Abstract / DOI
Splendours and Miseries of Fuzzy Pneumatology: Basil of Caesarea, the Controversy on the Holy Spirit and the Council of Constantinople. After the Council of Nicaea 325 the controversy on God the Father and God the Son went on for half a century. Dozens of creeds were formulated but none was accepted by all Christians. In 359 a new question arose: Is the Holy Spirit God or a creature? Basil of Caesarea is considered to be the leading bishop who gave pneumatology a Nicene frame. However, he never called the Spirit directly God or homousios with the Father and the Son. Basil was convinced that the Bible together with the Nicene creed should be considered as the sufficient base for theology. According to him new formulae beyond this creed would only lead to debates and pretend to describe what is in fact beyond human understanding. The lines on the Spirit in the so-called «creed of Constantinople 381» would have matched Basil’s intentions. According to recent research the creed was rejected by the council of 381 because it was considered more as a new creed rather than the Nicene creed with a brief addendum on the Spirit.