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5th Century Invasions & Differences:

410: Alaric & Goths. 455: Vandals. 5th Century Invasions & Differences:. Different Emphases in Antioch & Alexandria:.

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5th Century Invasions & Differences:

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  1. 410: Alaric & Goths 455: Vandals 5th Century Invasions & Differences:

  2. Different Emphases in Antioch & Alexandria: Antioch: An emphasis on Christ’s achievement – a belief that He grew like all men in body and soul, in knowledge and righteousness, and that as that occurred He received gifts of the Spirit, struggled, and overcame His passions. Alexandria: An emphasis on the experience of the Church’s salvation by Christ, that the whole essence of salvation was in the unity of God and man in Christ. These two emphases were not exclusive, but they were different in importance. We might consider that the Antiochian emphasis was upon the development of divinity in Christ while the Alexandrian emphasis was upon salvation and thus upon the divinity of Christ from his earthly beginning.

  3. Nestorius 420 - became Bishop of Constantinople Struggled against heretics & pagans & instituted moral reforms within the clergy. - There is a difference between the Divine and human natures of Christ. - The Logos indwelt the person of Jesus, making Christ a God-bearing man rather than a God-man. - Christ is not identical with the Son, but personally united to the Son. - The Virgin Mary was not the ‘Theotokos’ (i.e. God-bearer), but the ‘Christotokos’ (i.e. Christ-bearer).

  4. Cyril of Alexandria’s Response: - He aggressively attacked Nestorius and his teaching. - Nestorius’ rejection of the term ‘Theotokos’, which had long been used throughout the Church, was a minimizing of the essence of salvation and the God-man of Christ. - Nestorius planned to have Cyril condemned, with Emperor Theodosius’ support. - .Cyril appealed to Rome, and in 430 a council led by Pope Celestine condemned Nestorianism. He gave Nestorius ten days to recant, which he did not.

  5. 3rd Ecumenical Council & Eastern Document of Faith: - Nestorius persuaded Theodosius II to call an Ecumenical Council in Ephesus on Pentecost of 431. - Many Eastern bishops were not in agreement with Nestorius, but they feared Cyril’s aggressiveness. - Although in Ephesus, Nestorius refused to attend. - Cyril convened the Council; his position was affirmed; Nestorius was condemned. - Arriving late, Eastern bishops convened their own council and condemned Cyril. - Cyril reurned to Alexandria and Nestorius resigned. - .In 432 Cyril accepted an Eastern document of faith: “Christ is complete God and complete man…He is of one nature with the Father in divinity and one nature with us in humanity…We confess that the Holy Virgin is Theotokos…”, and peace was restored.

  6. Renewed Conflict & the ‘Robber’s Council’ of 449: - 444: Cyril died; open conflict broke out, led by Archimandrite Eutyches of Constantinople. - The humanity of Christ is different from ours, it is irreverent to compare Christ with man. - Refused to confess the two natures of Christ. - Theodosius II called a synod in Ephesus, commanding Dioscorus to acquit Eutyches and destroy all opposition to the doctrine of one nature of Christ. - This ‘Synod of Robbers’, marked by open conflict and enforcement by militia, was seen as divisive and ineffective.

  7. 4th Ecumenical Council (Chalcedon): - Empress Pulcheria & Emperor Marcian called for it. - Pope Leo I of Rome submitted ‘Leo’s Tome’ in support of the doctrine of two natures of Christ. - The ‘Robber’s Synod’ and Dioscorus were condemned; the Dogma of Chalcedon was adopted. - Constantinople and Jerusalem were made patriarchates, and Constantinople was confirmed as the center of the Christian Church. - To some the Fourth Ecumenical Council’s actions seemed a betrayal of Cyril’s precepts. Syrian monks joined the Egyptians in this; Syrian and Egyptian masses began to see the power of the Empire as a hated yoke.

  8. The Heresy of Eutychianism, or Monophysitism: - Eutyches persisted, saying Christ had one nature, divine, not human, and that His humanity was absorbed by His Deity. - This spread rapidly among churches in Syria, Egypt, North Africa, Ethiopia and Armenia. - By 475 Monophysites in Antioch and Alexandria had elected their own patriarchs. - In 482 the Eastern Emperor published a decree rejecting the Tome of Leo and the Council of Chalcedon. The Monophysite patriarchs of Antioch and Alexandria signed it, thus legitimizing Monophysitism. - In 484 Pope Felix III of Rome demanded that Patriarch Acacius of Constantinople, who supported compromise, accept Leo’s Tome and the Council of Chalcedon. Acacius refused. Felix deposed and excommunicated Acacius, thus beginning the first schism with Rome, which lasted until 518.

  9. It is very important to realize that through these heretical struggles and especially through the threats of Arianism, Monophysitism and the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon the Orthodox Church expresses and defends its beliefs in the Trinity and the divine and human natures of Christ – and that unlike many other forms of Christianity those beliefs have remained the same for 1,500 years and will do so until our Lord comes again!

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