|
Council of Chalcedon
Council of Chalcedon fourth ecumenical council, convened in 451 by Pulcheria and Marcian, empress and emperor of the East, to settle the scandal of the Robber Synod and to discuss Eutychianism (see Eutyches ). It deposed the principals in the Robber Synod and destroyed the Eutychian party. Its gre...
Read more
|
|
Council of Ephesus
Council of Ephesus 431, 3d ecumenical council, convened by Theodosius II, emperor of the East, and Valentinian III, emperor of the West, to deal with the controversy over Nestorianism . Adherents of both parties attended; St. Cyril , patriarch of Alexandria, had the support of Pope Celestine I ...
Read more
|
|
ecumenical council
ecumenical council [Gr.,=universal], in Christendom, council of church leaders, the decisions of which are accepted by some segment of the church as authoritative, also called general council. Although councils can declare themselves ecumenical, this designation has often been applied retrospective...
Read more
|
|
Second Council of Constantinople
Second Council of Constantinople 553, regarded generally as the fifth ecumenical council. It was convened by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I to settle the dispute known as the Three Chapters. In an attempt to reconcile moderate Monophysite parties to orthodoxy, Justinian had issued (544) a declaratio...
Read more
|
|
Marcian
Marcian , 396-457, Roman emperor of the East (450-57); successor of Theodosius II, whose sister Pulcheria he married in 450. Orthodox in religious affairs, he convoked (451) the Council of Chalcedon (see Chalcedon, Council of ). He curtailed court expenses and endeavored to lighten taxation. His ...
Read more
|
|
Monophysitism
Monophysitism [Gr.,=belief in one nature], a heresy of the 5th and 6th cent., which grew out of a reaction against Nestorianism . It was anticipated by Apollinarianism and was continuous with the principles of Eutyches , whose doctrine had been rejected in 451 at Chalcedon (see Chalcedon, Coun...
Read more
|
|
Vigilius
Vigilius , pope (537-55), a Roman; successor of St. Silverius . Empress Theodora exiled Silverius and made Vigilius pope in the expectation that he would compromise with the Monophysites. After Silverius' death Vigilius' pontificate was legalized. Vigilius at first resisted coercion, refusing to ...
Read more
|
|
Melchites
Melchites or Melkites , members of a Christian community in the Levant and the Americas, mainly Arabic-speaking and numbering about 250,000. They are in communion with the pope and have a Byzantine rite much like that of Constantinople but in the Arabic language. Their head, under the pope, is c...
Read more
|
|
Zeno
Zeno , d. 491, Roman emperor of the East (474-491). An Isaurian, he succeeded his son Leo II and was the son-in-law of Leo I. During his reign he suppressed several revolts. He was driven from his throne for a period of 20 months (475-76) by the usurper Basiliscus . One of his first acts was to con...
Read more
|
|
Eutyches
Eutyches , c.378-c.452, archimandrite in Constantinople, sponsor of Eutychianism, the first phase of Monophysitism . He was the leader in Constantinople of the most violent opponents of Nestorianism , among whom was Dioscurus, successor to St. Cyril (d. 444) as patriarch of Alexandria. Whereas C...
Read more
|