By Henry Aloysius Barry
Unity of principle is not so explicitly set forth in the "dia" or "through the Son," but is rather contained in the consideration of the subject —God the Father and God the Son. The Fathers of the West in the "from the Father and the Son" directly insist upon the unity of essence and of spiration as against the Arians and include" distinguishing of persons as against the Sabellians. The Easterns in their more frequently employed formula—"from the Father 'by' the Son,"— directly give expression to distinctiveness and order of persons so as to counteract Sabellianism and the Arian calumny, more than once tried, of confounding the persons, and, at the same time, they "include" A unity of principle as against the heresy of the Arians.
The Eastern Fathers have used the "from the Father and the Son" and likewise the Latins have taken up the "from the Father by the Son." These latter with as much eloquence build the procession "principally" from the Father in the same sense as the Oriental Fathers speak of the Father as the "primordial principal." That is to say, although the Son is abintra a principal, He is not without-principle. The Holy Ghost abintra is not the principle of any other person. St. Gregory Nazianzen says:—"Without principle, also principle, and He Who is with principle is one God. The name, 'without principle' belongs to the Father. 'Principle' means the Son's and He, to Whom is given the name, 'with principle' is the Holy Ghost. One nature is in the three; namely God. The union, however, consists of the Father from Whom and to Whom they are related, Who proceed according to order." (Or. xlii, al. 32, n. 15.) The very contexts and the manner of teaching the procession of the Holy Ghost, "from" the Father "through" the Son being considered, all doubt on the meaning and consent of the East with the West is extinguished, for they directly avow that "through" the Son is pertinent to the immanent and eternal procession and is not merely a reference to the "mission ad extra." This appears from the fact that they say that the Holy Ghost proceeds by the Son "essentially" 'according to essence" "by nature" "naturally". They tell us that this procession of the Holy Ghost "from" the Father "by" the Son is the communication of nature from the Father by the Son. Says St. Athanasius: "We shall find such relationship of the Holy Ghost to the Son as the Son has to the Father, and as the Son says, 'all that the Father has, is Mine,'" (assuredly by immanent origin of the Son from the Father) so also shall we find all these by the Son in the Spirit." (for kindred reasons, by immanent origin) (Eph. iii, ad. Seraph, n. 1.) St. Basil says:— "Natural goodness and essential sanctity and royal dignity flow from the Father through the Son into the Holy Ghost." (De Spirit Sanct, c. xviii, n. 47 j Says St. Cyril: "Since the Spirit proceeds naturally 'through the Son' as His own Spirit, He is said (in Holy Writ) to receive all that the Son has in perfection." (In Jo. p. 929930.) A fragment of a letter alleged to be from the quill of St. Maximus, martyr of the seventh century,is shown to the effect that he—apparently— scouts the procession "from the Son,"— "Filioque!" The genuineness of this epistle has been questioned by both Latins and Greeks. The so-called Greeks produced it in the Council of Florence. Granting its genuineness, St. Maximus, after all, only seems to deny that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Son—Filioque" —for, he confesses that this is demonstrated by the Fathers. He says, however, that it is not thence denied that the Father alone is the primordial fount of the Trinity and that if you consider the formula of the order of Persons, wherein the Holy Ghost is said to proceed from the Father and the Son, it has the same meaning as the other formula, wherein He is said to proceed dia or through the Son. (Pet. p. 407 Franz, p. 575.)
Unity of principle is not so explicitly set forth in the "dia" or "through the Son," but is rather contained in the consideration of the subject —God the Father and God the Son. The Fathers of the West in the "from the Father and the Son" directly insist upon the unity of essence and of spiration as against the Arians and include" distinguishing of persons as against the Sabellians. The Easterns in their more frequently employed formula—"from the Father 'by' the Son,"— directly give expression to distinctiveness and order of persons so as to counteract Sabellianism and the Arian calumny, more than once tried, of confounding the persons, and, at the same time, they "include" A unity of principle as against the heresy of the Arians.
The Eastern Fathers have used the "from the Father and the Son" and likewise the Latins have taken up the "from the Father by the Son." These latter with as much eloquence build the procession "principally" from the Father in the same sense as the Oriental Fathers speak of the Father as the "primordial principal." That is to say, although the Son is abintra a principal, He is not without-principle. The Holy Ghost abintra is not the principle of any other person. St. Gregory Nazianzen says:—"Without principle, also principle, and He Who is with principle is one God. The name, 'without principle' belongs to the Father. 'Principle' means the Son's and He, to Whom is given the name, 'with principle' is the Holy Ghost. One nature is in the three; namely God. The union, however, consists of the Father from Whom and to Whom they are related, Who proceed according to order." (Or. xlii, al. 32, n. 15.) The very contexts and the manner of teaching the procession of the Holy Ghost, "from" the Father "through" the Son being considered, all doubt on the meaning and consent of the East with the West is extinguished, for they directly avow that "through" the Son is pertinent to the immanent and eternal procession and is not merely a reference to the "mission ad extra." This appears from the fact that they say that the Holy Ghost proceeds by the Son "essentially" 'according to essence" "by nature" "naturally". They tell us that this procession of the Holy Ghost "from" the Father "by" the Son is the communication of nature from the Father by the Son. Says St. Athanasius: "We shall find such relationship of the Holy Ghost to the Son as the Son has to the Father, and as the Son says, 'all that the Father has, is Mine,'" (assuredly by immanent origin of the Son from the Father) so also shall we find all these by the Son in the Spirit." (for kindred reasons, by immanent origin) (Eph. iii, ad. Seraph, n. 1.) St. Basil says:— "Natural goodness and essential sanctity and royal dignity flow from the Father through the Son into the Holy Ghost." (De Spirit Sanct, c. xviii, n. 47 j Says St. Cyril: "Since the Spirit proceeds naturally 'through the Son' as His own Spirit, He is said (in Holy Writ) to receive all that the Son has in perfection." (In Jo. p. 929930.) A fragment of a letter alleged to be from the quill of St. Maximus, martyr of the seventh century,is shown to the effect that he—apparently— scouts the procession "from the Son,"— "Filioque!" The genuineness of this epistle has been questioned by both Latins and Greeks. The so-called Greeks produced it in the Council of Florence. Granting its genuineness, St. Maximus, after all, only seems to deny that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Son—Filioque" —for, he confesses that this is demonstrated by the Fathers. He says, however, that it is not thence denied that the Father alone is the primordial fount of the Trinity and that if you consider the formula of the order of Persons, wherein the Holy Ghost is said to proceed from the Father and the Son, it has the same meaning as the other formula, wherein He is said to proceed dia or through the Son. (Pet. p. 407 Franz, p. 575.)
