FILIOQLE, a Latin term signifying "and from the Son," designates a controversy between the Greek and Latin churches which has been prolonged through many cen turies. The council of Nictea, 325 A.D., while it affirmed that the Son is of the same substance with the Father, simply added that it believed in the Holy Spirit. The council of Constantinople, 381 A.D., declared that the Spirit is of the same substance with the Father and the Son, and that -he proceedeth from the Father. This is in accordance with the teaching of Christ to his apostles, and, while it does not affirm that he proceedeth from the Father only, certainly seems to imply it. In the Latin church the idea of the double procession seems always to have prevailed. Augustin taught clearly that the spirit proceedeth from both the Father and the Son. At the third synod of Toledo, 589 A.D., which, however, had not ecumenical authority, "fihioque" was added to the creed. In the eastern church the addition was not accepted. In 809 pope Leo III. refused to sanction the addition to the creed, but approved the doctrine as scriptural and sound. In the 9th c., when the controversy arose between the patri arch of Constantinople and the pope which caused the schism between the churches, the doctrinal difference was discussed, and the western church was reproached for hav ing departed from the faith. At length Rome did add the clause to the creed, but not publicly; no decretal or other announced it to the church. In 1014, when Henry II. was crowned at Rome, the creed with the added clause was chanted at high mass. In 1274, at the council of Lyons, a vain attempt to reconcile the two portions of the church was made. In 1439, at the council of Florence, the effort was renewed, at first with apparent success; but the Greek church would not accept the compromise that had been agreed on. Later efforts have been equally unsuccessful. Yet the two
churches both maintain the doctrine of the Trinity, while they differ only in the vain endeavor to understand and explain it. And even in this there is substantial agreement between them, for the Greek church admits the doctrine of a double procession in a sense which is in accordance with Scripture and is, probably, not essentially different from that which the Latin church maintains. In 1718, the Greek patriarch and synod made the following declaration: " We thus believe that there is a twofold procession of the Holy Spirit, the one natural, eternal, and before time, according to which the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone; the other, temporal and deputative, accord ing to which the Holy Spirit is externally sent forth, derived, proceeds, and flows from both the Father and the Son for the sanctification of the creature." Both these pro cessions are contained in the words of Christ: " The Comforter, whom I will send unto you from the Father; even the Spirit of truth who promedeth, from the Father." At a con ference of Old Catholic; Anglican, and eastern theologians, held at Bonn in1.874, there was a general agreement that the words filioque had been added to the creed in an illegal manner; and that peace and unity would be greatly promoted if the entire church could find a way to restore the creed to its original form, without sacrificing the doctrine held by the western churches. Thus far there has been no announcement of any progress towards the accomplishment of the desired unity.