1. The Seven Ecumenical Councils
Lesson 10:
The Fifth Ecumenical Council Constantinople II

2. Background to the Council

3. Background to the Council
Lingering Debates over Chalcedon in Egypt and Syria
Growing resentment of Constantinople’s government power in Egypt and Syria
Emperor Zeno’s Annulment of Chalcedon in 476
Emperor: Everyone go back to the way things were before!
Pope Felix III: Emperors don’t have authority over belief
Schism between Constantinople and Rome until 519

4. Background to the Council
Justinian the Great
Crowned in 527
Considered it his duty to have an empire that was united politically and doctrinally
Decreed all bishops must subscribe to Chalcedon
But promised another Council to work out differences

5. Background to the Council
Justinian promoted the ideas of Leontius of Byzantium
Defended Chalcedon against various heresies
Proposed a compromise idea: enhypostasia of the human nature of Christ in the divine Logos
Might satisfy both Alexandrian and Antiochene moderates

6. Leontius’ Enhypostasis

7. Enhypostasis
If, as all agree, a “nature” must have its own hypostasis (i.e. “personal existence”), how can one confess “two natures in one hypostasis”? – Core of the Debate
Agreed with the Alexandrians that the eternal Logos/Word, God the Son, is the subject of the incarnation. I.e., the “personality” of Jesus is God the Son.

8. Enhypostasis
Disagreed with the Alexandrians that the humanity of Christ is impersonal (Cyril had called this the anhypostasia of the human nature)
Why? A nature without a hypostasis would be an abstraction, a mere idea.

9. Enhypostasis
Does this then imply that there must be two persons/hypostases? Each nature has its own personhood?
No. While each nature needs a personhood, it need not have its own personhood.
I.e., it can be “hypostatized” in another.

10. Enhypostasis
The human nature of Christ was not without hypostasis, but became hypostatic in the Person of the Logos.
The human nature of Christ was not anhypostatic (impersonal), nor personal in itself, but enhypostatic, “personalized in the person of another”

11. Enhypostasis Three ways in which two beings may be united:
1) Close relationship, such as friendship or marriage
Nestorianism: Two natures, two persons.
2) Blended into a third thing or hybrid
Monophysitism: One hybrid nature, one person
3) United so that their distinct natures subsist in a single hypostasis – Incarnation of Christ
Like a flame and wood united by fire in a torch

12. Enhypostasis
Therefore, Jesus’ human nature is exactly like unfallen humanity
But no independent existence apart from the Divine Logos
I.e., Jesus was and is and always will be the Second Person of the Trinity
The Divine Person assumed a human nature, joining it with his divine nature forevermore.

13. The Second Council of Constantinople

14. Constantinople II, 553 May 5 – June 2, 553
Called by Emperor Justinian the Great
Presided by Eutychius, Patriarch of Constantinople
Other Three Eastern Patriarchs also Present
Pope Vigilius refused to attend and issued a document forbidding them from proceeding without him
152 Bishops attended (only 16 from the West)

15. Constantinople II, 553
Promoted/explained Leontius’ views as a clarification of Chalcedon’s rulings
Also Condemned the “Three Chapters”
Theodore of Mopsuestia,
Some of Theodoret of Cyrus’ writings,
Letter of Ibas of Edessa to Maris,
All three Antiochene, and long dead!
Condemned Origen, , an Alexandrian

16. Constantinople II, 553
Ultimately failed to bring the non-Chalcedonians back
(Busy defending against Islamic invasion)
Mostly an Eastern Issue, though the Roman Church accepts it
ACNA: affirms the “Christological clarifications”
Many Protestants can’t follow the issues, nor really care!