Neo-Chalcedonism (also neo-Chalcedonianism) was a sixth-century theological movement in the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
.
[Karl-Heinz Uthemann, ''Christus, Kosmos, Diatribe: Themen der frühen Kirche als Beitrag zu einer historischen Theologie'', De Gruyter, 2005] The term however is quite recent, first appearing in a 1909 work by
J. Lebon.
Overview
The main preoccupation of neo-Chalcedonians was specifying the nature of the
hypostatic union
Hypostatic union (from the Greek: ''hypóstasis'', 'person, subsistence') is a technical term in Christian theology employed in mainstream Christology to describe the union of Christ's humanity and divinity in one hypostasis, or individual perso ...
of two natures in Christ, which was left vague in the
definition of Chalcedon. The dyophysite neo-chaldeconians were chiefly opposed by the
monophysites
Monophysitism ( ) or monophysism ( ; from Greek , "solitary" and , "nature") is a Christological doctrine that states that there was only one nature—the divine—in the person of Jesus Christ, who was the incarnated Word. It is rejected as ...
, who increasingly labelled them
Nestorians
Nestorianism is a term used in Christian theology and Church history to refer to several mutually related but doctrinary, doctrinarily distinct sets of teachings. The first meaning of the term is related to the original teachings of Christian t ...
, that is, deniers of the deity of Christ.
Alexander Kazhdan
Alexander Petrovich Kazhdan (; 3 September 1922 – 29 May 1997) was a Soviet and American Byzantinist. Among his publications was the three-volume ''Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium'', a comprehensive encyclopedic work containing over than 5,000 ...
, "Neo-chalcedonism", ''The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium'', ed. Alexander Kazhdan (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005).
Major neo-Chalcedonians include Nephalios,
John of Caesarea
John (died 1238–41) was the Lord of Caesarea from 1229 and an important figure in the kingdoms of Cyprus and Jerusalem. He was the only son of Walter III of Caesarea and Marguerite d'Ibelin, daughter of Balian of Ibelin. He was often called "th ...
and
Leontios of Jerusalem. They sought a middle ground with the so-called "verbal" (moderate) monophysites. They emphasised the synthesis of natures in Christ, employing a word favoured by the verbal monophysites, and the hypostatic as opposed to natural union of the natures. They continued to accept the proposition that only "one of the Trinity has suffered" and the twelve anathemas of
Cyril of Alexandria
Cyril of Alexandria (; or ⲡⲓ̀ⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲕⲓⲣⲓⲗⲗⲟⲥ; 376–444) was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. He was enthroned when the city was at the height of its influence and power within the Roman Empire ...
.
[
The movement achieved supremacy in ]Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
during the pontificates of Anastasius I (559–569, 593–599) and Gregory
Gregory may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Gregory (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Gregory (surname), a surname
*Gregory (The Walking Dead), fictional character from the walkin ...
(569–593) of Antioch. Emperor Justinian I
Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...
accepted the neo-Chalcedonian interpretation, and it was approved officially at the Second Council of Constantinople
The Second Council of Constantinople is the fifth of the first seven ecumenical councils recognized by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. It is also recognized by the Old Catholics and others. Protestant opinions and re ...
in 553. This provoked the Schism of the Three Chapters
The Schism of the Three Chapters was a schism that affected Chalcedonian Christianity in Northern Italy lasting from 553 to 698 AD and in some areas to 715 AD, although the area out of communion with Rome contracted during that time. It was part of ...
, which lasted over a century.[
]
References
Further reading
* Allen, Pauline. "Neo-Chalcedonism and the Patriarchs of the Late Sixth Century". ''Byzantion'' 50 (1980): 5–17.
*Gray, P. "Neo-Chalcedonianism and the Tradition: From Patristic to Byzantine Theology". ''Byzantinische Forschungen'' 8 (1982): 61–70.
*Helmer, S. ''Der Neuchalkedonismus''. Bonn, 1962.
*Lebon, J. "Le monophysisme sevérien". Louvain, 1909.
*Moeller, C. "Un représentant de la christologie néochalcédonienne au début du VIe siècle en Orient: Nephalius d'Alexandrie". ''Revue d'histoire ecclésiastique'' 40 (1944–45): 73–140.
*Moeller, C. "Le chalcédonisme et le néo-chalcédonisme en Orient de 451 à la fin du VIe siècle". ''Das Konzil von Chalkedon'', vol. 1 (Würzburg, 1951): 666–96.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Neo-chalcedonism
Christianity in the Byzantine Empire
Nature of Jesus Christ