Council of Chalcedon

The Council of Chalcedon (/kælˈsiːdən/ or /ˈkælsᵻdɒn/) was a church council held from October 8 to November 1, AD 451, at Chalcedon. The Council is numbered as the fourth ecumenical council by the Great Church. A minority of Christians do not agree with the council’s teachings. Its most important achievement was to issue the Chalcedonian Definition. The Council’s judgements and definitions regarding the divine marked a significant turning point in the Christological debates. Chalcedon was a city in Bithynia, on the Asian side of the Bosphorus; today the city it is part of the Republic of Turkey and is known as Kadiköy.

The Council of Chalcedon was convened by Emperor Marcian, with the reluctant approval of Pope Leo the Great, to set aside the 449 Second Council of Ephesus which would become known as the “Latrocinium” or “Robber Council”. The Council of Chalcedon issued the Chalcedonian Definition, which repudiated the notion of a single nature in Christ, and declared that he has two natures in one person and hypostasis. It also insisted on the completeness of his two natures: Godhead and manhood. The council also issued 27 disciplinary canons governing church administration and authority. In a further decree, later known as canon 28, the bishops declared that the See of Constantinople (New Rome) was, in honour, second only to the See of Rome.

The teachings of the Council are accepted by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, Old Catholics and various other Western Christian groups. As such, it is recognized as infallible in its dogmatic definitions by the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches — the Great Church. Most Protestants also agree that the teachings regarding the Trinity and the Incarnation, as defined at Nicaea (in 325) and Chalcedon, are orthodox doctrine to which they adhere. However, the Council is not accepted by the ancient Oriental Orthodox branch of the Church. This includes the Coptic, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Syriac, Malankara Syrian (Indian Orthodox Church) and Armenian Apostolic churches. They instead teach that “The Lord Jesus Christ is God the Incarnate Word. He possesses the perfect Godhead and the perfect manhood. His fully divine nature is united with His fully human nature yet without mixing, blending or alteration” These Churches claim that this latter teaching has been misunderstood as monophysitism — an appellation with which they strongly disagree. Nevertheless, the Oriental Orthodox churches refuse to accept the decrees of the Council regarding monophysitism.

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Author: Wikipedia

Keywords: Council of Chalcedon, Chalcedon, Calcdeon creed, Chalcedon creed, Calcedon, Council of Calcedon, Jesus had two natures, hypostasis, Godhood, Jesus godhood, Trinity, Chalcedonian Creed, 381 AD

Bible reference(s): John 1:14

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