"I believe in the Holy Spirit ..."

Source: uncutmountainsupply.com

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

- Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed

The Spirit bestows all things: it appoints prophets; it consecrates priest; it gives wisdom to the simple; it turns fishermen into theologians; it gathers together the whole assembly of the Church.

- Feast of Pentecost

We have seen the true light; we have received the heavenly Spirit; we have found the true faith, worshipping the undivided Trinity, who has saved us.

- Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

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In a brilliant essay, entitled "The Holy Spirit, As God," the prominent patristic scholar and historian, Fr. John Meyendorff (+1992) begins with two paragraphs that contain some generalizations and comparisons that still make a great deal of sense about half a century later. I am simply sharing them here for your own reflection. For those who are new to the Orthodox Church, they may provide a bit of insight into a new way of understanding the role of the Holy Spirit from the understanding of the Christian East. 

As we continue to reflect on the Nicene Creed on its seventeen hundredth anniversary (325-2025), we thank God for the many great theologians who have continued to "theologize" through the centuries under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the "Giver of Life." Fr. Meyendorff was like a Church Father serving the Church in his ministry as priest, patristic scholar, and teacher, par excellence. It was my privilege to study under him at St. Vladimir's Seminary.

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In contemporary Western Christian thought, a theology of the Spirit is most frequently expressed in the context of a new search for religious freedom. The Spirit is seen as justifying either institutional change, or a religion of personal experience, or spiritual phenomena known as "pentecostal." Unfortunately, traditional Western systematic theology, medieval or reformed, provides little material or context for an organic and integrated theology of the Spirit. It remains rather speculative as to the identity of the "giver" and, therefore, its interpretation of "gifts" is frequently quite arbitrary. Here perhaps lies one of the reasons for contemporary theological disarray.

In the Christian East, the theology of the Spirit has also found little systematic development. However, some basic points of reference are found in the great trinitarian disputes of the fourth century which lead to the affirmation of the Spirit's divinity, as the third person of the Trinity, and also in the interpretation of human salvation and ultimate destiny in terms of deification. These points of reference are therefore of central importance for the Orthodox interpretation of both scriptural and traditional data of the Holy Spirit, as they are expressed in the liturgy of the Church, the experience of the saints, and the life of the Christian community.

"The Holy Spirit, as God" (1974)