« Ch.X. Q.64. Three Divine Persons | Main | Ch.X. Q.66. Divine Notions »
August 08, 2005
Ch.X. Q.65. Divine Processions
ACCORDING to Holy Scripture the Son proceeds from the Father by generation, and the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son by spiration. The terms procession, generation, and spiration, like the term person, are inadequate and symbolical. Yet they express revealed truths, and sufficiently for practical purposes. These truths are necessary for us to receive, but they cannot be fully defined.1
2. The Divine processions are (a) immanent, since their objective termini are internal to their principle; (b) substantial or subsistent, since they signify a changeless movement in the Divine essence itself—the mode of the Divine subsistence; (c) necessary, for the Father cannot but generate, and the Father and the Son cannot but spirate, since the personal subsistences themselves depend upon the Divine processions. Yet we may not speak of compulsion, for the necessity is internal. It is the nature of God to generate and spirate ;2 (d) eternal, for they have neither beginning nor end. They are ever going on, yet always com¬pleted;3 (e) perfect, since they are without change of substance or diversity. The one essence is in each procession entirely communicated.4
3. Since these processions signify the mode of Divine subsistence and are immanent, eternal, and perfect, we may not speak of the Son as later in time than the Father, or inferior to Him, nor of the Holy Ghost as later than the Father and the Son, or inferior to Them. The whole Three Per¬sons are co-eternal together and co-equal.5
4. The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son, but in different manners and as from one principle. He proceeds from (̕εκ) the Father, through (δία, παρά) the Son; for the Father alone is the unoriginate source of the God-head. The Son spirates the Holy Ghost because He is consubstantial with the Father, receiving His essence from the Father, and communicating it in and with the Father to the Holy Ghost.6 This is the doctrine of the ancients, including such Easterns as SS. Athanasius, Basil, Cyril Alex., and John Damas., and of all portions of the Church to-day; although the Filioque controversy, originally one of law simply, has called forth statements from certain Eastern theologians which need careful construction. In any case, we may not deny that there is an eternal procession of the Holy Ghost from the Son.7
1 Wilhelm and Scannell, Manual, Vol. I., pp. 316-330; St. Thos., Summa, I., xxvii.; Forbes, Creed, pp. 116-124, 256-262; Pearson, Creed, pp. 238-244, 252, 253, 570-577; Schouppe, Elementa, Tr. VI. §§ 135-150; Ottley, Incarnation, Vol. II., pp. 261-264; Newman, Arians, App. Note 2, pp. 416-422 (these two last on generation). On the Son's generation, cf. Psa. ii. 7 w. Heb. i. 5; John v. 26; vii. 29; xvi. 15, 28; II. Cor. iv. 4; Heb. i. 3. On the Procession of the Spirit, cf. Matt. x. 20; John xiv. 26; xv. 26; xvi. 13; Rom. viii. 9; Gal. iv. 6; Phil. i. 19; I. Pet. i. 11.
2 St. Thos., I., xli. 2, 5.
3 Forbes, pp. 120-122; Liddon, Divinity of Christ, p. 431.
4 Schouppe, §§ 139-144.
5 Athanasian Creed; St. Thos., I., xlii. 1, 2.
6 Forbes, pp. 256-262; St. Thos. I., xxxvi. 2-4: Schouppe, §§ 186-190; Pearson, pp. 570-577.
7 Pusey, on "And the Son"; Wilhelm and Scannell, pp. 296-307; Richey, Nicene Creed and the Filioque; Wilberforce, Holy Eucharist, pp. 225, 226 and note; Swete, Hist. of the Doc. of the Procession; Lacey, Elem. of Doctrine, pp. 83-84; Stone, Outlines, pp. 29, 30, 276; Howard, Schism bet. Oriental and Western Churches; Hutchings, Holy Ghost, pp. 32-38, 277-279.
Posted by Debra Bullock at August 8, 2005 06:23 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://disseminary.org/mt/mt-tb.cgi/537