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How an Orthodox Accusation Became a Source of Inspiration for Congar's pneumatology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Pablo Arteaga
Pablo Arteaga*
Affiliation:
Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome
*
parteaga@gmail.com
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Abstract

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that due to the so-called “accusation of Christomonism” made especially by the Orthodox observers during the Vatican II sessions, the pneumatology of French theologian Yves Congar proceeded to develop in a way that would have never happened without such a reproach. We will go through the accusation itself, its theological consequences, and then we will study the direct and indirect responses of Congar. Was Congar even aware of the effects that this accusation had on his theology?

Keywords

PneumatologyYves CongarVatican IIOrthodox-Latin traditionsChristomonismHoly SpiritTrinity
Type
Original Article
Information
New Blackfriars , Volume 100 , Issue 1089 , September 2019 , pp. 526 - 537
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 Provincial Council of the English Province of the Order of Preachers

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Footnotes

*

Special thanks to Miss Elizabeth Reichert for helping me correcting the text.

References

1 This article was originally presented as lecture, given by the author in the 2018 Annual Conference of the European Academy of Religion, Bologna, March 5th-8th, in the panel called ‘Pneumatology beyond polemics: 20th century Eastern and Western doctrines of the Holy Spirit in Dialogue’.

2 MacDonald, Charles, Church and world in the plan of God: aspects of history and eschatology in the thought of Père Yves Congar o.p. (Frankfurt am Main: Verlag Peter Lang, 1982), p.ixGoogle Scholar.

3 Cf. Quattrocchi, Pietro, ‘Bibliographie générale du Père Yves Congar’, in Jossua, Jean-P., Le Père Congar: la thèologie au service du peuple de Dieu (Paris: Cerf, 1967), pp. 213‑272Google Scholar; Nichols, Aidan J., ‘An Yves Congar bibliography 1967-1987’, Angelicum 66 (1989/3), pp. 422‑466Google Scholar; Vezin, Jean-Marie, ‘Une presentation raisonnee de la bibliographie de Congar’, Transversalités 98 (2006), pp. 37‑60Google Scholar.

4 Cf. Gianazza, Pier G., Lo Spirito Santo: summa pneumatologica di Yves Congar (Roma: LAS, 1998), pp.259‑262Google Scholar.

5 Congar, Yves M., ‘La Pneumatologie dans la théologie catholique’, Revue des sciences philosophiques et théologiques 51 (1967), p.250Google Scholar; Congar, Yves M., ed., Vocabulaire oecuménique (Paris: Cerf, 1970), p.197Google Scholar.

6 Congar, Yves M., I believe in the Holy Spirit (New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1997), p.66Google Scholar.

7 Congar, Yves M., ed., Vocabulaire oecuménique (Paris: Cerf, 1970), p.197Google Scholar.

8 Congar, Yves M. ‘Pneumatology or Christomonism in the latin tradition?’, in Ginter, Mark E., ed., The Spirit of God. Short Writings on the Holy Spirit, (Washington D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2018), p.163CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

9 Cf. Gianazza, Pier G., Lo Spirito Santo: summa pneumatologica di Yves Congar (Roma: LAS, 1998), p.46Google Scholar.

10 See also: Kasper, Walter, ‘La théologie oecuménique d'Yves-Marie Congar et la situation actuelle de l'oecuménisme’, Bulletin de Litterature Ecclesiastique 106 (2005/1), p.17Google Scholar. Kasper explains: «dans l'opinion de certains théologiens orthodoxes, en particulier l'illustre V. Lossky, le filioque a des conséquences concrètes pour la compréhension de l’Église. Pour ces théologiens, toute l'efficacité de l'Esprit Saint semble ainsi liée à la personne et à l'action de Jésus Christ, ce qui ne laisse aucun espace de liberté à l'Esprit Saint; le filioque enchaîne, pour ainsi dire, l'Esprit Saint entièrement aux institutions établies par le Christ. Selon cette interprétation, avec le «filioque», les catholiques soumettent les charismes à l'institution, la liberté individuelle à l'autorité de l’Église, le prophétique au juridique, le mysticisme à la scholastique, le sacerdoce commun au sacerdoce hiérarchique et, enfin, la collégialité épiscopale à la primauté romaine».

11 Cf. Congar, Yves M. ‘Pneumatology or Christomonism in the latin tradition?’, in Ginter, Mark E., ed., The Spirit of God. Short Writings on the Holy Spirit, (Washington D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2018), pp.162-163CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Congar, Yves M., ‘Le troisième article du Symbole. L'impact de la pneumatologie dans la vie de l’Église’, in Dieu, Église et société (Paris: le Centurion, 1985), p.294Google Scholar; Congar, Yves M., ‘Les implications christologiques et pneumatologiques de l'ecclésiologie de Vatican II’, in Alberigo, Giuseppe, éd., Les Eglises après Vatican II: dynamisme et prospective: actes du colloque international de Bologne, 1980 (Paris: Beauchesne, 1981), pp.117‑130, pp.118,130Google Scholar; Congar, Yves M., La Parole et le Souffle (Paris: Desclée, 2010), p.186Google Scholar; Congar, Yves M., ‘Actualité renouvelée du Saint-Esprit’, Lumen vitae 27 (1972/4), p.550Google Scholar; Congar, Yves M., ed., Vocabulaire oecuménique (Paris: Cerf, 1970), p.197Google Scholar; Congar, Yves M., ‘La Pneumatologie dans la théologie catholique’, Revue des sciences philosophiques et théologiques 51 (1967/2), p.251Google Scholar.

12 Recently translated: Congar, Yves M. ‘Pneumatology or Christomonism in the latin tradition?’, in Ginter, Mark E., ed., The Spirit of God. Short Writings on the Holy Spirit, (Washington D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2018)CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

13 Congar, Yves M., The Word and the Spirit (London: Chapman, 1986)Google Scholar.

14 Congar, Yves M., ‘Actualité renouvelée du Saint-Esprit’, Lumen vitae 27 (1972/4), p.550Google Scholar.

15 Congar, Yves M. ‘Pneumatology or Christomonism in the latin tradition?’, in Ginter, Mark E., ed., The Spirit of God. Short Writings on the Holy Spirit, (Washington D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2018), p.194CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

16 Congar, Yves M., ‘La Pneumatologie dans la théologie catholique’, Revue des sciences philosophiques et théologiques, 51 (1967/2), p.251Google Scholar.

17 Congar, Yves M., The Word and the Spirit (London: Chapman, 1986), p.114Google Scholar.

18 Congar, Yves M., ‘The third article of the Creed: the impact of pneumatology on the life of the Church’ in Ginter, Mark E., ed., The Spirit of God. Short Writings on the Holy Spirit, (Washington D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2018), p.254CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

19 Puyo, Jean, Une vie pour la vérité (Paris: Le Centurion, 1975), p.189Google Scholar.

20 Congar, Yves M., ‘La Pneumatologie dans la théologie catholique’, Revue des sciences philosophiques et théologiques, 51 (1967/2), p.251Google Scholar.

21 Congar, Yves M., ‘Bulletin de théologie dogmatique’, Revue des sciences philosophiques et théologiques 33 (1949), p.452Google Scholar.

22 Cf. Gianazza, Pier G., Lo Spirito Santo: summa pneumatologica di Yves Congar (Roma: LAS, 1998), p.52Google Scholar. Another quotation of Congar further shows this dialectical approach: «The Latin tradition has a theology of the Holy Spirit, of the Spirit's operations, and of the Spirit's sanctifying indwelling in souls. It remains the case that during the Scholastic period, where something like the classic moment of this tradition can be seen, it showed its predilection for developing the Christological aspect of the Christian mystery», Congar, Yves M., ‘Pneumatology or Christomonism in the latin tradition?’, in Ginter, Mark E., ed., The Spirit of God. Short Writings on the Holy Spirit, (Washington D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2018), p.194CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

23 Congar, Yves M., ‘La Pneumatologie dans la théologie catholique’, Revue des sciences philosophiques et théologiques, 51 (1967/2), p.250Google Scholar.

24 Congar, Yves M., ed., Vocabulaire oecuménique (Paris: Cerf, 1970), p.200Google Scholar.

25 Cf. Congar, Yves M., ed., Vocabulaire oecuménique (Paris: Cerf, 1970), pp.200‑210Google Scholar. He returns to the same eight areas when talking about «pneumatology invested in the others treaties of theology» in Congar, Yves M., ‘La Pneumatologie dans la théologie catholique’, Revue des sciences philosophiques et théologiques, 51 (1967/2), p.252Google Scholar, see also pp.252‑258.

26 «The observers at the Second Vatican Council often made the reproach that the schemas, in particular those of the dogmatic constitutions Lumen gentium and Dei verbum, lacked a pneumatology» Congar, Yves M., ‘Pneumatology or Christomonism in the latin tradition?’ in Ginter, Mark E., ed., The Spirit of God. Short Writings on the Holy Spirit, (Washington D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2018), p.162CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

27 Congar, Yves M., ‘Christological and pneumatological implications of Vatican II's ecclesiology’ in Ginter, Mark E., ed., The Spirit of God. Short Writings on the Holy Spirit, (Washington D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2018), p.227CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

28 Cf. Congar, Yves M., ‘Christological and pneumatological implications of Vatican II's ecclesiology’ in Ginter, Mark E., ed., The Spirit of God. Short Writings on the Holy Spirit, (Washington D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2018), p.241CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

29 For example: «Depuis le concile, la cause du Saint-Esprit a connu des progrès tout à fait remarquables. Au niveau des sources, d'abord: Bible, Liturgie, Pères, Magistère» Congar, Yves M., ‘Actualité de la pneumatologie’ in Credo in Spiritum Sanctum: atti del Congresso Teologico Internazionale di Pneumatologia in occasione del 1600° anniversario del I Concilio di Costantinopoli e del 1550° anniversario del Concilio di Efeso, Roma 22-26 marzo 1982, (Città del Vaticano: Libreria editrice vaticana, 1983), p.16Google Scholar.

30 Congar, Yves M., The Word and the Spirit (London: Chapman, 1986), p.115Google Scholar.

31 Congar, Yves M., The Word and the Spirit (London: Chapman, 1986), p.117Google Scholar.

32 Congar, Yves M., ‘J'aime l'orthodoxie’, in 2000 ans de christianisme (Paris: Société d'histoire chrétienne, 1975), vol.2, pp.97‑99Google Scholar.

33 Congar, Yves M., ‘J'aime l'orthodoxie’, in 2000 ans de christianisme (Paris: Société d'histoire chrétienne, 1975), vol.2, p.97Google Scholar.

34 Nichols, Aidan J., Yves Congar (Wilton: Morehouse-Barlow, 1989), p.141Google Scholar.

35 See for example the very interesting book: Bua, Pasquale, La kenosi dello Spirito Santo: un percorso nella teologia del Novecento (Roma: Città Nuova, 2015)Google Scholar.

36 Congar, Yves M., ‘La Tri-unité de Dieu et l’Église’, La vie spirituelle 128 (1974), p.694Google Scholar.

37 Puyo, Jean, Une vie pour la vérité (Paris: Le Centurion, 1975), p.173Google Scholar.

38 I think especially of the books, the great trilogy, and the other two already quoted: Congar, Yves M., I believe in the Holy Spirit (New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1997)Google Scholar; Congar, Yves M., The Word and the Spirit (London: Chapman, 1986)Google Scholar; Congar, Yves M., Esprit de l'homme, Esprit de Dieu (Paris: Cerf, 1998)Google Scholar.

39 Ginter, Mark E, ‘The Holy Spirit and Morality: a Dynamic Alliance’ in Dwyer, Judith A., ed., Proceedings of the fifty-first annual convention: San Diego, june 6-9, 1996 (San Diego: CTSA, 1996), p.165Google Scholar.

40 This will give origin to the idea of the Spirit as co-instituant the Church; see more in: Chéno, Rémi, ‘Les retractationes d'Yves Congar sur le rôle de l'Esprit Saint dans les institutions ecclésiales’, Revue des Sciences Philosophiques et Théologiques, 91/2 (2007), specially pp.276-277Google Scholar.

41 Congar, Yves M., The Word and the Spirit (London: Chapman, 1986), p.1Google Scholar.