By Henry Aloysius Barry
To return to our theme, St. Ambrose writes:—"The Holy Ghost also, inasmuch as He proceeds from the Father and the Son, is not separate from the Father or the Son." (De Spirit Sanct. Cap. x.) "We cannot assert," says St. Augustine, "that the Holy Ghost does not proceed also from the Son, because it is not without some purpose that He is avowed to be the one spirit of the Father and the Son. We are taught that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Two. (De Trinit. Lib. iv.) "Why should we not believe that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Son, whereas He is the very Spirit of the Son? If He did not proceed from Him, we should not have found Him after His Resurrection in the act of breathing upon His disciples and saying, 'Receive ye the Holy Ghost,' for, what means this on breathing but that the Holy Ghost proceeds from Him?" (In Joan, xcix.)
With audacity characteristic of insincere religionists and headstrong theologists, the Greeks so-called have striven to distort the features of St. Augustine's ideas. Macarius Bulgakow, a Russian bishop of repute among his religious kind, cites St. Augustine as in favor of the heretical cause. St. Augustine had said: "The Holy Ghost is not of Himself but of Him from Whom He proceedeth; and inasmuch as He proceeds from Both as we have already shown, He is hence called the Spirit of the Father and the Spirit of the Son." The whole text is directly against the Photian contention. What then? Macarius cuts it in halves and quotes, "The Holy Ghost is not of Himself but of Him from Whom He proceeds," and deliberately leaves out the words, "He proceeds from Both." Even without this final rounding off, the very words that Macarius does quote would not favor the Photian cause because the singular number is used—"The Holy Ghost is of 'Him' from Whom He proceedeth;" for, as a matter of fact, the singular number contains theological excellence inasmuch as it expresses the truth that the Father and Son are "One Principle"; this shows that ab-intra there are not two spirators but rather one. In works ad-extra, for example, the world—the Fathers would say that it was created by the Father, Son and Holy Ghost; it is not therefore from itself but from "Him " by Whom it was created— namely the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, to preserve the idea that ad-extra there are not three Creators but One. St. Leo, Roman Pontiff, says, "One is there Who begets, another also is begotten, yet One again is there Who proceedeth from the Two." St. Anselm did yeoman service in the Barensian synod. When the Greeks contended with violence and in a very monsoon of sophistic ardor of debate swept down upon the assembled Bishops, Pope Urban II., who sat upon the throne, rose up and with great dramatic effect called out in a loud voice, "Anselm! Anselm!" The singularly equipped man of God, obedient to the call, bounded into the arena of argument and before the assembled pontiffs with the weapon of deep invincible erudition and keen logic drove back the invaders of orthodox doctrine. Among other testimonies, St. Anselm contributes these words:—"Let us confess that the Holy Ghost, when He proceedeth from the Father 'through' the Son, proceeds likewise 'from' the Son just as what is done 'by' the Father 'through' the Word is done likewise 'by' the Word Himself." What is called the Symbol of St. Athanasius, assigned a place in the Roman Breviary, was chiefly aimed at the Arians, Nestorians and Eutichians. It is deep and critical, learned and limpid on the Trinity and upon the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, about Whose two natures it discourses admirably. The Symbol takes its name not from the fact that the saint drew it up, but because it was compiled wholly from the saint's writings and sets out to establish the truth for which this Father so gallantly contended.
To return to our theme, St. Ambrose writes:—"The Holy Ghost also, inasmuch as He proceeds from the Father and the Son, is not separate from the Father or the Son." (De Spirit Sanct. Cap. x.) "We cannot assert," says St. Augustine, "that the Holy Ghost does not proceed also from the Son, because it is not without some purpose that He is avowed to be the one spirit of the Father and the Son. We are taught that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Two. (De Trinit. Lib. iv.) "Why should we not believe that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Son, whereas He is the very Spirit of the Son? If He did not proceed from Him, we should not have found Him after His Resurrection in the act of breathing upon His disciples and saying, 'Receive ye the Holy Ghost,' for, what means this on breathing but that the Holy Ghost proceeds from Him?" (In Joan, xcix.)
With audacity characteristic of insincere religionists and headstrong theologists, the Greeks so-called have striven to distort the features of St. Augustine's ideas. Macarius Bulgakow, a Russian bishop of repute among his religious kind, cites St. Augustine as in favor of the heretical cause. St. Augustine had said: "The Holy Ghost is not of Himself but of Him from Whom He proceedeth; and inasmuch as He proceeds from Both as we have already shown, He is hence called the Spirit of the Father and the Spirit of the Son." The whole text is directly against the Photian contention. What then? Macarius cuts it in halves and quotes, "The Holy Ghost is not of Himself but of Him from Whom He proceeds," and deliberately leaves out the words, "He proceeds from Both." Even without this final rounding off, the very words that Macarius does quote would not favor the Photian cause because the singular number is used—"The Holy Ghost is of 'Him' from Whom He proceedeth;" for, as a matter of fact, the singular number contains theological excellence inasmuch as it expresses the truth that the Father and Son are "One Principle"; this shows that ab-intra there are not two spirators but rather one. In works ad-extra, for example, the world—the Fathers would say that it was created by the Father, Son and Holy Ghost; it is not therefore from itself but from "Him " by Whom it was created— namely the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, to preserve the idea that ad-extra there are not three Creators but One. St. Leo, Roman Pontiff, says, "One is there Who begets, another also is begotten, yet One again is there Who proceedeth from the Two." St. Anselm did yeoman service in the Barensian synod. When the Greeks contended with violence and in a very monsoon of sophistic ardor of debate swept down upon the assembled Bishops, Pope Urban II., who sat upon the throne, rose up and with great dramatic effect called out in a loud voice, "Anselm! Anselm!" The singularly equipped man of God, obedient to the call, bounded into the arena of argument and before the assembled pontiffs with the weapon of deep invincible erudition and keen logic drove back the invaders of orthodox doctrine. Among other testimonies, St. Anselm contributes these words:—"Let us confess that the Holy Ghost, when He proceedeth from the Father 'through' the Son, proceeds likewise 'from' the Son just as what is done 'by' the Father 'through' the Word is done likewise 'by' the Word Himself." What is called the Symbol of St. Athanasius, assigned a place in the Roman Breviary, was chiefly aimed at the Arians, Nestorians and Eutichians. It is deep and critical, learned and limpid on the Trinity and upon the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, about Whose two natures it discourses admirably. The Symbol takes its name not from the fact that the saint drew it up, but because it was compiled wholly from the saint's writings and sets out to establish the truth for which this Father so gallantly contended.
