- Written
- Council of Chalcedon, AD 451
- Subject
- The person of Christ
- Length
- One long paragraph
- Used by
- Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestant churches
What is the Chalcedonian Definition?
The Definition does not explain how God became man. It sets limits. It rejects errors on each side, and it keeps what Scripture says: Christ is God, Christ is man, and Christ is one.
The Reformed and Lutheran confessions follow Chalcedon when they speak about Christ. An example is the Westminster Confession, Chapter 8, Section 2.
History
Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople, appeared to divide Christ into two persons. Eutyches, a monk, appeared to mix the two natures into one. The Council of Chalcedon met in AD 451 to answer both errors.
The council used the letter of Pope Leo I (the Tome of Leo) and the teaching of Cyril of Alexandria. The Definition calls Mary "Theotokos", the bearer of God, because the child she bore is God.
What it teaches
Two natures, one person
Christ is perfect in Godhead and perfect in manhood. He is of one substance with the Father, and of one substance with us. He is like us in all things, but without sin.
How to memorise the Chalcedonian Definition
Hearers breaks each answer into clauses and teaches each clause in four steps.
01
Read
Read the text with the clauses marked. Listen to it read aloud.
02
Trace
Type the first letter of each word, with the words shown faintly.
03
Fade
Half of the words go. Type the text again, and fill the gaps from memory.
04
Recall
All the words go. Type it or say it aloud. Each clause gets its own grade and its own review date.
The full text
Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the fathers has handed down to us.
Source: Creeds.json (NonlinearFruit) (Public domain).
Questions
- What does "without confusion, without change, without division, without separation" mean?
- The first two phrases answer Eutyches: the natures do not mix into a third thing. The last two answer Nestorius: Christ is not two persons.