What is the heresy of the filioque?
The so-called heresy of the filioque is one of the most important disputes in the history of the church. At its core, the debate concerns the procession of the Holy Spirit within the Trinity. The phrase filioque means “and the Son,” and was added by the Western Church to the Nicene Creed in the sixth century to state that the Holy Spirit proceeds not only from the Father but also from the Son.
The Eastern Church rejected this addition, accusing the West of distorting Trinitarian theology. For them, the filioque was not simply a minor alteration but a rupture in the life of God as revealed in Scripture. Some Orthodox writers even labeled it as heresy. However, in the broader history of theology, the filioque should not be understood as an actual heresy but as a difference in emphasis. Scripture affirms that the Holy Spirit is of the Father, yet also given and mediated through the Son.
This article explores the background of the filioque controversy, the biblical and theological issues at stake, and how Christians can understand the procession of the Spirit today without reducing the Gospel or fracturing the unity of the Trinity.
1. Historical background of the filioque
The Nicene Creed originally stated that the Holy Spirit proceeds “from the Father.” At the Third Council of Toledo in 589, Western bishops added the phrase filioque—“and the Son.” This was meant to guard against Arianism, which denied the full divinity of Christ. By emphasizing the Spirit’s procession from the Son as well as the Father, the Western Church sought to protect the unity of the Son with the Father.
The Eastern Church strongly objected to this change. To them, altering a universal creed without an ecumenical council was unlawful. More deeply, they argued that the addition distorted the eternal relations of the Trinity. Prominent voices such as Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople, condemned the phrase and declared it heretical.
The controversy became one of the central theological issues dividing Eastern and Western Christianity. Along with papal authority, the filioque contributed to the Great Schism of 1054.
2. Biblical teaching on the procession of the Spirit
The Bible provides several key texts for understanding the procession of the Holy Spirit.
Of the Father: Jesus teaches, “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me” (John 15:26). This passage grounds the Spirit’s eternal origin in the Father.
Through the Son: Yet Scripture also affirms that the Spirit is sent by the Son. Jesus tells His disciples, “If I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). On the day of Pentecost, Peter declares that Jesus, “being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing” (Acts 2:33).
From these texts, the Spirit can rightly be said to be of the Father, through the Son. This language avoids the error of saying the Spirit is of both Father and Son as two sources, while also upholding that the Son mediates the Spirit in the economy of redemption.
3. Why the filioque was called a heresy
The Eastern Church believed the filioque heretically divided the Spirit’s person. To say that the Spirit proceeds from both Father and Son seemed to make the Son into another “Father,” generating the Spirit alongside the first. For Orthodox theologians, this undermined the Father’s unique role as the sole source (arche) of divinity.
Their objections can be summarized in three points:
Scriptural fidelity: John 15:26 explicitly states the Spirit proceeds from the Father, not from the Son.
Theological integrity: Adding the Son as a source appeared to introduce confusion into the personal relations of the Trinity.
Canonical authority: Modifying the Creed without universal agreement threatened the unity of the church.
From their perspective, this was more than a technicality; it was a corruption of God’s revelation. Hence, they labeled the doctrine as heresy.
4. A Reformed and historical perspective
From a Reformed and biblical perspective, the filioque is not heresy. Scripture makes clear distinctions between the eternal procession of the Spirit and the temporal sending of the Spirit. While the Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father, He is given through the Son in the work of redemption.
This can be expressed as:
Eternal relation: The Spirit is of the Father.
Redemptive mission: The Spirit is sent through the Son.
This view safeguards both truths: the Father remains the fountain of divinity, and the Son is the mediator of the Spirit. Thus, the Spirit unites believers to Christ, applying His finished work and empowering His church.
This balance also reminds us that the Gospel is Trinitarian. The Father sends the Son, the Son redeems, and the Spirit applies salvation. Without the Spirit, there is no participation in Christ. Without Christ, there is no access to the Father.
5. Implications for Christian life and unity
The filioque controversy is not just a relic of church history but raises ongoing questions about unity and fidelity to Scripture. Christians today can take away several lessons:
Guard the unity of the Spirit: Ephesians 4:3 urges believers to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Disputes over words must never eclipse the Gospel itself.
Live by the Spirit of Christ: Romans 8:9 affirms, “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” To confess the Spirit as through the Son reminds us that our life in Christ is Spirit-filled.
Hope for the last days: The Spirit’s presence is a pledge of the inheritance to come (Ephesians 1:13–14). The Spirit sustains the church until Christ returns to consummate His kingdom.
Ultimately, the procession of the Spirit is not a point for division but a testimony of the Triune God’s work in creation and redemption.
Conclusion
What is the heresy of the filioque? In truth, it is not heresy at all but a dispute over how best to express the mystery of the Spirit’s procession. The Spirit is of the Father, through the Son, consistent with biblical revelation and historic theology. Recognizing this guards us from confusion, honors the unity of God, and keeps our focus on the Spirit’s role in applying the Gospel.
Christians need not divide over the filioque but should rejoice in the Spirit who unites us to Christ and prepares us for the new creation.
Bible verses related to the filioque
John 15:26 – “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.”
John 16:7 – “If I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”
Acts 2:33 – “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God…he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.”
Romans 8:9 – “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”
Romans 8:14 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
1 Corinthians 12:4–6 – “There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit…Lord…God.”
Galatians 4:6 – “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’”
Ephesians 1:13–14 – “You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance.”
Ephesians 4:3–4 – “Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit.”
Revelation 22:17 – “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’”
