Abstract

The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity has made some clarifications regarding the ecumenical problem of the Filioque. The Council stresses the distinction between the concept of ekporeusis, used by Oriental theology to affirm the Spirit's origin from the Father, and the concept of procession, used by Western theology to express the Spirit's proceeding from the Father and the Son. The meaning of the term exporeusis needs to be explained with reference to John 15:16; also to be explained are the terms used by the Second Council of Lyons where it states that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son as from one principle only and through one spiration. Thereby the problem is posed of the personal character of the Spirit within the immanent Trinity as well as in the economic Trinity. Finally, the respective merits of both theologies, Western and Eastern, are shown