Patrology 5-8th Century (Rev. Fr.

Winston Cabading)
Challenges of the Early Church towards Identity

Frontiers
• with a deeply semitic (jewish) origin, Christianity faced the following frontiers
o language: Aramaic/hebrew… greek, syriac
o culture: mono-cultural/ ethnic (jewish)- Multi-cultural/ ethnic (greco-roman)
o worldview: semitic (theistic)- graeco roman (philosophico- religious)
o religion: deeply monotheistic- polytheistic
CHallenges
• The Challenges- is the christian faith re-creating/ renovating or perfecting?
o Cultural Poltical: how to adapt
o Religious: how to win the already “spiritual” to Jesus
o intellectual: how to convince the intellectuals of the reasonability of the Christian
message
o linguistic: how to bring the message to level of the people in their language and
understanding
gnostic Christianity- those who misrepresenting, mistranslating the Christian Message, since they are
peripheral and does not anchor from the main source/ core.

The Major Challenges that the Early Church and the Fathers faced from within their ranks in the first four
Centuries
• the challenge of the JUDAIZERS - the relevancy of the Mosaic law and its prescriptions of
perpetual memory to the being of Christianity.
• the challenge of the GNOSTICS- the primacy of the spiritual over the material, of true knowledge,
over pious teaching.
• the challenege of the MONTANISTS - the primacy of holiness of life and manifestation of the
spiritual gifts as proof of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit on the baptize and ordained.
• The challenge of the DONATISTS and NOVATIANS- the tension between strict/ rigid ortho-praxis
over the power of the church to forgive sins and mitigate the time of penance.

The Demise of the Judeo-Christians

• By the second half odf the 2nd Century, there are no longer any Judeo-Christians (jewish
Christian). The church become a church of the Gentiles by the end of the first half od teh 2nd
century if not even earlier.
• the early demise of Jewish Christians is attributed mainly to the progressive abandonment of the
early church, especilaly of the communities of Gentile composition.
• The decision of the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) to limit the liability of gentile converts in
observing the mosaic law to only four items: abjuration of idolatry, fornication, eating of
strangled animals, blood gave way to the abandonment of observance of other practices which
jewish christians saw as conditio sine qua non for being a true believer in Jesus of Nazareth.
• the arginalization of Jewish Christians from the growing Gentiles church woukd gradually also
create a violent clash leading to very visible “divorce” between church and synagogues
• The religious separation would have repercussions on the political sphere when both jews and
Christians would be opposing one another down through the centuries. The 20th century tragedy
of the “Shoah” (systematic annihilation of the Jews by the Nazis) is often cited to have stemmed
from this unresolved tension.
JUDAIZERS
• theterm has been given a pejorative meaning. it is generally understood to mean Christian who
favor return to practices of the Judaic.
• The general tendency of gentile christians is to see the savific realities of the OT as a prefiguration
of the life giving gospel of Christ presented in the NT.
o The Judaizers see the OT as a perpetually integral part of the life of the Church both in its
dogmatic, disciplinary, liturgical, moral precepts; for the teachings of Christ and Moses
can never be contradictory even to the last detail. Therefore there is no discontinuity
between the OT and NT, the Temple and Church.
▪ Chirst is the summit. there is no longer need to follow the prescriptions of the law
because Christ has fulfilled it.

August 30, 2024

MONTANISTS
Montanism and the Challenge of a parallel "Catholic" Church
• Montanism at the outset was a "reform" or "restorationist" movement. It was a reaction to a
perceived moral slackening by both clergy and people which brought about the growing rarity of
the manifestation of the so called "charismatic gifts.
o MOntanus cllaims the incrnation of the Holy Spirit
o Tertullian fall into Montanism
• So that the gifts would continue to flourish it:
• formed a parallel church complete with validly ordained ministers -deacons, priests,
bishops (due to disappontments with the institutional church, etc.)
• required a strict moral and religious decorum for both clergy and people (holy clergy will
attract holy people)
• recognized the manifestation of "special gifts" as "ordinary gifts" of the Holy Spirit

Response of the Church to the challenge of the Montanists

• It affirmed that the fullness of the grace of the Holy Spirit is communicated to tho Church from
Christ, to the Apostles, and then their successors -the "True" Church is the means of salvation.
• true obedience to Christ is manifested through obedience to lawfully constituted episcopal
authority
• Spiritual gifts are gifts of the Holy Spint to the Church and as such belong properly to the Church.
• The "special gifts" have special purpose they will cease to manifest when not nceded and will
manifest again when the need arises.
• Determining whether certain manifestations of gifts" indeed come from "above" belong properly
to the Church alone because of the continuous indwelling of the Spirit.

Lingering challenge of the Montanists

• There is no room for lax and immoral clergy and people in the Church of Christ
• The special gifts in order to build the Body of Christ must in themselves be visible.
• The judgment of whether they are from above belong to the entire Church - clergy and people,
and not simply to the episcopate alone since the indwelling of the Spirit is in the Church not the
episcopate solely.
• Identifying the Church with both clergy and people together, and not simply to either one of them
at the exclusion of the other.
The accusation of the Donatists(East) and Novatians (West)
• During the period of peace from the persecution of Christians, a good number of the lapsi, sought
to be reconciled back to the Church. The attitude of the various local churches on re-admitting
them to ecclesial communion vary from place to place. Iwo attitudes are evident:
• Admission through a prolonged period of penance (Cyprian, the Donatists,Novatians)
• Admission through an abbreviated period of penance (the Roman Church)
• The Donatists (in the East) and the Novatians (in the West) accuse those churches who
readily admit into ecclesial communion the lapsi as traitors themselves to the faith, and
have no power whatsoever to change Tradition.

General contributions of the Early Church Fathers of the -4" century in facing these challenges
• The necessity for an explicit Symbolon(Creed) which lists the minimum tenets of faith that a
catechumen must believe in, and the baptize to continually adhere to and profess.
• The need to have Canon of Scriptures which would be the basis of substantiating Christian
Tradition. Scripture would be a witness to Apostolic Tradition
• The need to identify authentic Apostolic Sources of Tradition. ( Apostolic Fpundation)These can
be found in universally recognized Ancient APostolic Sees and Churches e.g Rome, Antioch,
Alexandria, Jerusalem
• The need ofr a cearly recognizable auhority that interprets authentically the meaning behind
Scripture and Tradition (Magisterium). (APostolic Authority)The Magisterium which is exercised
primarily by Bishops of Apostolic See, and by a council of Catholic/Orthodox Bishops.
NB. THESE FOUR ARE CALLED REGULA FIDEI (RULE OF FAITH)
• Common Liturgical Tradition (Added only by Fr Cabading)
o every community would belong to a particular family

The debate over the Regula fidei

• The "regula fidei" is the criteria for judging the orthodoxy/catholicity of a particular doctrinal
position
• However, just like the criteria for judging who is a "pater ecclesiae", each criterion is subject to
further debate and precisioning.

The question on the Symbolon

• The symbolon" or "creed" is a list of the "minimum" articles of faith required that believer should
assent to with faith. The question of the "minimum" vary from church to church. Although there
are certain common core doctrines -i.e. belief in One God, the Father, in Jesus as Lord and Soter
(Savior), in the Holy Spirit, in the Church, one Baptism, life everlasting, other key articles of faith
vary.

The problem of the Canon of Scripture

• It is of historical fact that the Catholic Church definitively closed the canon of scripture only during
the Council of Trent in comation. Pronto the Council of frent, the Canon though implicitly already
determined can still be subject to vacillation.
• There is no single canon approved as definitive by the ancient ecumenical councils. Each church
has its own list, especially with reference to the OT, some use the extended list, others highly
abridged. However, two major canons seem to be in circulation and enjoy extensive use -the
canon in the VULGATA (Latin West) and in the SEPTUAGINTA (Greek East). The Hebrew Canon of
the OT had some followings especially in those cities with sizable jewish settlers/residents
(Alexandria, Antioch).
 • Some attempt of arriving at a uniform canon for the OT was done but this never occurred in a
universal or ecumenical level. Hence up to this day, three Canons are extensively in use:
• Vulgata list (Catholic Canon)
• Septuaginta list (Byzantine Orthodox
Canon)
• Hebrew list (Jewish, Ethiopian-Alexandrian-Antiochian,
Reformation/Evangelical Canon)

NB: The Protestants did not come fromm the Hebrew list but they came from the Vulgata list used
and then removed it.
The question od Apodtolic Sees
o The Major Bishoprics in the ROman EMpire
▪ Rome
▪ Constantinople
▪ Antioch
▪ Jerusalem
▪ Alexandria

Major Apostolic Sees in the East (Petrine See)

• Jerusalem (See of James the Less)
• Antioch (See of Peter)
• Alexandria (See of Mark disciple of Peter)
• Constantinople (since the late 4 cent. - See of Andrew brother of Peter
Apostolic See in West
• Rome (See of Peter and Paul)

• Following the tradition attested to by St. Irenaeus of Lyons c. 140-202 A.D.) that to find authentic
apostolic teaching it is necessary to go to the those churches founded by the Apostles "Apostolic
Sees", it has become customary to always refer to them in matters of doctrinal importance.
• However, when Apostolic Sees clash by reason not only of ecclesiastical politics but more so due
to doctrinal controversies, how is the impasse to be solved?
• How does one determine which is the true apostolic doctrine when both camps claim clear
aposto lic succession and reception of authentic apostolic tradition?
• When an Apostolic See falls into doctrinal error, is its apostolic authority jeopardized?
• Can "apostolic succession be transmitted by a heretical bishop of an apostolic see?
• How can "apostolicity" be regained by an apostolie See if the See falls into heresy?

Consensus of Orthodoxy in the East

• It has become traditional and therefore ordinary course of action in the East that when Sees
clash for doctrinal and canonical reasons, a Synod (Council) of Bishops are called to solve the
dispute.
• The decrees of a council must be signed by the participating bishops and have the force of law.
• No decree of a primate is binding unless this is approved by his synod and no decision of a synod
is binding if not ratified by the primate (Apostolic Canon 34).
• When Apostolic Sees clash therefore, the normal course of action is to call on a General
(Ecumenical) Council to solve the dispute. However, a Council is not really considered ecumenical
unless its canons and decrees are received by the whole Church.
 • The voice of the Roman See is to be consulted, and it is necessary that it be heard, however, its
judgments are not automatically observed without the consent of the rest of the Apostolic
Churches or the decision of the Council.
Consensus of Orthodoxy in the West
• Since it is an undisputed fact of ecclesiastical history that only Rome has the right to the title of
APostolic See in the West, it is natural that disputes among churches in the West when it comes
to matters altecting the whole Church, the See of Peter and Paul is to be judge and arbiter.
• By way of tradition and ecclesial polity whenever doctrinal and canonical disputes arise which
have bearing for the whole Church, Rome has to beinformed and its voice be heard.
NB: The consensus in the West= Rome/ Supreme Pontiff/ ecumenical council approved by the Supreme
Pontiff
The concensus in the East= ECUMENICAL Council
ROME IS THE MOTHER OF ALL CHURCHES

September 20, 2024

General contributions of the Early Church Fathers of the i"-4" century in facing these challenges
• The necessity for an explicit Symbolon (Creed) which lists the minimum tenets of faith that a
catechumen must believe in, and the baptize to continually adhere to and profess.

NB: There was a necessity to agree on what to believe.

• The need to identify authentic apostolic sources of Tradition. These can be found in universally
recognized Ancient Apostolic Sees and Churches - e.g. Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem
NB: Apostolic foundation- Apostolic Authority/ Teaching Authority
• MAGISTERIUM
• The need for a clearly recognizable authority that interprets authentically the meaning behind
Scripture and Tradition - The Magisterium which is exercised primarily by bishops of Apostolic
Sees, and by a Council of Catholic/Orthodox Bishops.

NB: The person who possesse the Apostolic See, has also the possessor of Apostlic Authority which is
the Magisterium.
• Only Apostolic Church can use Apostolic See
• Apostolic Succession allows our bishop to be called apostolic successor but not a personal
successor.

Unified Rite of Worship and Governance, and the "Primus"

• The early Christian communities were conscious of the apostolic tradition they have received
from the community that evangelized them. The relationship of Mother Church with Daughter
Church and Sister Churches became a recognizable characteristic of the relationship between
churches.
• This relationship is characterized by a common rite of worship, and a common practice or custom
of governance, as well as the "taxis" or "seniority of honor" (primus) among its hierarchs or
bishops.

NB: The relationship with the evangelizing community with the evangelized community is the mother
church to Daughter Church.
 • The primus and the churches although equal nonetheless recognizes who is the first among them.
Rome- develop Liturgy but still has the element of the ancient one
• LAtinization- the attempt to Latinize easter liturgies, because of some notion of some easter
missionaries that Latin is suerior that the eastern rites.
NB: The regula fidei has 5 elements
• creed
• canon of scripture
• Tradition
• Sacraments
• Ecclesial Authority
The debate over the Regula fidei
• The "regula fidei" is the criteria for judging the orthodoxy/catholicity of a particular doctrinal
position
• However, just like the criteria for judging who is a "pater ecclesiae", each criterion is subject to
further debate and precisioning.

The question on the Symbolon

• The "symbolon" or "creed" is a list of the "minimum" articles of faith required that believer should
assent to with faith. The question of the "minimum" vary from church to church. Although there
are certain common core doctrines -i.e. belief in One God, the Father, in Jesus as Lord and Soter
(Savior), in the Holy Spirit, in the Church, one Baptism, life everlasting, other key articles of faith
vary.

The problem of the Canon of Scripture

• It is of historical fact that the Catholic Church definitively closed the canon of scripture only during
the Council of Trent in the 16 century as an aftermath of the Reformation. Prior to the Council of
trent, the Canon though implicitly already determined can still be subiect to vacillations.

• There is no single canon approved as definitive by the ancient ecumenical councils. Each church
has its own list, especially with reference to the OT, some use the extended list, others highly
abridged. However, two major canons seem to be in circulation and enjoy extensive use -the
canon in the Vulgata (Latin West) and in the Septuaginta (Greek Bast). The Hebrew Canon of the
OT had some followings especially in those cities with sizable jewish settlers/residents
(Alexandria, Antioch).

NB: Historically, there are 3 trends in the formation of the Canon

- (Latin West) vulgata
- (Greek East) septuaginta- was used by Xtians to defend the faith
- hebrew Canon- a third list, because the Christians started colonized the OT, in the council
of Jamnia.

• Some attempt of arriving at a uniform canon for the OT was done but this never occurred in a
universal or ecumenical level. Hence up to this day, three Canons are extensively in use:
• Vulgata list (Catholic Canon)
• Septuaginta list (Byzantine Orthodox
Canon)
 • Hebrew list Jewish, Ethiopian-Alexandrian-Antiochian,
Reformation/Evangelical Canon)
• NB: Protestant reformers were all Catholics, and all there documents comes from the Vulgata
List.
• Major Apostolic Sees in the East
• Jerusalem (See of James the Less)
• Antioch (See of Peter)
• Alexandria (See of Mark disciple of Peter)
• Constantinople (since the late 4th cent. -
See of Andrew brother of Peter)
• Apostolic See in the West
• Rome (See of Peter and Paul)

• Following the tradition attested to by St.

Irenaeus of Lyons (C. 140-202 A.D.) that to find authentic apostolic teaching it is necessary to go
to the those churches founded by the Apostles "Apostolic Sees", it has become customary to
always refer to them in matters of doctrinal importance.
• However, when Apostolic Sees clash by reason not only of ecclesiastical politics but more so due
to doctrinal controversies, how is the impasse to be solved?
•
• How does one determine which is the true apostolic doctrine when both camps claim clear aposto
lic succession and reception of authentic apostolic tradition?
• When an Apostolic See falls into doctrinal error, is its apostolic authority jeopardized?
• Can "apostolic succession be transmitted by a heretical bishop of an apostolic see?
• How can "apostolicity" be regained by an apostolie See if the See falls into heresy?

Consensus of Orthodoxy in the East

• It has become traditional and therefore ordinary course of action in the East that when Sees
clash for doctrinal and canonical reasons, a Synod (Council) of Bishops are called to solve the
dispute.
• The decrees of a council must be signed by the participating bishops and have the force of law.
• No decree of a primate is binding unless this is approved by his synod and no decision of a synod
is binding if not ratified by the primate (Apostolic Canon 34).
• When Apostolic Sees clash therefore, the normal course of action is to call on a General
(Ecumenical) Council to solve the dispute. However, a Council is not really considered ecumenical
unless its canons and decrees are received by the whole Church.
• The voice of the Roman See is to be consulted, and it is necessary that it be heard, however, its
judgments are not automatically observed without the consent of the rest of the Apostolic
Churches or the decision of the Council.

Consensus of Orthodoxy in the West

• Since it is an undisputed fact of ecclesiastical history that only Rome has the right to the title of
APostolic See in the West, it is natural that disputes among churches in the West when it comes
to matters altecting the whole Church, the See of Peter and Paul is to be judge and arbiter.
• By way of tradition and ecclesial polity whenever doctrinal and canonical disputes arise which
have bearing for the whole Church, Rome has to beinformed and its voice be heard.
NB: The consensus in the West= Rome/ Supreme Pontiff/ ecumenical council approved by the Supreme
Pontiff
The concensus in the East= ECUMENICAL Council
ROME IS THE MOTHER OF ALL CHURCHES

• The decision of the Apostolic See of Rome is binding to all Churches since it is the See of the
Apostles Peter and Paul and together with the Ecumenical Council are the final arbiters of matters
affecting the Churches.
• Hence in the Latin Church it has been understood very carly on that the Supreme Authority in
the Church rests in the Apostolic See of Rome founded by the Prince of the Apostles and the
Apostles to the Gentiles and in an Ecumenical Council in which the See of Rome is duly
represented and approves.
NB: Rome is Allergic with schism, whereas the eastern churchers are allergic with heresy, because for
Rome they are into unity, subscrition to the see of Peter and Paul.

IMPLICATIONS OF THE COUNCIL OF NICEA (3325 AD)

• 3 things important in Nicea
o Definition of the divinity of Logos
o Closing of Canon
o The determination of how easter is celebrated, when Eater is celebrated
▪ “Easter belongs to Christ and not in our Calendars” -Pope Francis
▪ The first full moon after the Equinox

• A Church that understands her catholicity not only in terms of the universality of its salvific
message but also in terms of a common profession of faith, sacraments, and episcopate
(ecclesiastical governance)
• A Church that understands its role not only in terms of preaching (transmission of Tradition) but
also in the definition of the content of Tradition
• A Church that understands her faith is not actual presence of the Holy Spirt, which is experienced
in the Church, making it both recipient and transmitter of Truth
The Battle for an Appropriate Theological Vocabulary

The decision of Nicea I (325)

• Nicea sought to be definitive in its profession of faith that the Logos is God. It had to affirm the
divinity of the Logos with the Father in order to protect:
• The baptismal faith and the saving power of the Sacraments
• The absolute and universal redemption of the fallen created order
• The authority of the Church which flows from Christ himself
• The Church where salvation is experienced
Attempts for a more acceptable Vcabulary
• Homoiousious (Homoiouseans)- of like substance (Eusebius of Ceasarea c. 315 Bp. of Caesarea)
• - Homoios (homoeans)- like (c. 355 Bp. Acacius of Caesarea)
Radical rejection of Nicea
• Anomoios (heteroousious) (Anomeans) radically unlike the father
NO TERM

No term is better suited than homoousios

• Homoiousios ('like' substance) does not exactly convey the absolute equality as to divinity of the
Logos with the Father
 • Homoios (like although more akin to biblical usage nonetheless does not convey the exact nature
of the likeness and can be either broad or narrow

Lessons learned from Nicea I as the First Oecumenical Council

• Apostolic authority belongs to the Church that is faithful to the teachings of Christ
• Individual bishops including those who hold apostolic sees possess apostolic authority only when
in communion with the whole Church in its faith and Sacraments
• The bishops gathered in an ecumenical council has the power given by Christ and assured by the
Holy. Spirit to define and deciare the authentic contents and interpretation of faith
• That no declaration is considered automatically binding until the universal Church (in its
episcopate and faithful) has received it both in its faith and praxis (lex orandi lex credendi)

NB: You will fall from apostolic See if you fall into heresy
• Individual Bishops, are real catholic bishops only if in communion in Faith and Sacraments
• In this way schism separates oneself from catholic communion.
Anathema Sit- “let him be accursed”
• To have a common rite, so that no tampering with
• The idea of creative liturgy, becomes really absurd

COUNCIL OF CONSTANTINOPLE
• Is the HS a person or a Hypostasis?
September 27, 2024
Council of Constantinople 1 (381)
• To see the Fathers in the Doctrinal COntroversy/ Doctrinal Point of View

The Holy Spirit

› Question: Whether the Spirit is a distinct divine hypostasis or a expression of the "dunamis" (power) of
the Father and/or Son?
• Some of the Fathers like St. Cyril Bishop of Jerusalem (c. 315-386) preferred that the Church
should not venture into having a declarative definition as to the nature of the Spirit because
Scripture has no declarative statement either.
• The question became a problem when Macedonius Bp. of Constantinople (c. 342) disputed the
Divinity of the Holy Spirit.
• The Pneumatomachi (enemies of the Spirit) or Macedonians (followers of Macedonius) based
their position on the OT and NT Scriptural testimonies of the 'spirit' as impersonal 'wind' or as a
creative force and its manifestation is always connected with the theophany of the Father or the
Son
• The implication of the problem is soteriological, How is the redemptive work of the Word
Incarnate made present and efficacious, and how Is He truly present in the Eucharist when He is
in heaven seated at the right hand of the Father?

• The solution was already given years before through the Cappadocian Synthesis
• However, though majority of the Fathers and the Nicean Church believed in the divinity of the HS,
many are reluctant to use homoousios to describe the relationship (e.g. St. Basil of Caesarea).
Most would prefer a more acceptable terminology that is nearer to the scriptural testimony

• First dogma of FAith

o I believe in One God- which we receive from the Jews
 • The Church of the west- Starts with On God
• Eastern Father- How can you explain God is 3 in One
• God is One in Three divine Person, whenever we say God you always now have tHe Father the
Son and the Holy Spirit.

Macedonius- Hpw do we see the HOly SPirit? A divine or just a power?

In the definition question, they would prefer silent about it. In Nicea, Creedal Statement :

CREEDAL STATEMENT
Nicea I (325) Constantinople I (381)
We believe in one God And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father
And in the Holy Spirit. who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and giorified, who has
spoken through the prophets

Notice: Who precceds from the Father…. (Nicene-Constantinopilitan Creed)

• Filioque-controversy,
• The westerners spicifically signifies the the Holy Spirit is truly God, then it is needed to be included
in the prefession of Faith.
• I the books of the west, there is always filioque

Immediate effect of the declaration of the definitive divinity of the Holy Spirit
• A conscious and deliberate inclusion of the Holy Spirit as God to be worshiped and adored
together with the Father and Son in the liturgical prayers of the Church especially those in the
East.
• The evolution did not occur in the west
• the synod of constantinople was not intended as an ecumenical synod but local synod
• The epiclesis (invocation of the Holy Spirit) to transform the gifts of bread and wine into the Body
and Blood of Christ became and integral part of the Eucharistic Prayers in the East.
• is the words of the savior the one that transforms the body and blood or the invocation
of the HOly Spirit?
• How about the West?
• DOes not have a pre-consacratory prayer
• Western (Roman) Canon (c. Pope Damasus 366-384)
• Lacks an explicit pre-consecratory epiclesis:
• Quam oblationem tu, Deus, in omnibus, quaesumus, benedictam, adscriptam, ratam,
rationabilem, acceptabilemque facere digneris: ut nobis Corpus et Sanguis flat dilectissimi
Filli tui, Domini nostri lesu Christi"
(We beg you, God, to deign to make this offering in every way blessed, approved, ratified,
right and acceptable, so that it may become for our benefit the Body and Blood of your
beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.)
• neither does it have a post-consecratory
• In the prayer you cannot find epiclesis

• Lacks an explicit post-consecratory/communion epiclesis:

"Supplices te rogamus, omnipotens Deus, lube haec perferri per manus sancti Angell tui in sublime altare
tuum, in conspectu divinae maiestatis tuae, ut quotquot ex hac altaris participatione sacrosanctum Filll
tui Corpus et
Sanguinem sumpserimus, omni benedictione caelesti et grata repleamur. (Per Christum Dominum
nostrum. (We suppliantly beg you, almighty God, bid them to be brought by the hands of your holy Angel
to your altar on high, in the sight of your divine majesty, so that as many of us will, by this participatio of
the altar, receive the sacred body and Blood of your SOn may be filled with every heavenly blessing and
grace. (Through Christ our Lord. Amen)

1. The modification was not made to the Roman Canon by the time of the Council of Constantinople
I because
2. Constantinople I was not originally intended to be an ecumenical council but a regional (Eastern)
synod that is why the Pope was not invited nor other Western bishops
3. The error of Macedonius was confined to the Churches in the East and therefore the acuteness of
the problem was not strongly felt in the West.
NB: THE ISSUE Was not about the HS but of grace (Pelagianism) whether we can be saved by our own
works independent of Grace.

Implications of the absence of a clear epiclesis in the Roman Canon

• Although not theologically but in praxis the HS in the West was sent into the background. The
effect is felt both in the Church governance and spirituality. The centralizing tendency is
symptomatic.
• why? what is the consensus of Orthodoxy in the East?
• Council, Synod- they are used to gather together.
• West paradigm- Rome (Orthodoxy of the West)
• Pope Leo and Gregory- Popes in Centralizing Orthodoxy
• Line of Authority
• Christ
• Vicar of Christ (pontiff)
• Bishops
• Clergy
• Faithful
• NB: The Holy Spirit is there but not explicit, whereas in the eastern
understanding it is explicit.
• When a Holy Father visit a Latin Rite
• THE POPE IS ALWYS ELEVATED, never seated in the same level
• but in Easter Catholic Country
• The Pope is seated at the same level
• but if the Patriarch is a Cardinal who viists the Vatican, robed in Regalia,
He sists below the Pope, as part of the protocol.
• Eastern Patriarchs do not want to be cardinals.
• The pope would insist, because if they become cardinals they can insist
(Something Political)
• A very strong impetus to push forward the powers of the Bishop of Rome is said to be a product
of this.
• Father → sends His Son Jesus Christ → appoints the Vicar of Christ
• Oftentimes when we think about the council of Constantinople, is HS, but in relity
the genius of the father is not on this, but of the Trinity.
• THe question of the HS, is a question of what is the apropriate word describbing
the HS.
• Constantinople 1 avoided technical term (homoousious)
 • As a solution they thought of the term the Lord the giver of Life, in order
to avoid controversies.

From controversy to controversy

• The road to theological precisioning of the Christian faith In Jesus Christ the Son of God made
Flesh.

Apollinarius Bishop of Loadicea (c. 310-390)

• A strong supporter of Nicea and of St. Athanasius, he brought the emerging orthodox vocabulary
regarding the Trinity into Christology which led to his eventual falling into heresy
(Apollinarianism).
• NB: He is Nicene, he is orthodox, however he has problems in understanding How Jesus truly GOD
(Hmoousious) is also Fully human.
• he has a problem how to understand that.
• Jesus is truly and fully God ( Christ is Divine- homoousious to the Ftaher)
o Aristotelian- Body and Soul
▪ if you use this, what makes a man a man is body and soul, where would the Logos
come in?
▪ If you use antrhopolic exaple
▪ Tripartite Partition
▪ Spirit
▪ Soul
▪ Body
▪ Apolinarius believed that this spirit is the Logos, but he was
named heretic, because if the spirit is the logos then he is not a
complete man.
▪ his solution was to remove the spirit, and define it as part of the
divine, but it is still errroneous
• He shared with Saint Athanasius the conviction that only the unchangeable Divine Logos could be
the saviour of man with his inherently changeable and fallible mind or soul.

Apollinarianism
• Became the first great christological heresy. Though it sought to protect the received faith on.
• Wanted to safeguard the following:
• The unity of the Godhead and manhood in Christ
• The full divinity of the Logos
• NB: Since they do not have the ample vocabulary, they fall into heresy
And avoided the teaching that there was moral development in Christ's life. It fell into the conclusion that
the manhood of Christ is not complete. And therefore He is not a perfect example for us, nor did He
redeem the whole human nature, but only its spiritual elements.

• NB: Not a heresy of its intention, on the contrary it wanted to protect the nicene creed.
• It fell into a conclusion that Christ manhood is not complete, and when it is not complete,
then Christ cannot save us.
• Only that which is not assumed is not saved.
• That which he didi not assumed is not saved
• If he only assume seemingly as an appearance, we fall back again to docetism.
Question: Does his humanity Limits His divinity?
 • Apollinarius asserted that in man there coexist body. soul, and spirit. This was the anthropology
of most of the pre-nicean and post-nicean fathers.
• he took out the spirit and changed it with logos, thus it possesses perfect divinehood, and
imperfect humanhood.
•
• But in Christ although there is a real human body and soul, there is no human spirit, the spirit is
replaced by the Divine Logos. Hence, he possess perfect Godhood but imperfect manhood
• Because it is through the Logos that everything was created. He is the prototype of all human
spirits and so he could replace the human spirit without destroying the essence of being human.

• The problem lies in applying trinitarian distinctions of 'hypostasis - person" and 'ousia/physis -
nature' to the God-man. As to whether the human personality in Christ is to be divided into body
and soul, or into body, soul, and spirit.

Trinitarian Christological
Ousia (Divine) Divine

Hypostasis (person) person

= One Divine nature 3 Divine person = One Divine nature and????

NB: When you say one divine nature there is a problem, where is the man? end up to decetism.
• In Christology when wetak about i person, we end up to appearance
• See the problematic is in the terms.

Dogmatic Pronouncement from Constantinople I (381)

• Against Apollinarius of Laodicea
• The Incarnate Word possesses an authentic human spirit and therefore the rational faculty is truly
called a human intellect.
NB: They did not answer Apolinarius problematic metaphysics
• it rejected the proposal of Apollinarius that Christ in his humanity in incomplete, and asserted
thet Christ Humanity is comlte
The confusion of the theological Vocabulary
NB: principle of unity, principle of diversity
Trinitarian
Unity- Divine Nature
Diversity- Person

Christology
Unity in Christology- Person
Diversity in Christology- Ousia (Nature)

Emerging Orthodox Christologies

Alexandrian (logos sarx)
• Safeguarding the divinity of the Loges Incarnate (Nicea)
Antiochean (logos anthropos)
• Safeguarding the humanity of the Logos Incamate (Constantinople 1)
NB:
The Problem of Nestorius
1. How can we safeguard the divinity of Christ (Nicea) without destroying his
humanity(Constantinople 1)?
1. Question in orthodox but in solution falls into heresy
October 4, 2024
NIcea- Arius (preserving the belief of one God)
Constantinople !- Apolinarius of Laodicia (safeguard the dininity of Christ), Macedonius

1st heresiarc- Bishop of who is heretic (Macedonius)

The Problem of Nestorius

• How can we safeguard the divinity of Christ without destroying his humanity?
2 thoughts
• anthropos (man)
• sarx (flesh)

SOLUTION
NB: Jesus as true God- Nicea
• JEsus as true man- Constantinople
o Then this means God has two nature which is WRONG.
Apolinarius- Jesus is truly God because he is true Divine Person and truly Man because he is True Man.
One Nature alone.
• But the 2 natures cannot be united without the humanity being swallowed up by the divinity
• Otherwise
We fall into the heresy of A pollinarius.
Why?
• how can you have a perfect nature (divine and nature), how can you bring it together, how can
the divine penetrate the human or vice versa. How can infinity contain finiteness or vice versa?

Nestorianism
• Therefore a middle ground (prosopon = appearance/mask) is needed where both divinity and
humanity meet -true God and true Man
• Jesus Christ- prosopon

Cyril of Patriarch of Alexandria (d. 444)

• In c 430 came in conflict with Nestorius Patriarch of Constantinople, who supported the former's
chaplain, Anastasius, who had preached against the application of the word Theotokos to the
BVM on the ground that she was the mother of only the humanity of Christ.
• The bvm is only the mothr of humanity (contention of Nestorius)

THEOTOKOS- Mater dei (Latin)

Old LAtin- Dei Para- the one who gave birth to God.
The fathers used that in early as origen to hyppolitus, and popular as devotion.
Theotokos
• (Gk. theotokos Lat.Deipara), the 'one who gave birth to God", title of the BVM. The word was used
of the Virgin by the Greek Fathers (perhaps by Origen and possibly even by Hippolytus) and
increasingly became a popular term of devotion.

• In 429 it was attacked by *Nestorius and his supporters as incompatible with the full humanity of
Christ, and the word Christotokos proposed in its place

NB: Theotokos, w/o Cyril, nestoius thought that when you call the BVM as theotokos, you lessen her
humanity. It end up again to a problem (Apolinarianism).

In the West the usual equivalent in practice was not The fact that "Mother of God" can be
Deipara, which corresponded to it ctymologically, misinterpreted as asserting that Mary was the
but Dei Genitrix (Mother of God'), with its somewhat mother of God the Father means that the title is
different emphasis. less precise than Theotokos.

MARY MOTHER OF GOD

• excludes the concept of Mary as a parent of God the Father. While the title "Mother of God" does
not of itself exclude that concept, the manner in which it has traditionally been used and
understood by Christians does exclude it, since the title has been understood as referring only to
her matemity of Jesus It is for this reason that in patristic iconography Mary is never separated
from her Son.
o MAry is not a parent, but the title mother of God is taken from parent concept, but it is
not this.
o CAn take two meanings (a parent, and not)

Council of Ephesus (431)

• Approximately 200 Bishops were present. At the urging of its president Cyril of Alexandria, the
Council denounced Nestorius' teaching as erroneous and decreed that Jesus was one person, nol
ivo separate people: complete God and complete man, with a rational soul and body.
• The Virgin Mary was to be called Theotokos because she bore and gave birth to God as a man.
NB: The Catholic faith is not just of Apostolic See, but a shared apostolic Faith.
• GAthering of the heads of the Churches (bishops come together)
The deposition of Nestorius occured while he was not there.
• For Cyril, there was no need of bringing NEstorius because the letters of Nestorius already
manifests in those writings.
• The Dogma afiirmed that Jesus was one person, not two separate individual, complete god and
complete man with a rational soul and a Body.
o Jesus is one person (Divine Person)
▪ Nicea
o Jesus Not two separate people
▪ Complete GOd (Nicea)
▪ Complete Man (Constantinople)
▪ Humanity of Christ (Constantinople against Apolinarius)
o No vocabulary to express nestorius claims, but they only need to affirm the belief.

The Council of Ephesus also declared the text of the Nicene Creed of 381 to be complete and forbade any
additional change (addition or deletion) to it. In addition, it condemned Pelagianism.
 • this is the basis of the catholic Chuch against the latin Church in the issue of filioque
• Because the Nicene-constantinopolitan creed pronounced by is cannot be changed.

Jesus Christ - Homoousios to the Father and Spint as to his Divinity; Homoousios to us as to his Humanity

Pantocrator- Greek East

Christ the King- Latin West

A portrayal of Christ that is Nicene and Constantinople and Ephesus at all the same time.
• we know him God because of the symbols in the halo.
o ho-on ( I Am)
o The Halo is in the form of the croos to signify that I am was crucified.
o He has the book and this book can say the I am’s (Ex. I am the truth and the life, Before
Abraham I am.)
o Where can we get the idea of Humanity?
▪ In the portrayal of the image.
o How can you see the perfection?
▪ Eaastern iconographers- they do icon in a sacred way. They fast, everything they
used is blessed, everything is sacred.
▪ Latin- we only make it blessed after the image is done.

NB: Christ the king image- is not immediately recognized as Jesus because there is no signa (signs) there.
There is a clear portrayal of human nature. There is an attempt of showing hunmanity in the features. To
the poin that you are transfixed to it, and not go beyond the meaning of the icon but stays on the physical
depiction of it.

• Did you know that the Stigmata, in mystical experiences is typical on the LAtin saints. The eastern,
they do not have it. It is connected precisely on where the focus is. The more clear the suffering
the better.
• St,. Paul- man is patterened after the image of the invisible GOd (Jesus)
• The perfect man Jesus.
• The latins allow the human modification (since they are more incline to physical portrayal)
• Because of the Divinity focus of the east they were more focused on sacredcy of the image.
• Latin Focus on humanity- make it as human as possible
2 school of Thought
Antioch- Focus on Humanity- (Logos Anthropology Christology)
Alexandria- Focus on the Divinity (Logos Sarx Christology)

Alexandria Antioch
Logos-Sarx Christology Logos-Anthropos Christology
Athanasius, Apollinaris, Cyril Theodore of Mopsuestia, Nestorius
• descends Preserves duality of: Divinity and Humanity
Logos (Son): Descends, Takes on HUman Flesh, rises, Jesus: Full and model human being, shows
ascends to heaven us the way.
 Logos: Pre- existence, Earthly Existence, Glorified
existence
Jesus: Not seen as integral human being

Aftermath of Ephesus
• Major schism within the Church, the Apostolic See of Antioch an its daughter churches broke
communion with the Apostolic Sees of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem. Hence the
Orthodox -Catholic Church is understood now to be the Church that subscribers to the dogma
proclaimed at Ephesus.
o Founder of the Apostolic See of Antioch- Peter
The Churches that separated Catholic Communion: See Map
• On the greater scheme, we wil realize how the Nestorians evangelize they move to the Far east.

Churches that branched from the Ancient Apostolic Church of Antioch

(Oriental Orthodox or Assyrian
Orthodox) Syriac Orthodox
Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East
• Church of the East
• East Syrian Church
• Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon
• Persian Church
Head Catholicos-Patriarch of the East
Title: His Holiness
Region: Middle East, Central Asia, Far East, India
Liturgy: East Syriac Rite (Liturgy of Addai and Mari)
Headquarters
Seleucia-Clesiphon
(410 - 775); Baghdad (775 - 1317)

Reasons for the Schism

• Doctrinal
• Ephesus' Christology is fully of Cyril's both in language (prosopon (mask)= physis (ousia))
and explanation (one integral nature in the Incamate Word [mia physis tou theou logou])
(one nature in the logos incarnate)
• Ecclesiastical
• The Council of Ephesus was seen to be orchestrated by Cyril and most of the bishops
were allies of Cyril.

NB: schism occurs in multiple levels, that is why it is difficult to deal with .

• Nestorius was condemned even before he was able to appear in the Council. The anathema
against him and his "teachings" were already made and served even while on his way to the
General Synod.
• Nestorius did not have a chance to defend himself nor his theological views personally. By the
time he arrived he was already deposed and a sentence of banishment made.
• The anathema of Pope Celestine (+ 432) against Nestorius was based on the accusations of heresy
made by Cyril in a letter to the Pope written in latin.
 • Nestorius (Patriarch of Constantinople) accused Cyril also of heresy in an earlier letter to Celestine
but did not reach the pope's hand immediately since it was in greek.
o No one was speaking greek in the courts of the Pope, they needed to send the document
who is good in translating.
o Celestine approved Cyrils position.

Theological vocabulary available since Ephesus

• Ousia = essence (Cappadocian Fathers)
• Hypostasis = individual substance, concrete reality = existence (Cappadocian Fathers)
• Physis = Prosopon (ousia) (?) = person (Hypostasis)(?) (Cyril)

Council of Ephesus (431)- seperation of the eastern Church, was solved on Nov. 11, 1994 through the
Common Declaration between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East.

On the Word Incarnate

• The Word of God, second Person of the (Holy, Trinity, became Incarnate by the power of the Holy
Spirit in assuming from the body Virgin Mary a body animated by a rational soul, with which he
was indissolubly united from the moment of his conception. (council of Constantinople)
• Therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ true God and true man, perfect in his divinity and perfect in his
humanity consubstantial with the Father and consubstanial with us in all things but sin. (Council
of Nicea)
• His divinity and his humanity are United in one person, without confusion or change, without
division or separation. (Council of Chalcedon)

• In him has been preserved the difference of the natures of divinity and humanity, with all their
properties, faculties and operations. (Council of Chalcedon)
• But far from constituting "one and another", the divinity and humanity are united in the person
of the same and unique Son of God and Lord Jesus Christ, who is the object of a single adoration.
(Council of Ephesus)
• Christ therefore is not an "ordinary man" whom God adopted in order to reside in him and inspire
him, as in the righteous ones and the prophets. (COuncil of Ephesus)
• But the same God the Word, begotten of his Father before all worlds without beginning according
to his divinity, was born of a mother without a father in the last times according to his humanity.
(Council of Nicea) (Signed: PP. John Paul II & Patriarch Dinkha IV)

On the Theotokos
• The humanity to wluch the Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth always was that of the Son of God
himself, That in the rcason why the Amyrian Charch of the East i paying [to] the Virgin Mary as
"the Mother of Christ our God and Savior. In the light of the same faith the Catholic tradition
adárcuses the Vingin Mary a "the Mother of God" und tho as "the Mother of Christ"

• We both recognize the legitimacy and rightness of these expressions of the same faith and we
both respect the preference of each Church in her liturgical life and piety
October 11, 2024

• The church comes up with dogmatic statements without very clear convincing, definitive idea
right at that very moment declares the right dogmtic statement.
• Even they have not fully grasp the importance of that dogmatic statement.
 • 381- resolve the question of the Humanity of Jesus, the council of contantinople receive the faith
of nicea, to resolve this.
o we add the belief that the HS is truly God.
• The metaphysics was not fully grasp but the logos incarnate was truly human. (Council of
Constantinople)
• Ephesus- receive the faith of nicea and constantinople- in fact no other creed can be made
exceptice and nothing can be added to it.
o JEsus is truly God in Person.
o Two major concerns in Ephesus:
▪ Theotokos
▪ Christotokos
• The development ofDogma would take many years and theologians would digest it.
• The challenge is:
o How would you explain to the common people, how the mother of God the Mother of
Chist?
▪ We accept de Fide, we are born with that belief that Mary is mother of God. But
how to convince people? How did that occur?
▪ One can ultimately say, our faith as Catholics are not limited only to the words of
Scriptures but also of tradition.
▪ 2 sourcesof Divine Revelation
▪ Written
▪ Oral
• How is the Logos truly present in Jesus of Nazareth? (The lingening question)
o This seems liturgical question/ gesture
By the mystery of water and wine- Blood- wine water- humanity

Eutyches (c. 378-454)

• A priest of Constantinople, following Cyril's vocabulary that after the
incarnation the Logos had only one nature (physis) and that is Jesus Christ, hence...
• after following the concept of Cyril- only One Jesus.
• But the divinity of the person and nature- how do they come together?
o posited ater the incarnation, you can no longer talk about the human and divine nature,
as if you can separate them.
o Why?
▪ When we make the sign of the Cross, we never mention Jesus, you talk of God in
aeternity. Gos has always and forever one.
▪ when we go to the definition of the creed, we equate the son to Jesus, but why
dont equate it to the sign of the cross?
▪ WHat is the difference?
▪ after the incarnation, you can no longer talk of the separation.
▪ Like the water and wine, you can never separate once combined

the human (less perfect) nature (physis) of Christ had been completely absorbed by His divine nature and
thus the two had been confounded into one in the Incamation. Thus, after this union, Eutyches held, there
was only one nature in Chnist (mono + physis).

• very liturgical/ gesture

o Ex. wine and water mixture
 • The creation of the rubrics, is also connected to make it very clear.
o Rubrics- the red part as an innstruction
• You can immediately see the problem, if the human nature is totally Lost
o Pantheism- everything is God,
o MOnophysite- divinity and humanity coming together, but it gets confused or
confounded

Monophysite Error- Humanity and Divinity is confused, confounded

Nestorian Error-Separate the Divine nature of God as absolute Divine and absolute Human.

If the circle and triangle overlap, that's bad. If they don't overlap, that's bad too.

• begin with a big problem, when you see it liturgically expressed in the mixture of the water and
wine, how can you explain that?

• we have to assume / affiirm that the humanity of Christ is intact and to affirm the real divinity is
real divinity and humanity as real humanity

CHALCEDON

An attempt of further theological refinement in Christology

The contribution of Chalcedon (451):
The Fourth Ecumenical Council

• product of the rfinement of the Father in the 1st 1ooo years of the history.

Chalcedon's dogmatic pronouncement

• definitions of Nicaea and Constantinople, a sufficient account of the orthodox faith about the
Person of Christ
• If the focus only and interpret it in:
• nicea- You fall into apolinarianism
• nicea-constantinople- you fall into nestorianism
• excluded the views (1) of those who deny the title *Theotokos ("Mother of God') to the Virgin
*Mary, thereby implying that the humanity of Christ is separable from His Divine Person.
• here, the theotokos becomes clearly christological because it is meant to undertood that
the mother of our savior is the mother of the incarnate Christ.
• eternal trinity
• there is a human naure in trinity, because if you affirm that the humanity of Christ
is not separated from the divity of Christ. And when you think about that you can
surmise, why? in the mind of the early father the devil
• Christ true God and true man cannot be separated by the word of God.
• A finite being enters into the fullness if infinity, in the same token how we
understand the holy Eucharist is precisely like that. Like Christ is truly present in
his divinity and humanity.
• We believe as Catholics, when we receive holy communion, is not only the symbol
of Christ, but christ himself, human and divine.
(2) of those who confuse the Divine and human natures in one, and therefore hold that the Divine nature
is by this confusion passible.
why? the Trisagion prayer (Thrice Holy)
- The prayer "Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, Who was crucified and died for us. Have
mercy on us and the whole world," was considered to be heretical. Why?
• On the devotional part every devotion is rooted i the Trinity.
• because clearly, the prayer is not christological but trinitarian.
o you now as if where, you add the concept of passibility, that God can Suffer, that the
father suffered, that the son suffered, and the HOly Spirit also, suffered.
o you now add, passibility and potentiality in the Trinity.
answer to the question why?
• Any view that will assert the duality of Sons, the passibility of the Godhead, any mixture or
confusion of the two natures, the thesis that Christ's human nature has a different source from
ours (e g. a heavenly source), and the doctrine which holds that the two natures existed before
the union but became one at the Incamation, are rejected.

The dogma...
• Christ is declared to be one Person in two Natures, the Divine of the same substance as the Father
(homoousios tô patri), the human of the same substance as us (homousios hemin), which are
united:
• unconfusedly,
• unchangeably,
• indivisibly.
• This is rooted from
• from nicea, constantinople, ephesus
• something is not added or subtracted

• St. Athanasius- the offense made to an infinite God cannot be answered by a finite man.
• It is neccessary that the savior must be divine
prosopon- a nestorian term meaning a “mask”

• if humanity is the water- wine is divinity, in incarnation humanity can never e separated in Divinity.

THE LANGUAGE OF CHALCEDON

• physis- nature
• ousia- substance
On Divinity
pre- nicene Ebionism- JEsus was not Go
• Arianism- Jesus was not fully God
On Humanity
• Docetism- Jesus was not HUman
• Apollinarianism- Jesus was not fully human
On Person
• Nestorianism- Jesus was two distinct Person
On Two Natures
• Eutychianism- Jesus had one blended nature
Tomus ad Flavianum
'communicatio idiomatum" - all the propertics of a subject are predicated of its person; consequently,
the properties of Christ's two natures must be predicated of his one person, since they have only one
subject of predication. He Who is the Word of God on account of His eternal generation is also the subject
of human properties; and He Who is the man Christ on account of
having assumed human nature is the subject of Divine
attributes. Chnist is God, God is man.
• is a very important theological concept in soteriology in Christology
• The action of Christ ias an action of the Divine person
• Christ is God, God is man, NEVER TO BE TAKEN IN ISOLATION., without understanding its context.
• Human nature and Divine Nature is in the word throuh the work of God. Inseparable.
Hypostatic Union- Leo the Great
• The divinity and humanity of Christ united in Hypostasis (Unity in perosn).
• Chalecedon- you can no longer speak of a divided nature, In the incarnated word, they are
inseparable.

Aftermath of Chalcedon:
The Great Schism of 451: The Catholic-Orthodox Church reduced to Rome and Constantinople
• St. Cyril has been demoted, and his theology reduced and went back to arianism.

Pre- Chalcedonian Church (Oriental Orthodox Church)

Language: Coptic, Classical Syriac, Aramaic, Armenian, Ge'cz, Malayalam, Koine Greck, Arabic
Liturgy: Alexandrian, West Syriac and Armenian

• Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.

• Syriac Orthodox Church (sometimes referred to as * Jacobite").
• Armenian Apostolic Church
• Ethiopian Ortbodox
• Tewahedo Church,
• Ottadox Tewahedo Church, and
• Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.

Byzantines- Rome- Chalcedonian adherence

Chalcedon as a betrayal of Ephesus

• The Monophysite controversy did not subside nor simply died down after the declaration of
Chalcedon
• After the Arian crisis in the 4th century, Monophysitism is the other heresy that was
"autosustaining". Why?
• autosustaning- it is a heresy that is based on something that you can immediately see.
• Monophysites saw Chalcedon as a betrayal of the legacy of St. Cyril of Alexandria.
• Ultracyriliia- criticizing the monophysitism

• Although we could talk of duo physis of the Incarnate Word, we could only do so pre-incarnation,
and always in an abstract sense
• always in the abstact and never in concrete.
 • During and after the incarnation we can only speak of one Christ, one action, one nature (following
Cyril's person is the individuating reality of essence/physis)

Common Declaration on Christology

PP. Paul VI and Pope Shenouda III (10 May 1973)
• In accordance with our apostolic traditions transmitted to our Churches and preserved therein,
and in conformity with the carly three ccumenical councils, we confess one faith in the One Triune
God, the divinity of the Only Begotten Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Word
of God, the indulgence of His glory and the express image of His substance, who for us was
incamate, assuming for Himself a real body with a rational soul, and who shared with as our
humanity but without sin.
• We confess that our Lord and God and Savior and King of ur all Jesus Christ, is perfect God with
respect to His divinity, perfect man with respect to His humanity. In Him His divinity is united with
His humanity in a real, perfect union without mingling, without commixtion, without confusion,
without alteration, without division, without separation.

• His divinity did not separate from His humanity for an instant, not for the twinkling of an eye. He
who is God elemal and invisible became visible in the flesh and took upon Himseif the forn of a
servant. In Him are preserved all the properties of the divinity and all the properties of the
humunity, together in a real, perfect, indivisible and inseparable union.
o "We must humbly recognize the limitations of our minds to grasp the truth of it, nor are
we able to give adequate words in our human language to fully express it."Joint
Commission between the Catholic Church and Coptic Orthodox Church,March 1974.