" 84CD6F076EBF75325F380D8209373AE1 Apollinaris, Cappadocian Fathers, Antiochene-Alexandrian Debate: Cyril of Alexandria to Chalcedonian definition

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Apollinaris, Cappadocian Fathers, Antiochene-Alexandrian Debate: Cyril of Alexandria to Chalcedonian definition



1. Apollinaris of Laodicea (C. 310–390)

The Union of Divinity and Humanity in Christ (Logos-sarx/Monophysite) 

Apolinaris the Younger was bishop of Laodicea in Syria. Apollinaris is best known as a strong opponent of Arianism, and was an important ally and partner of Athanasius in this regard. Apollinaris's preference for emphasizing the divinity of Jesus and the unity of his person led him to deny the existence of a human rational soul (i.e., nous, "mind") in the human nature of Christ. Mind or nous, Apollinaris argues, was replaced in Jesus by the Logos, so that his body was a glorified and spiritualized form of humanity. The Logos became flesh in Christ by the union of the Divine Intellect and the human body (not the mind); therefore it is a Logos-sarx connection. In contrast, the orthodox position emphasized that Jesus Christ took on human nature in its entirety, including the nose, because only then could he be the Redeemer.

This extreme form of Monophysitism is actually a variation of Docetism in the sense that if the divinity were to sway humanity without limitation, there would be no real possibility of human error or real progress in the humanity of Jesus Christ. This position was therefore condemned by a number of synods, and especially by the Council of Constantinople in 381. Nevertheless, Apollinaris made a lasting contribution to orthodox theology when he declared that Christ is homoousios (of one essence) with the Father in terms of his divinity and in a sense homoousios with us regarding his humanity. After debate and clarification, this formula became official church teaching at the Council of Chalcedon in 451.

 

2. Cappadoceans:

Basil of Caesarea and his friend Gregory of Nazianzus and his brother Gregory of Nyssa are known as the Cappadocian Fathers. They come from the Roman province of Cappadocia, which became modern Turkey. They shared a common ambition to integrate Christianity with all that was good in classical culture. They were known for their opposition to Arianism and their Trinitarian teachings. They combined the Nicene belief that the Father and the Son are homoousios (one substance) and Origen's belief that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three hypostases (beings). They answered the objection, What does it really mean to say that God is one substance in three hypostases? Basil saw the distinction between substance and hypostases as that between the universal and the particular. For example, the difference between humanity and the individual. Each individual person is made up of the common essence of humanity. In the same way, each of the three divine hypostases is the common substance of the deity. With God, substance refers to that which is common to all, such as goodness, divinity, or other attributes; while hypostasis is seen in the special characteristic of Fatherhood, Sonship, or the three hypostases as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

In addition to Arianism, they also argued against the Macedonians who affirmed the deity of the Son but failed to hold the Holy Spirit as a deity. Basil responded and affirmed the deity of the Holy Spirit without overtly calling him God. Gregory of Nazianzus, who survived Basel, explicitly affirmed and called the Holy Spirit as God. Another heresy that the Georges (George of Nyssa and George of Nazianzus) had to deal with was Apollinism. Apollinaris denied that Jesus had a human soul and mind. To this, Gregory replied that Jesus Christ must be fully human in order to fully save us. The Cappadocian Fathers thus significantly contributed to the interpretation of the Trinitarian concept of their time.

3. Antiochene-Alexandrian Debate: Cyril of Alexandria to Chalcedonian definition

Cyril of Alexandriahe was known for his dispute with Nestorius (Nestorianism). Nestorius belongs to the Antiochene school of thought about the person of Jesus Christ. This means he followed a "Word man" approach. He taught that there are two distinct persons in Jesus Christ. He saw the man in whom God the Word dwells. He also denied that the Virgin Mary was the Theotokos, meaning Mother of God. It was the man Jesus. It represents an extreme Antiochene Christology that emphasized the humanity of Jesus Christ. The dispute began in AD 438 when Nestorius objected to the Virgin Mary's title theotokos (Theotokos or Mother of God). He objected: God cannot have a mother; and surely therefore no creature could form a member of the Godhead. That sounds logical to him. That's why Mary couldn't stand God. She simply gave birth to a man (not God) who was a vehicle for God. God simply could not be conceived for nine months in his mother's womb. He could not suffer, die and be buried (God cannot die or undergo all the stages of death). Against this position Cyril opposed Nestorius because Nestorius held that the man Jesus became divine at some point in his life after birth, or probably at baptism.

Nestorius' opinion was condemned by the Synod of Rome and finally condemned at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. He was deposed and exiled to Egypt and died in 451 AD. After the Council of Ephesus, a document was produced that was an attempt to bring about healing in the church. This was initiated by the Oriental bishops (Antiochene) who supported Nestorius at the Council of Ephesus. So John of Antioch sent the document to Cyril of Alexandria. Cyril adopted a compromise formula in AD 433. In the Confession of Unity, the Antiochene and Alexandrian views were drawn to reconciliation. Here the term Theotokos was admitted and the union of two natures (Christ's divine and human) was emphasized instead of union. But neither side was satisfied. As a result, after the death of Cyril, all those who were dissatisfied with the compromise agreement of 433 AD and who rejected the idea of ​​two natures in Jesus made Eutyches their status symbol.

Eutyches affirmed that the Lord Jesus Christ had two natures before the incarnation, but after the incarnation both natures merged into one divine nature. So Christ has only one nature, the divine nature. Eutyches "one divine nature" denied the fully divine and fully human nature of Christ. This led to a formal discussion that culminated in the condemnation and excommunication of Eutyches. But in 445 AD, a meeting of the Council of Ephesus restored Eutychus and declared him Orthodox, thanks to the support of Emperor Theodosius II. But not many years after that Theodosius died in 350 and the following year in 451 the Council of Chalcedon was called.

The Council of Chalcedon was called by Emperor Marian to settle the affairs of Eutyches. It met in October 451 and came to be regarded as the Fourth Ecumenical Council. It was the most important council with regard to the Christian doctrine of the person of Jesus Christ. Both confusion and separation were rejected at Chalcedon. The definition of the Kadıköy school is as follows: "Our Lord Jesus Christ is the only Son perfect in God and perfect in man, he is true God and true man, he has a mind and a body, He is the same as God, His Father is homoousios. Except for sin, he is the only Son. it's like we are.

He was begotten of his Father ages ago as God, but in these last days he was born of the Virgin Mary, theotokos as man, for our salvation. This one and the same Christ, Son, Lord made himself known in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division and separation." The definition makes four points in opposition to four ancient heresies: Jesus Christ is truly God (against Arius) and truly man (against Apollinaris) and is united in one person (against Nestorius) and without confusion (against Eutyches).The Chalcedonian definition reaffirms the unity of the person of Christ—the reality and permanence of each nature and the relation between the two natures.

 


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