Non-Chalcedonians

Non-Chalcedonian Christianity comprises the branches of Christianity that do not accept and uphold theological resolutions of the Council of Chalcedon, the council following Ephesus, held in 451. Non-Chalcedonian denominations reject the Christological Definition of Chalcedon (which asserted Dyophysitism), for varying reasons. Non-Chalcedonian Christianity thus stands in contrast to Chalcedonian Christianity.

Today, the Oriental Orthodox Churches predominantly comprise most of non-Chalcedonian Christianity.

Overview

The most substantial non-Chalcedonian tradition is known as Oriental Orthodoxy. Within this tradition are a number of ancient Christian churches including the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch (sometimes referred to as "Jacobite"), the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.

The official Christology of the Oriental Orthodox Church is Miaphysitism, which affirms one composite nature of God the Word Incarnate, fully divine and fully human, as articulated by the Council of Ephesus and Cyril of Alexandria. The Church also affirms Trinitarian Triadology.

The Christology of the Church of the East (i.e., "Nestorian" Christianity) may be called "non-Ephesine" for not accepting the Council of Ephesus, but did finally gather to ratify the Council of Chalcedon at the Synod of Mar Aba I in 544.

Within the Patriarchates of Alexandria and Antioch, the rejection of the Chalcedonian definition led to a significant schism. The common people of Egypt and Syria largely opposed the council, while the Byzantine-Greek minority, which constituted the ruling class, generally accepted it. These two groups competed for control of the ancient sees of Alexandria and Antioch, which were important centers of influence in Christendom at the time. Ultimately, neither faction achieved complete dominance over either church, resulting in the existence of two distinct, parallel patriarchates of Alexandria and Antioch for nearly 1,500 years, a situation that continues to the present day.

The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria represented the native Egyptian patriarchal faction that rejects Chalcedon, while the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria comprised those who accept the Council's decisions. In Mesopotamia and the Levant, the Syriac Orthodox Church serves as the patriarchal faction for the local Assyrian population, whereas the Greek Orthodox Church was primarily concentrated in coastal regions with a Greek and Hellenized Syrian majority, continuing today as the Rum.

In India and to a lesser degree in Persia, the schism that occurred was between the Syriac Orthodox Church and the Assyrian Church of the East, which continutes to exist in Kerala as the two churches Syriac churches today. Moreoever, there exists another Oriental Orthodox Church separated from Syriac Orthodox Church called the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.

In the 18th century and onwards, Nontrinitarian and Unitarian Christians are necessarily non-Chalcedonian having their own separate traditions, different nontrinitarian theologies, and polities. The largest such groups are The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Latter Day Saint movement), Jehovah's Witnesses and the Iglesia ni Cristo.

See also

*Conference of Addis Ababa

References

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Christian theological movements
Nature of Jesus Christ