The Unity and Distinction of the Missions of the Son and the Holy Spirit in the Pneumatological Christology of Yves Congar

Cardinal Yves Congar(1904-1995) was to have a significant influence on the Council of Vatican II in the areas of ecclesiology and ecumenism. During this council he was engaged with theologians from the Eastern Churches. Flowing from this dialog, he discerned that the area of pneumatology in Latin theology was undeveloped, and therefore leaving something lacking. Congar partially agreed with the criticisms of Eastern theologians including Vladimir Lossky. Lossky criticized Western theology of this observed weakness in pneumatology, due to the doctrine of the Filioque. Beyond this, Congar sought to avoid the perception of a unilateral dependence between the Son and the Holy Spirit. To achieve this, he spoke of a “free sector“ for the Holy Spirit in relation to the Son, thus emphasizing the unique role of the Holy Spirit. However, this idea faced criticism as it seemed to separate the Son from the Holy Spirit. Later, Congar developed his pneumatological Christology by highlighting the unity between the Son and the Holy Spirit, particularly referring to St. Paul's words, “The Lord is the Spirit” (2Cor, 3:17). This new idea is expressed in his trilogy on the Holy Spirit (Je crois en l’Esprit-Saint), especially in La Parole et le Souffle (1984). In this study, he emphasized that the glorified Christ is filled with the Spirit and becomes the pneumatized Christ (le Christ pneumatisé); thus, He acts as the Spirit and through the mode of the Spirit. Their actions cannot be distinguished. We believe that Congar's journey regarding the relationship between the Son and the Spirit is intimately linked to the two fundamental principles of Trinitarian theology: unity and distinction. In this research, it has been examined whether Congar's pneumatological Christology indeed establishes a relationship of unity and distinction between the Son and the Holy Spirit.