The sister of Theodosius, Pulcheria, was next in line to the throne. She was a supporter of the orthodox view of Christ’s two natures, and not only her, but also her husband Marcian. Her husband became the new emperor and he fairly quickly convened another ecumenical council to settle the issue of Eutychianism and other Christological heresies. This council began in Chalcedon (in modern day Turkey) on October 8, 451. Debate was intense and deep regarding the person of Christ, particularly his two natures.
The Council of Nicea was decisive for addressing Trinitarian heresies. But following this meeting, other heresies continued to infect the Church. In today’s instalment of this series, we’ll look at how heresies regarding the doctrine of Christ were addressed.
In the late 300s and into the 400s, controversy raged about the relationship between the divinity and humanity of Christ. The fact that he was both God and man wasn’t so much in dispute. It was more about how these natures interacted. So, for example, we find Nestorius in Antioch. He taught that the human nature of Christ is separate and distinct from the divine nature. Bishop Cyril of Alexandria exerted himself against this teaching. Both Cyril and Nestorius had large groups of followers.
The Council of Ephesus was convened in 431 to sort this out. It was actually the initiative of Nestorius. He was convinced that an ecumenical council would see his teaching vindicated and Cyril convicted as a heretic. It was supposed to be a meeting of the minds, but half the minds didn’t appear and they were the ones supposed to vindicate Nestorius. Consequently, Nestorius was roundly condemned. But he and his followers met separately and returned the favour. They condemned and excommunicated Cyril and his followers. All of this history resulted in the establishment of a “Church of the East,” which includes the Assyrian Church. To this day, this church remains Nestorian, along with several others in the East.
Things blew up again with a monk from Constantinople by the name of Eutyches. He taught that, after the incarnation, Christ had only one nature. It was a single nature composed of a mixture of the divine and human. Eutyches compared it to mixing wine with water. Once the two are mixed, they become indistinguishable from one another.