The Western Schism of the Franks and the ‘Filioque’

Abstract

The tangled web of polemical debate, theological dispute and scholarly investigation surrounding the ‘Filioque question’ is essentially the consequence of the union newly created in the eighth century between the Franks and the papacy. It is our purpose, therefore, in so far as it is pertinent to our topic, to characterise the nature and bases of that unique union and its relevance to the historical kaleidoscope of events which made the new alignment a necessity. By this method it is hoped that the Filioque controversy may be integrated into the larger historical context from which it sprang and removed from its confinement to a segmented aspect of the development of ecclesiastical dogma. It is well-known that the addition to the creed of the words ‘and from the Son’, as they pertained to the procession of the Holy Spirit, resulted in a long-standing conflict of twelve centuries which only in our own days would seem to reach its term. In re-examining the origins, evolution and outbreak of the disagreement over the revised creed and in asking how what appears to modern eyes as a mere liturgical variation could become such a major issue during three centuries, we should like to demonstrate the exceptional character of a liturgical issue as it illuminates the then prevailing relationship between pope and Frankish emperor. By contrast, its significance for later doctrines of Church and State should also become apparent.