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, Council of ). Monophysitism challenged the orthodox definition of faith of Chalcedon and taught that in Jesus there were not two natures (divine and human) but one (divine). Discussion of this belief was clouded by misunderstandings of terms and by the lack of knowledge of Greek in the West. In the East the Council of Chalcedon was declared (c.476) invalid by Basiliscus, the imperial usurper. Later, Emperor Zeno, restored to his throne, issued the Henoticon (482), based on the doctrines of St. Cyril of Alexandria, in an attempt to settle the dispute. It recommended a formula that, ostensibly orthodox, left a loophole for the Monophysites. Neither side was satisfied; the extreme Monophysites refused to accept the intended compromise, and the pope excommunicated the East for abrogating the Council of Chalcedon. The schism ended in 519 when Emperor Justin I enforced the definition of faith of Chalcedon. Later, Justinian, although strongly Catholic, was tolerant toward the Monophysites, who were becoming more intransigent. The quarrel was further embittered when Justinian in 544 condemned the so-called Three Chapters. These were the person and writings of Theodore of Mopsuestia , the writings of Theodoret against St. Cyril of Alexandria, and the letter of Ibas of Edessa to Maris the Persian. The condemnation was based on the assertion that these writings were tainted with Nestorianism. Since parts of the Three Chapters were considered orthodox by the majority of Catholics, the edict was confusing. The Second Council of Constantinople (553; see Constantinople, Second Council of ), summoned by Justinian and attended by Pope Vigilius , again condemned the Three Chapters, while maintaining the authority of the canons of Chalcedon. The Monophysites remained aloof, and the West was virtually alienated. Justinian's successors alternately favored and suppressed Monophysitism, but by 600 the lines of schism had hardened; the Coptic Church (see under Copts ), the Jacobite Church of Syria, and the Armenian Church , all Monophysite, were established. Monotheletism was a 7th-century attempt to reconcile orthodoxy with Monophysitism.

Bibliography: See W. H. Frend, The Rise of the Monophysite Movement (1972); J. Pelikan, The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (1971) and The Spirit of Eastern Christendom (1974).

Monophysitism. The doctrine that in the Incarnate Christ there is only one nature, not two. The term covers a variety of positions, some capable of orthodox interpretation, others not. The term ‘Monophysite’ was first used in the aftermath of the Council of Chalcedon (451) to describe all those who rejected the Council's Definition that the Incarnate Christ is one Person ‘in two natures’. They did so on the ground that it obscured the full reality of the Incarnation and seemed to them to verge on Nestorianism.

Eutyches taught a heretical form of Monophysitism, namely that after the Incarnation there was only one nature in Christ, and that that nature was not ‘con-substantial with us’. Moderate Monophysites taught that in the Incarnate Christ there was ‘one nature out of two’ (i.e. Divine and human). They were led by Severus of Antioch. An extreme type of Monophysitism was held by the Aphthartodocetae (q.v.).

During the 5th and 6th cents. many attempts were made to reconcile the Monophysites to the Catholics, including those by the Emps. Zeno, *Justinian I, and Heraclius, but separate hierarchies emerged to constitute the Armenian, *Coptic, *Ethiopian, and Syrian Orthodox Churches. In modern times there have been renewed contacts with both the Orthodox Churches and the RC Church, and a measure of agreement on Christology is reflected in recent statements.

Monophysite a person who holds that there is only one inseparable nature (partly divine, partly and subordinately human) in the person of Christ, contrary to a declaration of the Council of Chalcedon (451).