4.16 The Heresies—Eutyches & Monophysitism: A Drop in the Ocean
By Dr. James Papandrea ( bio - articles - email ) | Jul 10, 2024 | In Way of the Fathers (Podcast)
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The pendulum swings one more time as Eutyches overreacts against Nestorius, and emphasizes the union of the two natures in Christ, to the point of blurring the distinction between them. In this conception of the Person of Christ, the divine nature so overwhelms the human nature that Jesus’ humanity is absorbed and cancelled out like a drop of oil in the ocean. This solution corrected Nestorius’ separation of the two natures, but it went too far and compromised the integrity of his human nature and, even more than Apollinarius before him, described a Jesus who was not really fully human.
Links
To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode 46 on Cyril of Alexandria: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/46cyril-alexandria-fifth-century-man-from-uncle/
To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode 48 on Leo the Great: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/48leo-great-who-roared-with-voice-peter/
To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode 2.5 on The Council of Chalcedon: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/25-chalcedon-firm-foundation-for-doctrine-christ/
To read the Tome of Leo (Letter to Flavian): https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2133&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2409252
To listen to the audiobook of the Tome of Leo: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-leo-great-tome-leo/
To read Cyril of Alexandria’s On the Unity of Christ: https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/cyril_christ_is_one_01_text.htm
For more on the christological controversies in context, see the book: Reading the Church Fathers: A History of the Early Church and the Development of Doctrine: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/reading-the-church-fathers/
For more on monophysitism (and the other heresies) and Superheroes, see the book: From Star Wars to Superman: Christ Figures in Science Fiction and Superhero Films: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/from-star-wars-to-superman/
To connect with Dr. James Papandrea, On YouTube —The Original Church: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch
Join the conversation in the Original Church Community on Locals: https://theoriginalchurch.locals.com/
Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage: http://www.jimpapandrea.com
Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed: https://www.ccwatershed.org/
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