Filioque: The Splitting of the Church

Filioque translated from Latin means from the Son. This term was used in the West and was in reference to the Holy Spirit. For centuries, the nature of the Holy Spirit was not addressed as there were more important and politically pressing issues that took precedence. The East rejected the West’s usage of the word filioque. The Roman Empire had been politically split between the East and West to better protect the empire and the church mirrored this split. The West argued that the Holy Spirit was from the Father and the Son, which emphasized the divinity of the Son, which was another way to push Arianism out of the church. The East did not like this change to the creed especially since it stated that there were two divine creating powers with the Son creating the Holy Spirit. This left an opening to suggest that there were two Gods, which is a theological issue that had already been addressed and rejected.