Section 03: The Filioque
The dogmatic heart of the collection. These files set out Photius’s case against the Latin addition of the Filioque to the Creed — the assertion that the Holy Spirit proceeds “from the Father and the Son” — in the two works where he made it: the Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit, his mature theological treatise, and the Encyclical to the Eastern Patriarchs of 867, his first public indictment. Together they are the foundation of the classical Orthodox dogmatic response to the Filioque.
Tradition: Pan-Orthodox / Byzantine
Contents
| File | Topic |
|---|---|
| The Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit | The mature treatise (c. 884–886): the procession from the Father alone, the monarchy of the Father as sole cause, the charge that the Filioque introduces two principles into the Godhead, the distinction of eternal procession from temporal mission, and Photius’s charitable handling of the Western Fathers |
| The Encyclical of 867 | The Encyclical to the Eastern Patriarchs: the protest against the Frankish missionaries adding the Filioque in Bulgaria, the catalogue of Latin innovations, and the call for a council |
How to Use
- Read The Mystagogy for the developed dogmatic argument; read The Encyclical of 867 for the occasion and the first, polemically sharper statement.
- The historical setting of the Encyclical — the 867 council and the Bulgarian mission — is in Section 02 and Section 06; the conciliar repudiation of the addition in 879–880 is in Section 07.
Cross-References
- For the underlying doctrine of the Holy Spirit, see Pneumatology
- For the patristic consensus Photius invokes, see The Church Fathers
- For the earlier Father whose “through the Son” Photius’s “Father alone” must be set against, see St. John of Damascus
References
- See the collection README for the principal sources; each content file carries its own full reference list.