137. The Procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and Son

Summary

This lecture examines Thomas Aquinas’s theological argument that the Holy Spirit must proceed from both the Father and the Son to maintain the real distinction of persons in the Trinity. Berquist covers the scriptural, conciliar, and logical foundations for the Filioque doctrine, addressing major objections from both Eastern and Western traditions and clarifying how the relation of origin functions as the sole basis for distinguishing divine persons.

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Necessity of the Holy Spirit Proceeding from the Son #

The Central Problem

Divine persons are distinguished only by relations of origin (not by absolute properties or essence)
If the Holy Spirit proceeded only from the Father, there would be no real distinction between the Son and Holy Spirit
They would be the same person, merely with different names—a heresy that contradicts the Trinity
Therefore, the Holy Spirit must proceed from the Son to be truly distinct from him

The Key Principle

Whatever distinguishes divine persons must be a relation of origin
Opposed relations constitute distinct persons (e.g., fatherhood vs. sonship)
Non-opposed relations pertain to one person (e.g., the Father’s fatherhood and breathing are not opposed, so they belong to one person)
The Holy Spirit’s proceeding from the Son establishes an opposed relation between them

The Order of Procession in God #

Why Order is Necessary in Immaterial Reality

In material things, multiple things can proceed from one source without order (e.g., multiple children from one parent, distinguished by spatial location)
In immaterial realities like God, there is no matter and therefore no spatial distinction
Yet from the Father proceed two distinct persons: the Son and Holy Spirit
Without matter to establish distinction by location, there must be an order of nature (ὀρδο νατῦρae)—meaning one proceeds from another
This order is the only way to account for the multitude without material distinction

How Procession Establishes Order

The Son proceeds from the Father
The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and from the Son
This creates an order: Son first (in order of nature), then Holy Spirit
This is not temporal sequence but metaphysical priority

The Modes of Procession #

The Son: Proceeding as Word/Thought

The Son proceeds from the Father as God’s thought of himself
This procession is a likeness: the thought expresses the form of that which is thought
The Son perfectly expresses the Father’s form and nature

The Holy Spirit: Proceeding as Love

The Holy Spirit proceeds as God’s love of himself
Love proceeds from knowledge: we cannot love what we do not know
Love is not a likeness of the beloved but an inclination of the will toward the beloved
The first cause of love is “the good as known” (bonum cognitum)
Since love requires knowledge, the Holy Spirit’s procession must follow the Son’s procession

Confirmation from Order

Because love must proceed from knowledge, the Son (proceeding as understanding) must be prior in order to the Holy Spirit (proceeding as love)
This accounts for the multitude of persons while maintaining immateriality: the order is one of nature, not matter or time

Scriptural and Conciliar Considerations #

Scriptural Evidence

Scripture explicitly states the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father (John 15:26)
Scripture does not explicitly state the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son
However, Thomas argues the procession from the Son is implicit in Scripture’s meaning, not merely absent from explicit words
Example: When Christ says “no one knows the Son except the Father” (Matt 11), this does not exclude the Son knowing himself; it follows that what is applied to the Father should be understood of the Son unless they are distinguished by opposed relations
Similarly, the Holy Spirit’s proceeding from the Father does not exclude his proceeding from the Son, since the Father and Son are not distinguished by the relation of being the source of the Holy Spirit

The Development of Doctrine Through Councils

The Council of Constantinople (381) affirmed the creed: “the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, proceeding from the Father”
The creed did not explicitly mention the Son because the error of denying the procession from the Son had not yet arisen
Later, when errors emerged (particularly Nestorianism, condemned at Ephesus), the Western Church (under papal authority) made the doctrine explicit by adding “and the Son” (et Filio) to the creed—the Filioque
This is not a new doctrine but an explication of what was implicitly contained in the earlier creed
Analogy: The creed says “Christ is true God and true man,” which implicitly contains that He has both human and divine wills, though this was not explicitly stated until later councils condemned monotheletism

Objections and Responses #

Objection 1: Scripture Does Not State It Explicitly

Response: We need not say what is not in Scripture either by words or by sense (meaning). The procession from the Son is found by sense—it is implicit in scriptural statements and the Trinity’s coherence.

Objection 2: The Council of Constantinople Did Not State It

Response: Each council addresses errors specific to its time. Later councils can make explicit what earlier councils left implicit. The Filioque was explicitly defined by later councils under papal authority to combat specific heresies.

Objection 3: Damascene Says We Do Not Say the Holy Spirit Is From the Son

Response: Damascene was influenced by Nestorianism, which denied the procession from the Son. We should not follow his judgment on this point, though he may have been more cautious in his wording than outright denying it.

Objection 4: The Holy Spirit Rests in the Son, Not Proceeds From Him

Response: The Holy Spirit’s resting or remaining in the Son does not exclude his proceeding from the Son. Just as the Son remains in the Father while proceeding from Him, the Holy Spirit remains in the Son while proceeding from Him. The divine processions are eternal and immanent—they remain within the divinity.

Objection 5: In Us, the Spirit (Breath) Does Not Proceed From Thought

Response: In our limited experience, breath and thought are distinct and separate. But in divine things, we must think of the word (verbum) as understood (thought), not as breath. The analogy applies to the thought, from which love necessarily proceeds.

Objection 6: The Holy Spirit Proceeds Perfectly From the Father, So Why From the Son?

Response: Thomas turns this around: precisely because the Holy Spirit proceeds perfectly from the Father, it is necessary—not superfluous—that he also proceeds from the Son. Whatever is from the Father must be from the Son (except what is repugnant to the Son’s property—namely, being derived). The Son, proceeding from the Father, shares the Father’s power to spirate the Holy Spirit.

Objection 7: Anselm Says Distinction by Different Modes of Procession Is Enough

Response: The distinction of the Son and Holy Spirit cannot rest merely on different modes of procession (understanding vs. love) if these are not opposed relations. God’s understanding and loving are one reality. The real distinction must come from one proceeding from another, which establishes opposed relations of origin.

The Problem of Names and Language #

Why Does “Spirit” Get Applied to Immaterial Realities?

“Spirit” originally means an invisible body with little matter (like air)
By analogy, we apply the name “spirit” to all immaterial substances
This is an example of how names are carried over from sensible things to insensible ones
Similarly, “breath” (spiritus in Latin, from spirare) carries connotations of moving things and giving life
Yet we must be cautious: these are analogies, not univocal descriptions of God

The Naming of the Holy Spirit

Strictly speaking, “spirit” is not predicated univocally of God as it is of air or the human spirit
The term is accommodated (accommodatur) to signify the Holy Spirit because of similarities in how the names function
This accommodatio is approved by the Church’s use in liturgy and creed

The Power and Nature of Order #

Order as a Sign of Wisdom and Beauty

Wisdom, according to Aristotle, is the ability to order things (ordinare)
Order is one of the principal forms of beauty
When multiple things proceed from one source in immaterial reality, they must be ordered to preserve the unity and beauty of that source
In God, the order is not external but internal—one person proceeding from another establishes the order necessary for the multitude

Key Arguments #

Argument for the Holy Spirit Proceeding From the Son #

Premise: Divine persons are distinguished only by relations of origin (established by Scripture and Church teaching)
Premise: A real distinction between two persons requires opposed relations of origin
Assumption: The Son and Holy Spirit are two distinct persons (de fide—a matter of faith)
Conclusion: If the Holy Spirit proceeded only from the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit would both have only one relation of origin (to the Father), and these relations would not be opposed to each other
Consequence: Without opposed relations, the Son and Holy Spirit would not be distinct persons but the same person
Reductio: This contradicts the doctrine of the Trinity
Therefore: The Holy Spirit must proceed from the Son, establishing an opposed relation that distinguishes him from the Son

Argument for the Order of Procession #

Premise: From one immaterial source, two things cannot proceed without an order of nature
Reason: Material things can be distinguished by spatial location; immaterial things cannot
Premise: The only order available in immaterial reality is the order of origin: one thing proceeding from another
Application: The Father is the source; the Son proceeds from the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeds from both
Conclusion: This establishes the necessary order for the multitude of persons in one immaterial substance (God)

Argument for the Holy Spirit Proceeding From the Son Based on Modes of Procession #

Premise: The Son proceeds as understanding (the thought of God)
Premise: The Holy Spirit proceeds as love of God
Principle: Love necessarily proceeds from knowledge; we cannot love what we do not know
Principle: The first cause of love is “the good as known” (bonum cognitum)
Conclusion: Just as love in our experience proceeds from thought, so the Holy Spirit (proceeding as love) must proceed from the Son (proceeding as thought)
Confirmation: This establishes both why the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son and why it is fitting that he does so

Important Definitions #

Procession (Processio)

The eternal going forth of one divine person from another
Characterized by origin (originatio) and relation, not by temporal sequence or motion
In God, procession remains immanent—it does not leave the divine substance
Two modes: proceeding as understanding (the Son) and proceeding as love (the Holy Spirit)

Relation of Origin (Relatio Originis)

A relation established by one divine person’s proceeding from another
The only basis for distinguishing the divine persons
Creates opposed relations when one person proceeds from another
Examples: fatherhood (Father’s relation to Son), sonship (Son’s relation to Father), spiration (Father and Son’s relation to Holy Spirit), procession (Holy Spirit’s relation to Father and Son)

Opposed Relations (Relationes Oppositae)

Relations that establish real distinctions between persons
Fatherhood and sonship are opposed relations (Father is not Son; Son is not Father)
Not all relations are opposed; for instance, both Father and Son have the relation of spirating the Holy Spirit, and these are not opposed to each other

Absolute vs. Relative (Absolutum vs. Relativum)

Absolute (ad se): pertaining to the thing in itself, not to another; in God, absolute properties pertain to the unity of essence
Relative (ad aliud): pertaining to another; in God, relative properties constitute the distinction of persons
This distinction is crucial: divine persons are never distinguished by absolute properties (which would contradict the unity of essence) but only by relative properties

Ὀρδο Νατύρae (Order of Nature)

The metaphysical order by which one thing proceeds from another
Not a temporal sequence but a logical/metaphysical priority
In God, order is established by origin: the Son from the Father, the Holy Spirit from both
Allows for multitude (distinct persons) in immaterial reality without material distinction

Accommodatio (Accommodation)

The adaptation of a name or term to signify something by analogy
Example: “spirit” is accommodated to signify the Holy Spirit because of the similarity between air (which is invisible and moves things) and the Holy Spirit’s role
The Church’s liturgical use establishes which accommodations are approved

Examples & Illustrations #

Air as an Example of Carrying Names Over #

A room described as “empty” actually contains air, which is substantial but barely visible
The term “air” (spiritus) is carried over to describe immaterial, invisible substances
Shakespeare’s phrase “melted into thin air” shows how the word extends beyond its material reference
Aristotle calls the mind “the thinnest of all things” because it can “penetrate all things” and “know all things”—showing how the metaphor extends from matter to immaterial intellect
This illustrates how language about material things is adapted (accommodated) to immaterial realities

Dante’s Meeting With Souls #

In Dante’s Divine Comedy, when he meets the souls of the dead, he recognizes them but cannot embrace them because they are like air
This popular image (souls as air-like substances in the shape of human bodies) shows how people commonly understand immaterial things by analogy to material ones
Thomas uses this to explain why the term “spirit” is commonly applied to souls and immaterial beings

Shakespeare and the Spirit Moving People #

The phrase “until the Spirit moves her” (waiting for the Spirit to move someone to action) reflects the idea that spirit means something that moves and animates things
Berquist notes this is connected to Dionysius’s observation that spirit (wind) makes things appear alive
The dynamic, moving quality associated with spirit carries over to how we speak of the Holy Spirit as that which moves and animates the faithful

The Geometer’s Names #

Geometric figures have single names: square, oblong, rhombus, rhomboid, trapezium
But equilateral triangle has no single name; we use a compound description
This shows that even familiar things sometimes lack proper names
By analogy, the Holy Spirit’s lack of a special name (like “image” for the Son) reflects the uniqueness of his mode of procession
The equilateral triangle functions as a species through the use of multiple words (in vi unius dictionis), much as the Church applies traditional names to the Holy Spirit through accommodatio

Questions Addressed #

Q: Does the Holy Spirit Proceed From the Son? #

A: Yes, necessarily. The sole basis for distinguishing divine persons is relations of origin. If the Holy Spirit proceeded only from the Father, both he and the Son would have identical relations to the Father, making them one person rather than two. To maintain the Trinity’s coherence, the Holy Spirit must proceed from the Son, establishing an opposed relation that distinguishes them.

Q: If Scripture Doesn’t Explicitly State It, How Can Thomas Claim It? #

A: Thomas distinguishes between what is found in Scripture through explicit words and what is found through sense (implicit meaning). The procession from the Son is implicit in: (1) the principle that what applies to the Father applies to the Son unless they are distinguished by opposed relations, and (2) the necessity of order among multiple processions in immaterial reality. These follow from scriptural teaching on the Trinity, even if not stated explicitly.

Q: Doesn’t the Holy Spirit “Resting” in the Son Suggest He Doesn’t Proceed From Him? #

A: No. The Holy Spirit’s remaining or resting in the Son is compatible with his proceeding from the Son, just as the Son remains in the Father while proceeding from Him. The divine processions are eternal and immanent—they occur within the divine substance and do not leave it. Remaining and proceeding are not contradictory in this context.

Q: How Can the Holy Spirit Proceed From the Son If God’s Understanding and Love Are One? #

A: God’s understanding and loving are one reality, yet they represent different modes of procession. The Son proceeds as the expression of that understanding (as God’s thought of himself); the Holy Spirit proceeds as the expression of that loving (as God’s love of himself). Even though the understanding and loving are one act in God, the processions can be distinct because they express different aspects or modes—one as knowledge (likeness), the other as inclination (love). The distinction of persons comes from these distinct modes of origin, not from a division in God’s being.

Notable Quotes #

“If the Holy Spirit does not proceed from the Son, there is not going to be a real distinction between the Father, I mean, between the Son and the Holy Spirit.” — Duane Berquist, summarizing Thomas’s core argument

“It remains, therefore, that only by relations are the divine persons distinguished from each other.” — Thomas Aquinas, cited by Berquist

“We ought not to say something about God that is not found in Scripture either through words, right? Or through the sense, huh?” — Thomas Aquinas, cited by Berquist

“It is not possible to say that the divine persons are distinguished from each other according to something absolutum—something absolute.” — Thomas Aquinas, cited by Berquist

“There is always found in the multitude of things produced some order.” — Thomas Aquinas, cited by Berquist (on why multiple processions require order)

“The first cause of love is the good as known.” — Thomas Aquinas, cited by Berquist (principle explaining why the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son)