Council · Today in 553
Second Council of Constantinople
Constantinople II was an attempt to hold Chalcedon while winning back Christians who thought Chalcedon sounded too Nestorian. Justinian pushed the condemnation of the Three Chapters, writings associated with Antiochene theologians suspected of dividing Christ too sharply. The council also became associated with condemnations of Origenist speculations. Its legacy is complicated: it defended Cyril's Christology, but it also deepened mistrust between emperor, pope, and divided churches.
Hold Chalcedon, but reject Nestorian readings of it.
Highlights
- The Three Chapters were condemned.
- Justinian drove the agenda.
- Origenist speculation was rejected.
- Western resentment deepened.
How it happened
What happened
Justinian pressed the council to condemn the Three Chapters and distance Chalcedon from Nestorian-sounding theology.
The argument
Could the empire reassure anti-Chalcedonian Christians without betraying Chalcedon itself?
What changed
The council condemned writings linked to Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret, and Ibas, and became associated with condemnations of Origenism.
Why it matters
It shows the cost of trying to heal doctrinal division by imperial pressure and retrospective condemnation.
Book of the day
On First Principles (De Principiis)
Origen of AlexandriaA reading pick tied to today's figure, quote, era, or event. The bold, influential, and later contested system that explains why Origen became impossible to ignore.
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