai) of this same Spirit. “For the procession they [the Romans] brought the witness of the Latin Fathers, as well, of course, as that of St Cyril of Alexandria in his sacred study on the Gospel of St John. On this basis they showed that they themselves do not make the Son Cause (Aitia) of the Spirit. They know, indeed, that the Father is the sole Cause of the Son and of the Spirit, of one by generation and of the other by ekporeusiV — but they explained that the latter comes (proienai) through the Son, and they showed in this way the unity and the immutability of the essence” (Letter to Marinus of Cyprus, PG 91, 136 A-B). According to St Maximus, echoing Rome, the Filioque does not concern the ekporeusiV of the Spirit issued from the Father as source of the Trinity, but manifests his proienai (processio) in the consubstantial communion of the Father and the Son, while excluding any possible subordinationist interpretation of the Father’s monarchy.
Right, the phrase Father is the sole [Cause] of the Son, is taken from one of the Saints [St John Damascene] though he isn’t speaking in terms of cause and effect. The terminology is a human analogy to explain the Divine.

Misunderstanding is right though.
 
But in all seriousness, your statement proves my primary point: reception of the Eucharist in another church is NOT evidence of true communion between the various branches of Orthodoxy.

One last question: how many more witnesses do I need to bring forth to create reasonable doubt about the vaunted unity of the Eastern Orthodox church(es)?
They have communion without communion of unity. A true Church but for one aspect, they are not in communion with Rome. They have been working on the point over there though. 👍
 
Seraphim73;12538862]All of the autocephalous Churches remain. We are united in our shared faith and shared Eucharist. As to EO/OO relations you don’t heal 1,500 years of separation over night. We really only reestablished formal contact a few decades ago. But even in that short time a remarkable amount of progress has been made. There is already extensive, officially sanctioned inter-communion and concelebration. There have been numerous agreed statements that state quite clearly that we hold the exact same faith. Here is a paragraph from the 1989 meeting in Egypt which is particularly pertinent for this thread. 😉
**Our mutual agreement **is not limited to Christology, but encompasses the whole faith of the one undivided church of the early centuries. **We are agreed **also in our understanding of the Person and Work of God the Holy Spirit, Who proceeds from the Father alone, and is always adored with the Father and the Son.[/INDENT

]

Since when did the Orthodox begin professing that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone? Or is clarification needed here?🤷 or is this heresy in the making from a "mutual agreement? That creates another schism?
[/quote]​
 
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