PHOTIUS AND THE CAROLINGIANS The Trinitarian Controversy NORDLAND PUBLISHING COMPANY BELMONT, MASSACHUSETTS 02178,BY THE SAME AUTHOR Meksanty Solzhenitsyn: Critical Eosast ‘aed Docamentary Materials [eo-edited with Johe B. Dunlop and Alexis Klimoff] 1973 16 JUN i578 eo Sone: “Library of Congres Catalog Card Number 7422859 ISBN 0913124052 © Copyright 1975 by Norotanm Pusuissnie Conran AIL Righs Reserved Panvrep ny rir UNivE SeATES OF AMERICA DEDICATED WITH GRATITUDE TO FR. Jou MEvENDORFF PROFESSOR SERGE VERHOVSKOY AND TO THE MEMORY OF Henssrt Musuaitio, SJ.“1g yo sje dhe Middle Ages, the history of the West collapses, and the rest of modem history becomes incomprehensible Ida Andovecsaia in Solchenitsa’s August 1914 a 545) “The Panton cese is ant merely a matter of Byzantine inteest 1s concerns the history of Christianity and of the world, as apprirement of Photius and is work lies a¢ the cove controversies chat separste the Eastern and the Western Churches. Francis Dvorak The Photian Sebiom bs) Pechaps it is in the seign of Chaslemagne that the schism of Gvilizations fast becomes cessly apperent ‘Timothy Ware The Onbodox Church bed About the Author Dr. Richard Haugh is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Classics and Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Iona College, New Rochelle, New York. Translator of various works from German, French, and Latin and author of articles on Dostoevsky, Solzhenitsyn, Carolingian thought, Patristics, and Old Norse literature, Dr. Haugh is co-editor (with John B. Dunlop of Oberlin College and Alexis Klimoff of Vassar College) of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: Critical Essays and Docu- mentary Materials. Hie is an editor of the annual scholarly journal Transactions of the Association of Rassian-American Scholars.Acknowledgments I would like to express my gratitude to Fr. John Meyendorff for the time he so generously gave me. I gratefully acknowledge my theological debt to Professor Serge Vethovskoy of St. Vladimir's Theo- logical Seminary. T also wish to thank Maria- Pompea Pellicciari for translating the valuable esearch of Vittorio Peri on the “shields” of Pope Leo III from Italian for me. Raymond Ciuba also worked with me on the translation of the Epistola Peregrinorum Monachorur. ‘A special gratitude is owed to the late scholar Fe, Herbert Musurillo, SJ. It was he who sug- zgested the publication of this work Jf it had not been for the selfless sacrifices of my wife Vera, this work would have never been written, R. Haven The Elevation of The Cross September 14, 1974Contents Preface SEE ee eee eaten Chapter 1 ‘The Theological and Historical Problem sooo e521 “The Latin Triadolosial Model/The Greek Triadologice! Model/Tbe Carclingians and the Hermenewticl Problen The Cacolingiass end the Historie Problem Chapter IL The Historical Preparation for the Crisis enc "The Fiicgue and the Post Asgestinian West/The Ecumenical Creed/The Gouacll of Toledo. (589)/The Asglo-Sazon Chesch and the Filiogue? Rowe and the Filogae/CalturlEstangement/Political Esrangement/ ‘The Counc of Gentilly Chapter IIT The Libri Carolini Chapter IV Paulinus of Aquileia and Alouin .... “The Council of Feiali/Aleuin Chapter V The Jerusalem Controversy and Its Aftermath ........63-77 “The Leter of the Pilgrim Moaks/Pope Leo's Letter to the Eastem Ghuches/Theodall's De Sprine Sencto/Libellus de Brocetione Spiritus Seal Chapter VI ‘The Frankish Envoys and Pope Ico II ee) ‘Smaragdas' Letter #0 Pope Leo III/The Meeting Between the Franks snd Pope Leo II Chapter VIL Photius’ Bncyclical .. i z 91-99 "The Christianization of the Slavs/The EneylicalChapter VIEL The Latin Response to Photius’ Encyclical .........101-124 “Fue Response of Pope Nicholas/The Response of Aeneas of Pasis/The Respoose of Ratramnus of Corbie/The Response of che Council of Worms Chapter IX ‘The Photian Council of 879-880 ...... «123-130 ‘Byeantine Fatesnal Problem/The Council of $79-880/Pope Joko's Letter to Photius Chapter X Photius’ Letter to the Patriarch of Aquileia .......-131-139 Chapter XI Photius’ Mystagogia 141-157 ‘The Thealogial Cxtigue of the Filiague/Tae Respoase to” Carolingian Exegese/Photivs sod the Tetin Fathers/Pbosius and the Roman Popes/ ‘The Roman Popes sod ske Creed/The Creed as Periect/Photivs’ Con- clusion Chapter XI Conclusions 7 -159-177 Histaccal Condisios Theological Condusions Appendix: ‘The Patzistic Background .........60.5 -179-205 1. Iotroducory Background TE ‘The Greck Patrstic Background: Adhanasivs/Didyzous the Blind/ ‘The Cappadocin Fathers/Cyril of Alexsodtia VIL The Latin Pitristie Background: Hilary of Potiers/Ambrose/ ‘Angstine Bibliography ....... aeeoa coves 207214 List of Roman Popes .......+ “215 List of Patriarchs of Constantinople. eee ay List of Roman [Byzantine] Emperors 2219 List of "Gexman” “Roman” Emperors. 221 Heiden Siete eeh area Eee age Preface ‘This study was begun ia 1963 when the author was in his last year of M.A. studies 2t Andover Newton Theological School and it was essentially completed in 1973 when. the author was in his last year of doctoral studies at Fordham University. This work, the first part of a projected study of the history of the “Trinitarian Controversy” up to the present, attempts to explore and analyze a vitally important area of historical theology which in the past has been either cursorily referred to, or treated from a biased Westem perspective, or simply ignored. Historically the question of the procession of the Holy Spisit has been one of the most significant controversies in the history of Christian thought, 2 controversy which concerns the heart of the Christian vision of God. The conclusion of this first volume is that the Carolingian period, unsophisti- cated as it may be, was the decisive formative stage in the history of 2 problem which later became an insurmountable bassier between the Eastern and Western Churches. This volume attempts to determine the historical sequence of the Cazolingian-Byzaatine Trinitarian controversy and presents and analyzes the comparative theological presuppositions of the Carolingians and the Byzantines. The most important section of the Appendix is the B4 Photius and she Carolingians analysis of the triadological thought of Augustine and Cyril of Alexandria, The rest of the Appendix exists only as a short “frame of reference” to those “Fathers” whom the Casolingians use as “patristic authorities.” The triadological thought of John Scotus Eriugena (d.c. 877) bas been deliberately excluded from this volume pre- cisely because his triadological thought was in no way involved in the consroversy between the East and West. In general the thought of John Scotus Eriugena was aot much appreciated in the Latin West, especially his participation in the internal Carolingian controversy on predestination. John Scotus Eriugena had the distinction of having his thought con- demned at most of the important councils in the Latin West, especially in 855° and $59. His thought was condemned as "pultes seotarum.” His thought on the procession of the Holy Spirit was no more appreciated than his thought on other subjects, for he shered the Eastern Christian position that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son? ‘The “dogmatization” of the Filiogue by the Latin West at the Second Council of Lyons in 1274 will be discussed at length in the second volume of this study. One point, however, must be stressed. It was at this Council of Lyons that the Latin West first dogmatically presented the Filfoque as "Ex Patse Filiogue Tanguam Ab Uno Principio.” As soon as one begins to approach the Filiogue as "Ab Uno Principio,” the very nature of the problem changes, for there is now no reality to the “gue.” The eatlies controversy therefore changes its nature, But such a formulation by the Latin West proves one of Photius’ main points—the ‘West did in fact, as Photius charged, envision the procession of the Holy Spirit in a devpersonalized manner, ultimately rooting its vision of God in “nature” or “essence.” Photius’ charges actually tale ‘on more significance in the light of this later dogmatic defini- tion. "The Council of Valence in $55 condemned sincteca aspects of the thought of John Seotas Esugena: "sed ef alia 19 sllgismir inepivsme ‘S3ee De Dizisione Natwrae, Book Ul, 30 and 52 (PL 122), CHAPTER 1 The Theological and Historical Problem ‘The doctrinal aspect of the Byzantine-Carolingian Tri- adological controversy centers primarily on one issue. Does the Holy Spirit’ proceed; that is, take his very existence, from the Father or from the Father and the Son. In their attack on Byzantine triadology the Carolingian theologians con- stantly appeal to the “authority” of certain Church Fathers’ to support their position that the Holy Spirit derives his existence from the Father and the Son. “That the question of the procession of the Holy Spirit was already controversial in the Latin West in the fourth century is evident from statements by Hilary of Poitiers, The Carolingian patristic appes) restricts itself primarily to Athanasius, ysl of Alexandria, ‘Didymos the Blind, Gregory of Nezianzus, Hilary ‘Ambrose, “Angostine and aumerout pest Augustinian Tatin theologians See the appendix for an analysis of the tiadological thought of these Fathers to whom the Carolingian theologzes eppedl In his De Trinitare VI, 20 (J. P. Migne, Patrologia Latina (Pais, 1644-1955}, 10, 2505 hercafter cited as PL) Hilary attests to the fact that 15