Consubstantial: Teaching of the Catholic Church
The word “consubstantial” is one of the most important terms in the Creed recited every Sunday at Mass. It expresses a fundamental truth of the Christian faith: Jesus Christ is of the same nature as the Father, fully God like Him. Often perceived as complex, this term nevertheless sums up the heart of the mystery of the Trinity.
In this article from Hozana, let’s explore what it means, its origin, and its role in the Catholic faith. At the end of this article, discover other articles on heresies and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Consubstantial: Definition
The term “consubstantial” comes from the Latin consubstantialis, which in turn derives from the Greek homoousios, meaning “of the same substance” or “of the same nature.”
In the Christian faith, it indicates that the Son, Jesus Christ, shares the same divine essence as God the Father. He is not a creature, nor is He inferior to God: He is God Himself, equal to the Father in His divinity.
It is this truth that the Church proclaims in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed: “I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of the same nature as the Father, through him all things were made.”
Origin of the Word “Consubstantial”
The word “consubstantial” was defined at the Council of Nicaea (325) in response to the heresyof Arius (Arianism), which claimed that Jesus Christ had been created by the Father and was therefore not God.
The Church, faithful to the faith of the apostles, affirmed that Jesus, the Son, is God, is like the Father, and is not a mere creature. The Second Ecumenical Council, held in Constantinople (381), confirmed this expression in the Creed.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Following this apostolic tradition, the Church confessed at the first ecumenical council at Nicaea (325) that the Son is 'consubstantial' with the Father, that is, one only God with him. The second ecumenical council, held at Constantinople in 381, kept this expression in its formulation of the Nicene Creed and confessed 'the only-begotten Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father'." (CCC 242)
Consubstantial in the Trinity
Consubstantiality does not concern only the relationship between the Father and the Son: it reveals the eternal communion of the three divine Persons, united in the same divine nature but distinct in their persons.
Let us see what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says in paragraph 248: “At the outset the Eastern tradition expresses the Father's character as first origin of the Spirit. By confessing the Spirit as he 'who proceeds from the Father', it affirms that he comes from the Father through the Son. (Jn 15:26; cf. AG 2.) The Western tradition expresses first the consubstantial communion between Father and Son, by saying that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (filioque). It says this, 'legitimately and with good reason', (Council of Florence (1439): DS 1302.) for the eternal order of the divine persons in their consubstantial communion implies that the Father, as 'the principle without principle', (Council of Florence (1442): DS 1331.) is the first origin of the Spirit, but also that as Father of the only Son, he is, with the Son, the single principle from which the Holy Spirit proceeds. (Cf. Council of Lyons II(1274): DS 850.) This legitimate complementarity, provided it does not become rigid, does not affect the identity of faith in the reality of the same mystery confessed.” (CCC no. 248)
Christ, consubstantial with the Father in glory
After his Resurrection and Ascension, Christ remains fully God and consubstantial with the Father. The Catechism of the Catholic Church emphasizes this by quoting St. John Damascene: "Henceforth Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father: 'By "the Father's right hand" we understand the glory and honour of divinity, where he who exists as Son of God before all ages, indeed as God, of one being with the Father, is seated bodily after he became incarnate and his flesh was glorified.'" (CCC no. 663)
The Holy Spirit, consubstantial with the Father and the Son
The term “consubstantial” also applies to the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
“The One whom the Father has sent into our hearts, the Spirit of his Son, is truly God. Consubstantial with the Father and the Son, the Spirit is inseparable from them, in both the inner life of the Trinity and his gift of love for the world. In adoring the Holy Trinity, life-giving, consubstantial, and indivisible, the Church's faith also professes the distinction of persons. When the Father sends his Word, he always sends his Breath. In their joint mission, the Son and the Holy Spirit are distinct but inseparable. To be sure, it is Christ who is seen, the visible image of the invisible God, but it is the Spirit who reveals him.” (CCC no. 689)
Paragraph 703 expands on this idea by emphasizing the creative role of the Spirit: “The Word of God and his Breath are at the origin of the being and life of every creature: It belongs to the Holy Spirit to rule, sanctify, and animate creation, for he is God, consubstantial with the Father and the Son.... Power over life pertains to the Spirit, for being God he preserves creation in the Father through the Son.” (CCC no. 703)
Consubstantial with the Father in the Creed
The New Translation of the Roman Missal (2021) has replaced the old formula in the Creed, “of the same nature as the Father,” with “consubstantial with the Father.”
This change faithfully conveys the meaning of the Greek word homoousios and clearly emphasizes that the Son and the Father fully share the same divinity.
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