The Creed As The Foundation Of Faith
The Nicene Creed is the universal confession of faith in Orthodox Christianity. It was written at the First and Second Ecumenical Councils in the fourth century and has been recited unchanged for nearly two thousand years in every Divine Liturgy.
The Creed is not a collection of private opinions but the united voice of the Church, a safeguard against heresy, and a confession of the truth revealed by God.
The words of the Creed are holy. The Fathers of the Councils spoke under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and their agreement is a sign of divine authority.
To alter the Creed is not a minor adjustment but a grave sin, for it changes the very confession of who God is.
Orthodox Christianity has always defended the Creed, refusing any additions or subtractions.
What The Filioque Means
The word Filioque is Latin for “and the Son.”
It refers to a phrase added in the Western Church to the Creed: “the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.”
The original Creed, written and sealed by the Councils, says clearly: “the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father.”
This change alters the eternal relationship of the Trinity. The Gospel of John teaches plainly:
“When the Comforter comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He shall testify of Me”
John 15:26
Christ Himself said the Spirit proceeds from the Father. To add “and the Son” is to contradict the very words of Christ.
The History Of The Alteration
The Filioque first appeared in Spain in the sixth century, partly as a reaction against Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ. By adding “and the Son,” some hoped to emphasize the equality of the Son with the Father. But in doing so, they distorted the revealed truth of the Trinity.
For centuries, Rome resisted the addition. In the eighth century, Pope Leo III had the Creed engraved in both Latin and Greek without the Filioque, declaring it should never be changed.
Yet by the eleventh century, Rome accepted the addition, and it became a point of division between East and West. The Orthodox Church rejected the change firmly, seeing it as both theologically false and canonically unlawful.
If the pope is truly infallible, how has he been wrong for centuries, or did his error begin the moment Rome embraced the Filioque?
Why The Filioque Is Heretical
The Filioque undermines the true teaching of the Trinity. The Father is the sole source, the fountainhead of the Godhead. From Him alone the Son is begotten, and from Him alone the Spirit proceeds. This order is eternal and unchangeable.
Saint Gregory of Nyssa explained:
“We confess one God because the monarchy is preserved. The Son is begotten of the Father, the Spirit proceeds from the Father. Thus we safeguard the unity of the Godhead.”
The Filioque destroys this monarchy of the Father, creating confusion in the relations of the Trinity.
Saint Photios the Great called the Filioque a blasphemy, for it makes the Son a second cause of the Spirit, confusing the eternal distinctions of the divine Persons.
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Orthodoxy confesses the Trinity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each distinct yet one in essence, without confusion or division.
The Spiritual Dangers Of Altering The Creed
To alter the Creed is not only a theological error but a spiritual danger. The Psalmist warns:
“Add not to His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar”
Proverbs 30:6
The Creed is the word of the Church guided by the Holy Spirit. To add to it is to fall into pride, assuming that human wisdom can improve divine revelation.
This pride has led to further divisions and doctrinal errors in the West. Once the Creed was altered, it became easier to change other parts of the faith, leading to distortions in theology, liturgy, and spirituality.
Orthodoxy resists such changes firmly, not out of stubbornness, but out of love for the truth that cannot be compromised.
The Witness Of Scripture
The Holy Scriptures confirm the Orthodox position.
- John 15:26: “The Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father.”
- John 16:13–14: “He will not speak of Himself, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will glorify Me.”
- Ephesians 4:4–6: “One Spirit, one Lord, one God and Father of all.”
- Psalm 32:6 (LXX): “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and by the Spirit of His mouth all their host.”
Nowhere does Scripture say the Spirit proceeds from the Son. The teaching is clear and consistent: the Father is the eternal source.
The Testimony Of The Fathers
The Holy Fathers guard the truth of the Trinity with great care.
- Saint Basil the Great wrote: “The cause of the Spirit is the Father.”
- Saint John of Damascus affirmed: “We say that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, and we call Him the Spirit of the Son, not as from Him, but as proceeding through Him from the Father.”
- Saint Maximos the Confessor, writing to the Latins before the final acceptance of the Filioque, explained that the Spirit proceeds from the Father alone, but is sent into the world through the Son.
These Fathers show the Orthodox distinction between eternal procession from the Father and temporal mission through the Son.
The Filioque confuses this distinction, creating a false teaching.
The Canonical Crime Of Adding To The Creed
The Ecumenical Councils declared that the Creed was not to be altered. The Third Ecumenical Council in Ephesus (431) decreed:
“It is unlawful for any man to bring forward, or to write, or to compose a different faith as a rival to that established by the holy Fathers.”
By adding the Filioque, the Western Church disobeyed this decree.
This is why the Orthodox Church not only rejects the theology of the Filioque but also condemns the act of changing the Creed without the authority of an Ecumenical Council. It is both a heresy and a breach of holy order.
Why The Orthodox Church Stands Firm
The Orthodox Church stands firm against the Filioque because to surrender this truth would be to lose the very foundation of the faith. The Trinity is the mystery of salvation. To confess wrongly about God is to risk eternal error.
Saint Gregory the Theologian declared:
“It is dangerous to speak of God incorrectly, even if it seems small, for even a little falsehood about Him becomes great.”
By holding to the original Creed, Orthodox Christianity preserves the faith of the Apostles and the Fathers, ensuring that the Church remains the true Body of Christ. This fidelity is not rigidity but faithfulness to the living truth that saves.
A Word For Orthodox Parents Explaining To Their Children
Parents can explain simply: We believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes from the Father, just as Jesus said. Some people added extra words to the Creed a long time ago, but the Church never changed what Jesus taught. That is why we keep the Creed the same. It is like a beautiful song that we never want to spoil by adding wrong notes.
The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father through Whom all things were made.
Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried;
And He rose on the third day, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father;
And He will come again with glory to judge the living and dead. His kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Creator of life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke through the prophets.
In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come.
Amen.