Small things, Big things

Tenth Wednesday after Pentecost

Lectionary Texts:

Wednesday:

2 Samuel 12:13b-25

Ephesians 4:1-6

 

Thursday:

2 Samuel 13:1-22

Ephesians 4:17-16

 

The OT lectionary texts for today are a horrifying and tragic story. After his adultery with Bathsheba, David's family falls apart. His son Amnon rapes David's daughter Tamar. Amnon is half brother to Tamar. Another of David's son's, Tamar's full brother Absalom, then murders Amnon. David knows that he has reaped what he has sown.

 

Today we return to the Nicene Creed and the infamous Latin word filioque. To refresh your memory the word means "and the Son." Latin has a funny way of saying and. Instead of putting and between the two words, phrases, or clauses, it puts the suffix que onto the next word. The word for Son is filius. filio is the dative case, which is what is needed here after the preposition "from."

 

The original Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (325, 381 AD) did not have the filioque. Pope Peter II inserted in 800 AD. The Eastern (i.e. Greek speaking) churches did not accept. For two and a half centuries the issue was debated. It along with some other issues led to the complete split of the church, East and West, Greek and Latin, Catholic and Orthodox in 1054 AD.

 

The text of the Greek version translates, "the Holy Spirit...who proceeds from the Father.

The text of the Latin version translates, "The Holy Spirit...who proceeds from the Father and the Son.

 

What's the difference? Who cares? Protestants don't. Catholics simply ignore the Orthodox. The Orthodox care deeply. To them the filioque diminishes the nature and role of the Holy Spirit within the Trinity.

 

To me the key word is proceeds. In Greek it's the word ekporeuomenon, which literally means, "goes out from." 

 

The Latin word is procedentem, which has a root meaning pretty much identical to our "proceeds."  

 

Here's the way I see the difference. God the Father is in heaven. He does not come down to earth or enter human beings. Jesus is with God, but comes down from God in heaven incarnate as a human being.  The Holy Spirit likewise comes down from God in heaven and indwells humans as well as being present everywhere. God is the center of the Trinity. The NT uses imagery of Jesus sitting at God's right hand. I think of the Spirit as sitting at the left hand of God, although that image is never used in the NT. Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit come out from God in heaven and down to earth. The Orthodox can't see what they regard as the two stage process of the coming of the Spirit: God>Jesus>Holy Spirit. The Catholics don't see it the way the Orthodox see the Catholics seeing it. They see it as a one stage process: God/Jesus>Holy Spirit. I've got to go with the Greeks on this one (and against the UMH, which has the Catholic version).

Perhaps we Methodists may do best when we just say the Apostles' Creed, which avoids the problem. Every Christian can say, " I believe in the Holy Spirit."

 

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Blessed Trinity, Three in One,

For all that you are and all that you do, we give you thanks. Amen.

 

Faithfully,

Christian