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Profile:
Name: Council of Chalcedon
Place: Chalcedon, a city of Bithynia in Asia Minor
Begun: October 8, 451
Ended: November 1, 451
History:
The Council of Chalcedon, convened in 451, is widely considered to be the most
important of the first four general councils of the early Christian Church. It
was here that the divisive question over the nature of and personhood of Jesus
Christ was finally decided, leading an important confession of faith which
continues in use today.
At the heart of the debate was the view of the monophysites who argued that Jesus had a single, divine nature and denied the more orthodox view that Jesus had a dual nature, fully human and fully divine. The earliest instances of monophysitism were not condemned and were, in fact, advocated by a number of prominent Church leaders, like Cyril.
With the Council of Chalcedon, however, this belief was definitively set aside in favor of the belief that Jesus Christ was a single person, but had two distinct and separate natures - one human and one divine. This has been the Christian doctrine which has remained the center of orthodoxy up through today.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
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