Chalcedon Flashcards
when?
451
preceding councils
nicea 325
constantinople 381
ephesus 431
all assume that the being eternally born of the father = suffered as a man but do not explain HOW
theotokos
god-bearer
nestorius vs cyril (+ Irenaeus/ A.Riches)
nestorius
protect God’s godness
if mary bears god then god is put in time and changes
- immutability?
his solution: christokos
heretic: god not present at the cross Docetic
irenaeus
god cannot save what he does not assume
cyril
christokos is a lose lose situation
- A. Riches: undermines the divinity of jesus/god’s salvific power
- humanity: incarnation?
fully human nature needs to change
god’s divinity is not affected by his human nature
- the are not confused
general info
This Council of Chalcedon is the fourth of the seven ecumenical councils accepted by Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and many Protestant Christian churches.
It is the first Council not recognized by any of the Oriental Orthodox churches.
not “new” but to reaffirm
officially proclaim jesus as fully human and fully divine
definition
“one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten acknowledged in two natures”
“unconfusedly, unalterably, undividedly,inseparably”
“acknowledged in two natures” and not ‘out of two natures”
“the same” is repeated a total of seven times
“The one and the same Son”, “Lord Jesus Christ” is “the same perfect in the Godhead and the same perfect in the manhood”.
- This is further emphasised through the use of the word “truly”
“consubstantial with us in respect of manhood.”
“like us in all things except sin.”
gregory of nyssa
one of the Cappadocians
ocean and drop of vinegar analogy
- natures are not the same
- fully divine and fully human are perfect
- they don’t lose their properties or “mix”
- but they are inseparable
CONSUBSTANTIAL (of the same substance)
why did Jesus have to be born of a woman yet
his incarnation is not acting as the beginning of his existence
- pre as supported by John
- -> Homoousios
use of theotokos in def
= union of divinity and humanity as insperable in birth like in death
–>hypostatic union
Homoousios
homo= same ousios= substance with god (divine)
hypostatic union
hyspostates= person (not subject)
yet TWO DISTINCT AND UNIFIED NATURES
what does jesus share?
Jesus shares the substance of God but not the person of God
- when god generates/BEGOTES the son it is out of himself
= begotten not made
how are the two unified natures distinct and not one?
unified= inseparable
share a substance
“acknowledged in two natures” and not ‘out of two natures” IN (cyril) not of (nestorius)
CONSUBSTANTIAL- gregory of nyssa
implied?
one hypostases (person) with two natures
trinity
trinity= 3 hypostates and one ousia of God
arian
advocatted for made and not begotten
- argues for creation ex-nihilo
- Jesus cannot be fully divine as he doesnt share the same substance of god
begotten: eternally outside space and time with/by the father
- Jesus cannot be fully divine as he doesnt share the same substance of god
nicea
325
emperor constantine: “Division in the church,” he said, “is worse than war.”
solve the problem created in the Eastern church by Arianism, a heresy first proposed by Arius of Alexandria that affirmed that Christ is not divine but a created being.
The council condemned Arius and, with reluctance on the part of some, incorporated the nonscriptural word homoousios (“of one substance”) into a creed (the Nicene Creed) to signify the absolute equality of the Son with the Father. The emperor then exiled Arius
Council of Constantinople
381
The Council of Constantinople also declared finally the Trinitarian doctrine of the equality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son.
In both East and West, nevertheless, the council came to be regarded as ecumenical.
ephesus
431
confirmed the original Nicene Creed,[2] and condemned the teachings of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, who held that the Virgin Mary may be called the Christotokos, “Birth Giver of Christ” but not the Theotokos, “Birth Giver of God”.
