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JACOBITES

The group of Syrian Monophysites who did not accept the teaching of the Council of Chalcedon (451) on the two natures united in one divine Person of Christ. They took their name from Jacob Baradaeus, who formed them into the national Church of Syria. One of their distinctive customs in to make the sign of the Cross with one finger to express their belief that Christ had only one nature, not two. Sometimes the term "Jacobites" is applied to the Monophysites elsewhere, e.g., in Egypt.

All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

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