1. Lecture 21: Christological Controversies
25 November 2014
Christological Controversies

2. Next Three Lectures: 4th through 7th C
This lecture
Key developments in Church history and doctrine in Mediterranean basin: Christology
Next Lecture:
Rise of Islam
Following Lecture:
Western Monasticism
Why such a broad historical sweep?
Destruction of Roman Empire, which is not complete until 1453
Sometime during these lectures the West moved from antiquity to middle ages
Christological Controversies

3. Christological Controversies
Introduction
History: Fall of Rome
Refresher: 4th C Controversies Arians and Apollinarians
Nestorian Controversy
Cyril of Alexandria
Monophysites
Pope St. Leo the Great
Council of Chalcedon
Councils after Chalcedon
Christological Controversies

4. Key Political Events of Fourth Century
The Great Persecution of Diocletian
Constantine the Great rises to power; adopts Christianity as his religion
Battle of Milvian Bridge 312
Council of Nicaea 325
Creates powerful Eastern capitol of Roman Empire in Constantinople
Emperors alternately orthodox and Arian (except for brief pagan interlude by Julian the Apostate )
Theodosius the Great
Firmly establishes orthodoxy as official religion of Empire
Calls First Council of Constantinople to reaffirm Nicaea
Moves Western Capital to Milan
Christological Controversies

5. Eastern Roman Emperors
Constantine
Council of Nicaea
Theodosius I, Great ( )
Council of Constantinople
Conflicts with Ambrose
Last Emperor of East and West
Arcadius (son of Theodosius) and Eudoxia in East ( )
Conflicts with John Chrysostom
Theodosius II ( )
Son of Arcadius
Council of Ephesus
Pulcharia and Marcion ( )
Pulcharia daughter of Theodosius II
Council of Chalcedon
Christological Controversies

6. Christological Controversies
Fall of Rome
Fall of Rome in 410 to Alaric had a huge psychological impact
The Goths sacking Rome were Arian Christians
“My voice sticks in my throat, and as I dictate, sobs choke my utterance. The City which had taken the whole world, was itself taken.” St. Jerome
Christological Controversies

7. Christological Controversies
City of God
Augustine wrote City of God to explain how this could happen
Traces the history of Roman Empire to show that without Christ Roman Empire was great only in eyes of man; human societies are destined to rise and fall
Only true society is society of pilgrim Church moving toward heavenly Jerusalem
But even pilgrim Church is a mixtures of wheat and tares
Takes up many of themes of Confessions, plus Pelagian Controversy, plus theory of history and society, plus, plus, plus…
Systematic work analyzing all of these issues
Christological Controversies

8. Christological Controversies
Arianism
Arius, presbyter in Alexandria
Christ the First Fruit of Creation;
“there was when he was not”
Opposed by Athanasius, Cappadocians
Council of Nicaea
Homoousia, Christ one in being with the Father
But Arianism has great staying power in East and among Germanic tribes
Christological Controversies

9. Apollinarius: Heretical Reaction to Arius
bishop of Laodicea,
proposed notion that Jesus had a physically human body, but mind and will were not human but divine.
Gregory of Nazianzus rejects this completely;
Supports “what is not assumed is not saved”
Christological Controversies

10. Recall Political Problems for John Chrysostom
Patriarch of Constantinople
Opposed by Patriarch of Alexandria, Theophilus
Opposed by Emperor (and Empress)
Pope sides with Chrysostom
Christological Controversies

11. Christological Controversies
Nestorius ( )
Born in Antioch; became Patriarch in Constantinople in 428
Opposed Arians and Apollinarians
Theology based upon Theodore of Mopsuestia and Diodorus, Antiochenes
Human and Divine joined, but separate in Jesus Christ
Mary gave birth to human Jesus, not to Word; rejects Mary as Theotokos (God bearer)
The Word of God did not suffer on the cross
Human Jesus is raised by power of the Word and perfected at the Resurrection
Seemed to be way to solve “Son of God” and “Son of Man” references in Gospels
Christological Controversies

12. Cyril of Alexandria (375-444)
Issues between Constantinople and Alexandria
Economic, political and social tensions between Alexandria and Constantinople
Scriptural interpretation tension between Antiochene and Alexandrian hermeneutics
Ecclesial hierarchical issues over precedence of Constantinople over Alexandria
Cyril succeeded his uncle, Theolphilus, as patriarch (pope) of Alexandria in 412
Actively persecuted non-orthodox Christians in Alexandria, mostly because of city politics
Novatian Christians
Jews
Pagan Neo-Platonists; torture and death of Hypathia
Christological Controversies

13. Christological Controversies
Cyril’s Christology
Hypostatic union of God and man
Not two persons in Christ
Both God and man fully present from the moment of the Incarnation
Mary gave birth to God; i.e. Theotokos
Recall Athanasius also had a great devotion to the Incarnation
Recall, Origen used term theotokos
Christological Controversies

14. Bitter conflict between Nestorius and Cyril
Nestorius’ Letter to Pope Celestine (Christology of Later Fathers, p )
Starts asking what to do about Julian of Eclanum who is seeking support for Pelagainism from Emperor
Complains against those who like Arius and Apollinarius have their Christology wrong
Says now there are some who mix together Divinity and humanity; who even call Mary Theotokos
Christ’s human and divine nature unconfused; tries to maintain reality of Christ’s humanity;
Cyril’s Reply to Nestorius (p )
Word took flesh from the Virgin in the womb
Word and flesh are united in one hypostasis; Virgin is Theotokos
Whoever does not believe this should be anathema
Christ’s human and divine nature undivided; tries to maintain reality of Christ’s divinity
Relies heavily on Athanasius
Christological Controversies

15. Christological Controversies
Council of Ephesus, 431
Council called by Emperor Theodosius II
Gathering of Bishops from around Eastern Empire, including Cyril and Nestorius
Pope Celestine supported Cyril
Cyril presides at Council in the place of Celestine
In fact, Celestine sent Nestorius’ letter to Cyril for a response
Nestorius condemned and removed as Patriarch of Constantinople
Council formally declares Mary Theotokos
Nestorians still found in Jacobin Syrian Churches (which usually also call themselves Orthodox); also sometimes refer to themselves as Antiochene
Note: St. Mary Major in Rome is built to honor Mary as Theotokos after the council
Theodore of Mopsuestia condemned at Second Council of Constantinople (553)
Christological Controversies

16. Monophysitism: Eutyches and Dioscursus
Head of large monastery in Constantinople
Adamantly opposed to Nestorius
Seemed to renew Apollinarian heresy
Christ had one nature : Divine with a human body
Dioscursus
Succeeded Cyril as Patriarch of Alexandria in 444
Also adamantly opposed to Nestorianism
Supports Eutyches against patriarch of Constantinople, Flavian
“Robber” council of Ephesus 449
Christological Controversies

17. Opposition to Monophysitism (Single Nature)
Flavian, Patriarch of Constantinople
Succeeds Nestorius
Opposed to Eutyches
Pope St. Leo
Supports two natures, one hypostasis (person)
Pulcharia, Empress
Daughter of Theodosius II
Calls Council of Chalcedon to confirm support of Flavian and Leo
Christological Controversies

18. Christological Controversies
Pope St. Leo the Great
Born in Tuscany; deacon under Pope Celestine
Pope
Fought against Pelagians and Manicheans
Deeply influenced by Augustine
Concerned for Church discipline,
Proper forms for Latin liturgies
Papal control over appointment of bishops; conflict with St. Hilary of Arles
Managed to convince barbarians not to sack Rome
Attila the Hun
Genseric the Vandal
Most famous for Christological formula, “One person, two natures”
Christological Controversies

19. Christological Controversies
Leo’s Tome
Letter written to St. Flavian
Relies on Scripture and Nicene Creed for arguments against monophysites
Distinction of both natures meets in one Person
Similar views expressed in Letter XXXI to Empress, St. Pucharia
Christological Controversies

20. Christological Controversies
Council of Chalcedon, 451
Called by Pulcharia and Marcian
Establishes the Christological formula that Leo suggested
Primarily bishops from the East, with a representative from Rome
Dioscursus and much of the Alexandrian Church refuse to accept Chalcedon
Politically this remained a divisive issue in the East until rise of Islam
Theologically it remains a divisive issue to the present day; Coptic Christians
Christological Controversies

21. Christological Controversies
Caesaropapism
Society in which head of government is also head of Church
Notice that all these early (eastern) councils are called by Emperors
Constantine considered a saint in the East, “equal to Apostles”
Revived civil Roman law includes canonical law in East
Theodosian Code (Theodosius II), 438, takes 312 as the beginning of legal precedents
Justinian Code, 534
This will be the Church-State model in Byzantium until 1453 (in Russia until 1917)
Christological Controversies

22. A Different Development in West: Pope Gelasius
Pope ; West being overrun with barbarians
Only civil authority with continuity to Roman Empire was Church
Eastern Emperor (Anastatius) claims authority in West, but has no military capability to back it up
Gelasius’ Letter to Anastatius is a landmark in defining balance of power relation between altar and throne
Two authorities in world: consecrated priests and royal power
Each has its own sphere of operation and respect
Priests have greater responsibility; emperor should obey priests
This view was never accepted in East; however became the basis of operation for Middle Ages in West
Pope Leo III crowns Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor in 800
Note: Papacy is only real continuing link between East and West from 476 onwards
Gelaisus’ Letter will be used by Papacy throughout Middle Ages to justify Papal stance with respect to Western Rulers
Christological Controversies

23. Christological Controversies
Assignments
“Dogmatic Letters of Nestorius and Cyril of Alexandria,” in Hardy, Edward. ed. Christology of the Later Fathers. Philadelphia: Warminster Press, Pp
Leo the Great. “Letter to Flavian” (Leo’s Tome) in Hardy, Edward. ed. Christology of the Later Fathers. Philadelphia: Warminster Press, pp
Leo the Great. Letter XXXI (pp 44-46) and Sermons I (p. 115), II (p ), III (p ), IX (p ), X (p ) Translated by Feltoe. Peabody:
NPNF Series 2 Vol. 12 Hendrickson, 1995.
CCC
Christological Controversies