THE INTERPRETATION OF THE FILIOQUE CLAUSE BY ORTHODOX ECCLESIOLOGY AND BIBLICAL EXEGETICAL METHODOLOGY

Abstract

The filioque clause is one of the major differences between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. The decision of the Catholic Church to add the filioque clause in the Creed not only caused many problems, but it still keeps the two Churches in distance. Although some attempts have been made to resolve the situation, the filioque remains an issue under dispute. While for Catholics it has the validity of Pope, according to Orthodox Ecclesiology and Biblical Exegetical Methodology, the filioque is a non-valid clause which disrupts the order of the Holy Trinity. In this paper, we are going to examine the filioque clause from an Orthodox perspective and explain why the Orthodox Church does not accept the term filioque as a valid addition in the Creed.