Any attempt to heal the theological rift between East and West must be applauded, especially if the proposal is informed, articulate and irenic. We find an example of this in Maspero’s significant contribution to the Filioque debate. Aware of the historical, theological, philosophical and political issues at stake in the debate, Maspero offers the church a perspective that brings further clarity to an issue that both sides would dearly love to resolve. As a significant contemporary Catholic scholar, Maspero predictably argues for the retention of the Filioque but seeks to do so in a way that the East could readily accept. Cutting through the thorny and technical issues involved in the Filioque controversy, Maspero looks to find and recommend a consensus theology that sees an active but not causal role for the Son in the procession of the Spirit. To achieve this, Maspero focuses on the Greek fathers to illustrate a consolidated belief in the double procession of the Spirit, even before Augustine’s work in the West. If this can be clearly illustrated, Maspero believes, therein lies the foundation for a theological agreement on what would later become the Filioque insertion in the Creed. Note, Maspero is not necessarily recommending the creedal insertion; instead, he is attempting to broker an ecumenical agreement that the double procession of the Spirit is not a Western invention, but instead is the common property of East and West, and, on that basis, that the Filioque should no longer divide Christianity.
Maspero is attuned to the intricacies of the Filioque issue and works with patristic sources and definitions, meaning he is careful to posit a double procession, not a common procession (what Maspero terms ‘Filioquism’, p.3), as happened in some writers of the medieval period. Maspero correctly exegetes the Filioque as an affirmation of the active role of the Son in the immanent procession of the Spirit without implying that the Son has a causal role that would threaten the Father’s monarchy. To present an ecumenical suggestion, Maspero embarks on a project of resourcement with respect to Greek patristic pneumatology, arguing that the response to the Pneumatomachians necessitated an explicit discussion of the Son’s role in the procession of the Spirit. Maspero’s narrative takes on something of the form of a mystery novel as he traces the historical grounding of his proposal from Origen to Gregory Nyssen, bringing the latter into dialogue with the theology of Augustine. In addition, Maspero explores the Syriac tradition to further establish a basis for rapprochement between East and West on the Filioque.
Drawing on these eastern sources over eight chapters, Maspero shows how a common theology of double procession is not a Western invention and does not bring into question essential eastern trinitarian concerns around the monarchy of the Father. The focus on pneumatology is a welcome addition to the discussion, and while his thesis that the common procession was developed in direct response to the Pneumatomachian challenge will not be convincing to everyone, Maspero has filled a gap in the literature.
The final chapter offers ‘An Ecumenical Proposal’ wherein Maspero summarises his work and argues for a more relational account of the Trinity as a way to make sense of the common patristic commitment to the active but not causal role of the Son in the procession of the Spirit. The final sentence is a suitable summary: ‘Drop the medieval Filioque, and let’s keep that of the (Greek) fathers’ (p.277).
Such an ambitious work as this will not meet universal acceptance, and specific details of the argument will need to be worked out more fully in subsequent works and in dialogue with a broader audience. Maspero engages a wide array of sources, but (and at the risk of appearing self-serving) it is a bit of a shame that he did not interact with my earlier Ecumenical Perspectives on the Filioque for the Twenty-first Century (2014), in which various parts of his argument were anticipated. Another lacuna is engagement with the monumental ‘Agreed Statement on the Holy Trinity’, brokered in 1991 between various Reformed and Orthodox churches. In this statement, the Filioque is discussed at length, and something like Maspero’s proposal is proffered, but with the removal of the Filioque from the recital of the Creed in favour of the phrase ‘through the Son’. In addition, the ‘Agreed Statement’ sees the processions as from the substance of the Father and not simply the person. A theological evaluation of the ‘Agreed Statement’ would have been a welcome addition to Maspero’s work, given how close he comes to the same conclusions.
Maspero writes with verve and a lively style, which keeps the reader interested and the topic interesting. Early in the work, we are told that one rationale for writing the book was to respond to a young man who could be seen protesting by himself in London during a visit by Pope Benedict XVI by holding up a sign written on the back of a pizza box that read: ‘Drop the Filioque’. Headings are adapted from the names and crests of various English pubs (e.g., ‘Dove and Child’). Features such as these make the work more accessible and enjoyable to read. Maspero has provided a theological tour de force in this work, and it will benefit anyone wishing to consider this important and technical topic.
