Council · Today in 451
Council of Chalcedon
Chalcedon gave the classic boundary for orthodox Christology. Against Nestorian division and Eutychian confusion, it confessed one and the same Christ in two natures, divine and human, without confusion, change, division, or separation. Leo's Tome helped supply the language, and the council received it as a faithful account of the apostolic faith. The definition still marks the centre of Christology for Catholic, Orthodox, and most Protestant churches.
One person in two natures, without confusion or division.
Highlights
- Leo's Tome was received.
- Eutyches was rejected.
- The Chalcedonian Definition was issued.
- Non-Chalcedonian churches separated.
How it happened
What happened
Bishops met at Chalcedon after the Eutychian controversy and the disputed Second Council of Ephesus.
The argument
Could Christ's humanity and divinity be confessed without either dividing him or blending his natures?
What changed
The council defined Christ as one person in two natures, divine and human.
Why it matters
Chalcedon became the main guardrail for saying that Jesus is fully God, fully human, and one Lord.
People in the story
Pope Leo IBishop of Rome 440-461. His Tome (Epistula 28) was acclaimed at the Council of Chalcedon (451). Negotiated with Attila in 452.
EutychesArchimandrite at Constantinople whose monophysite teaching ('one nature after the union') was condemned at the Home Synod (448) and at Chalcedon (451). Heretic.
Book of the day
Tome (Letter to Flavian)
Pope Leo IA reading pick tied to today's figure, quote, era, or event. Leo's letter becomes a central text for Chalcedon and the two-natures formula.
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