Consubstantial with the Father

In 2011, the third edition of the Roman Missal was introduced in the United States. In the Nicene Creed, the phrase ‘one in being with the Father’ was replaced with ‘consubstantial with the Father.’

‘Consubstantial’ is a transliteration of the Latin ‘consubstantialem,’ itself a faithful rendering of the original Greek ‘homoousion.’

This single word, ‘Consubstantial,’ summarizes the essence of the Nicene Creed. The Greek ‘homos’ translates to ‘same,’ and ‘ousios’ means ‘substance’ (from Latin sub = ‘under,’ and ‘stans’ = ‘standing’). It emphasizes the doctrine that the Son is of the same substance as the Father.

This article of faith, ‘consubstantial with the Father, ’ centers on the relationship between the Father and the Son. Questions such as ‘Do they share the same or similar essence?’ and ‘Is the Son subordinate to the Father?’ stimulated significant controversy in the early church.

In ancient Greek thinking, there were only two substances in the universe. One is God, and the other is matter. Even angels and the spirits of men were considered matter.

Thus, the real question was, ‘Is Christ of the substance of God, or is he made of matter like us and the angels?’

According to St. John, the Son is the Word of God. The Greek term for 'Word' is ‘Logos’, a concept far more expansive than the contemporary English ‘word.’ This is the root of our word ‘logic.’ The early church Fathers were inclined to translate ‘Logos’ as ‘reason’ as they were to ‘word.’

A Father of the church, Tertullian (200 A.D.) says, “Before the creation of the universe, God was not alone, since he had within himself both Reason and, inherent in Reason, his Word,” and continues, “Now as soon as it pleased God, he first put forth the Word … in order that all things might be made through him.”

This context perhaps led Arius, a heretic, to erroneously conclude, “There was a time when the Son did not exist.”

Arianism asserted that the Son was not of the ‘same’ substance as the Father, but only of a ‘similar’ substance, and therefore was not equal to the Father. The Greek ‘homos’ translates to ‘same,’ homoios means ‘similar.’

The Council of Nicea was convened in 325 A.D. to determine whether, in the beginning, God begot the Son by emitting his own Logos or whether God formed the Logos from nothing, the way He created everything else.

There were two main opposing views: Subordinationists believed the Father and the Son were of ‘similar’ substance, employing the term ‘homoiousios.’ Anti-subordinationists maintained that the

Father and Son were of the ‘same’ substance, using ‘homoousios,’ translated into Latin as ‘consubstantial.’

Arius's teaching fundamentally undermined the redemptive work of Jesus on the Cross. If, as he proposed, Christ was merely a creature, then His capacity to accomplish our salvation would be impossible. Only God, after all, can redeem fallen humanity.

Hence, the Nicene Creed teaches that the Son is of one substance with the Father or consubstantial with the Father.

I believe in one God in three persons sharing the same divine substance.