Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Robert Bellarmine on the Holy Spirit not being the "Father" of Christ

While arguing that Jesus inherited his humanity from Mary merely, Robert Bellarmine did argue that it would be improper to claim that the Holy Spirit was the “father” of Jesus with respect to Christ’s humanity:

The Holy Spirit, however, did not beget Christ from His own substance, but formed Him from the blood of the virgin; hence, He ought not to be called the Father of Christ, but the One Who fashioned the body and soul of Christ. (The Marian Writings of St. Robert Bellarmine [comp. Casimir Valla;2011], 125)


 On the conception of Jesus and the relationship between God the Father and Jesus' humanity, see:


and, for a somewhat longer discussion:

Appendix 2: The Virginal Conception in Latter-day Saint Theology, pp. 184-207 in my book, Behold the Mother of My Lord: Towards a Mormon Mariology (2017)