Macedonianism

Macedonianism is a heretical movement that emerged in the middle of the 4th century and owes its name to the Archbishop of Constantinople, a Macedonian who, after being disposed of his headquarters for his violence, wrote against the divinity Holy Spirit.

Arose when the Church was immersed in theological disputes caused by Arianism, which denied the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father and, therefore, the divinity of Jesus Christ; Macedonianism did not deny said consubstantiality, but it did deny that of the Holy Spirit, whom they considered a creature of the Son and consequently inferior to him. Although others say that they considered the Holy Spirit a unique being, neither God nor creature (if such a category existed).

Formally condemned as heretical in 381 by the First Council of Constantinople which decreed, through the revision of the Nicene Creed, that the Holy Spirit was consubstantial with the Father and the Son, making up the three persons of The Holy Trinity. panocha

The followers of this radical position were also called pneumatomacos (adversaries of the Spirit).

Before the convocation of the First Council of Constantinople, Saint Athanasius of Alexandria organized a council in Alexandria to combat the position of the Egyptian pneumatomachi, appealing to scripture and reason to defend the Catholic faith (it does not seem that the Macedonians had foundations in the tradition of the Church, but in the teachings of the previously mentioned Macedonian Bishop of Constantinople). Scripture describes the Spirit of God as the giver of sanctification and life, a being of God who is unchanging, omnipresent, and unique, and therefore more than a creature. The Holy Spirit makes us partakers of God by divinization (Theosis) a prerogative that indicates his own divinity. Saint Athanasius defends his consubstantiality with God the Father and God the Son, reasoning that if the Holy Trinity is eternal, homogeneous and indivisible and the Spirit is a member of the Holy Trinity, it is necessarily consubstantial with the other two. However, like other Catholics of the time, Athanasius did not call the Holy Spirit God, choosing to say it "The Spirit of God" without denying his place in the Holy Trinity.

1. ↑ a b Davis, Leo Donald. The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787) Their History and Theology The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (in English)P. 107.