Turning Point 3
Doctrine, Politics, and Life in the Word: The Council of Chalcedon 451 A.D. What’s going on in the Empire?
. 408, Theodosius II at age 7 became Emperor of Eastern half of Empire
. 421, Influenced by his sister, Pulcheria, warred against Sassanids (Persians), who were persecuting Christians
. 425 founded University of Constantinople
. 447 Theodosius II pays tribute to Attila the Hun to protect Constantinople
. 450, Upon death of Theodosius, Pulcheria chooses Marcian as her consort and (thus) new Emperor
. Theodosius ends tribute payments
. 453, death of Attila
. 455 Sack of Rome by the Vandals
But there is also theological turmoil!
Apollinarius Leo I Nestorius Monophysites: Ηϒροστασις: Dyophysites:
Only one nature: One person existing Two separate and divine in two natures distinct natures
The humanity of Both natures and This “two natures” Christ is so substances are kept view was swallowed up by his intact and come condemned at 2nd deity that it together in one Council of disappears person Constantinople And then it gets personal…
• Cyril of Alexandria attacks Nestorius, appealing to Celestine of Rome for support
• Nestorius to Cyril: “The rebukes which your astonishing letter brings against us, I forgive…”
• After meeting at Ephesus in 431, Antioch and Alexandria each excommunicated the other
• Theodosius II sided with Cyril and banished Nestorius
• Flavian, archbishop of Constantinople, accuses Eutyches of heresy and banishes him Not to mention the philosophical differences!
Western Mindset Eastern Mindset
Roman Hellenistic
Latin Greek
Concrete/legal Abstract/speculative
Tertullian felt Jersusalem Clement of Alexandrian (Christianity) had nothing to promoted Christian study do with Athens of Greek philosophy Enter Marcian…
Definition of Chalcedon
…One and the Same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten; • acknowledged in Two Natures unconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; • the difference of the Natures being in no way removed because of the Union, • but rather the properties of each Nature being preserved, and (both) concurring into One Person and One Hypostasis; What became of the dissenting minority?
• Oriental Orthodox Church (all divine, no human) Today: Egyptian Coptics, Armenian, Syrian, and Ethiopian Orthodox • Church of the East, Assyrian Church (two separate natures) Today: Kurdish Christians in Northern Iraq
Unfortunate long-term consequence of quarreling:
Triumph of Islam
The Theological Importance of Chalcedon
1. Chalcedon represented a wise, careful, and balanced restatement of scriptural revelation. 2. Chalcedon also represented successfully the translation of biblical revelation into another conceptual language. Intellectual, Cultural Importance of Chalcedon
In the end, the Definition of Chalcedon …remains one of the great turning-point documents of Church history, because the statement faithfully represents the reality about which it speaks. Christians can live in the world and also for the glory of God – the fact of one “person” can coexist with the fact of two “natures” – because it really happened... The Threefold Triumph of Chalcedon
① Sound doctrine over error
② Christian catholicity over fragmentation
③ Discriminating theological reasoning over a theological capitulation to philosophy