In the earlier Creed – the Apostles’ Creed – there is the above very simple statement about the Holy Spirit. In the Nicene Creed, this statement has been considerably developed. It became “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.”
Why did this happen? The reason for the development was that some people began to deny that the Holy Spirit was truly divine and equal to the Father and the Son. This issue was discerned and affirmed at the Second Ecumenical Council, Constantinople I, which occurred in 381. In fact, the Nicene Creed is more accurately called the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. (You can see why we commonly use the shorter title!).
It is often the case that the understanding of the faith develops when some aspect of it is denied and then a formal discernment has to take place to sort out what is in tune with the mystery of faith that has been handed down.
So the Creed states that the Holy Spirit like the Father and the Son is the Lord and with the Father and the Son is the giver of life. It is also affirmed that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. This is rather technical language which had developed to talk about the relationships of Father, Son and Holy Spirit within the Trinity.
The Creed then states that as with the Father and the Son, the Spirit is to be adored and glorified. Adoration is something which is due to God only, therefore the Holy Spirit is divine.
Then we have the phrase “who has spoken through the prophets”. This is again an important statement which links the old testament and the new testament. Even though the Holy Spirit is only revealed in the new testament, this statement recognizes that the Holy Spirit has been at work throughout the old testament and is leading it forward towards the coming of Christ. The Spirit is a dynamic force at work throughout the history of Israel which is gradually moving towards the recognition of Jesus as the Messiah.
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Mary Barbuto says:
Thanks Frank. Let’s hope and pray that the same dynamic spirit is listened to in the coming week!
Kerry Bourke says:
Very well explained Fr Frank. Thank you. I an currently going through the ‘ Catechism in a Year ‘ with Fr. Mike Schmitz (USA) podcast and we are reading about the Holy Spirit and His part in the Mass. It has made me much more appreciative of the work and power of the Holy Spirit.