Carleton College                                                                                                                                        

Department of Classical Languages

Classical Studies 229/History 203

 

Later Roman Empire, Byzantium, and ancient Islam

Heresies  and  Councils  of  Ancient  Christianity

Heresies in bold type; the seven “ecumenical councils” with roman numerals; results of councils after the +, including important buzz words.

                        (early)

                        Gnosticism, placing emphasis on duality and even separation of spirit and flesh, implying a disconnection of the created world from the creator

                        Donatism, 3rd-4th cent. in Africa, insisting that the validity of sacraments celebrated by priests depended upon their personal holiness, especially their remaining faithful despite persecution; vigorously fought by St. Augustine

pp. Deno          disputes about the Holy Trinity

146                  I.  Nicća I (325) against Arianism, which asserted that the Son is of an inferi­or nature to the Father, and not truly God: + the Son declared homoousios / consubstantial; “begotten, not made”

147f               II.  Constantinople I (381), against Macedonianism, which asserted that the Spirit was of a different substance than the Father and the Son, being a kind of creature of the Son: + “Nicene” creed; “canon 3,” raised Constantinople to second under Rome, above the other Patriarchal sees of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem (declared ecumenical at Chalcedon)

                        disputes about Christology (i.e. the nature of Jesus)

148               III.  Ephesus (431), against Patriarch Nestorius and Nestorianism, emphasizing the humanity of Jesus (asserting that Jesus’ mother Mary was Chrestotokos (‘she who bore Christ’), and that the Logos and the Son were distinct): + Theotokos (‘she who bore God’)

148-50          IV.  Chalcedon (451), against Nestorianism (stressing the humanity of Christ) and monophysitism (stressing His divinity): + Christ one person, with two natures, perfect God and perfect man, “without confusion, change, division, separation”; legitimated Constantinople I, condemned Nestorianism

                        on the Monophysite heresy (rampant in Egypt, Syria, and Palestine)

151f               V.  Constantinople II (553), against monophysitism and related heresies: + emphasized the divinity of Jesus and downplayed his humanity

152               VI.  Constantinople III (680-1), against monothelitism (asserting that though there were two natures in Christ, there was only one will, the divine): + agrees with Athanasius

                        on Iconoclasm

154-6               (non-ecumenical)  Hieria (754), against icons: + only the Eucharist is a valid focus for devotion; fears reversion to paganism

156f            VII.  Nicća II (787), against iconoclasm, which attacks the spiritual and liturgical use of images: + distinguishes proskynesis (‘veneration’) from latreia (‘adoration, worship’)

158                  (non-ecumenical)  Hagia Sophia (843) against iconoclasm: + the Synodikon or hymn of “Triumph of Orthodoxy”; the “Feast of Orthodoxy”