Does the Holy Spirit proceed from the Father?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

In the Coptic Orthodox faith, we confess and believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone.

This is the eternal truth established by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself in the Gospel of John: "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me" (John 15:26).

The Procession of the Holy Spirit

The Coptic Orthodox Church strictly adheres to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, which states: "Yes, we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father...".

Our theology distinguishes between two things:

1. The Eternal Procession: This refers to the eternal origin of the Holy Spirit within the Holy Trinity. The Father is the sole "source" or "fountainhead" (arche) of the Godhead. The Son is eternally begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father.
2. The Temporal Mission/Sending: When the Bible or the Fathers speak of the Spirit being sent by the Son or being the "Spirit of the Son," they are referring to the Spirit’s work in the world and His manifestation to the Church through the Incarnate Word. This does not mean the Son is the source of the Spirit's eternal existence.

The Problem of the Filioque

The Western (Roman Catholic and subsequent Protestant) use of the Filioque—the claim that the Spirit proceeds from the Father "and the Son"—is a theological error and a deviation from the Apostolic faith. The Council of Florence and the Lateran Councils attempted to justify this by stating that the Spirit proceeds from both "equally" or as from one principle.

From the Coptic Orthodox perspective, the Filioque is rejected for the following reasons:

• It destroys the Monarchy of the Father: It suggests there are two sources in the Trinity rather than one.
• It confuses the Persons: It attributes a property of the Father (being a source) to the Son, which confuses Their distinct Hypostatic properties.
• It lacks Scriptural and Conciliar Authority: It was added to the Creed without an Ecumenical Council and contradicts the direct words of Christ.

The Teaching of the Fathers

Our great Alexandrian Fathers, such as St. Cyril of Alexandria, often spoke of the Spirit being "of the Son" or "through the Son" regarding the Spirit’s natural relationship and His being sent to the creation. However, they never taught that the Son is the cause or the origin of the Holy Spirit's hypostasis (existence).

The Holy Spirit is consubstantial with the Father and the Son, but His eternal procession is from the Father alone.