Acacian schism
A temporary schism (482–519) between Rome and the East which began while Acacius was Patr. of Constantinople (471–89). It arose out of the Henoticon.
Acoemetae
(Gk., akoimētai, ‘sleepless ones’).Orthodox ascetics in general, and in particular monks following the rule of Basil. The term may be applied more generally to Eastern Christian ascetics.
Agnoetae
A Monophysite sect whose members attributed ignorance to the human soul of Christ. Founded by Themistius, a 6th-cent. deacon of Alexandria, they are also known as ‘Themistians’. Most Monophysites ...
Alexandrian theology
A modern designation for a style of theology associated with the Church of Alexandria. It is particularly used (in contrast to Antiochene theology) of forms of belief which emphasized the Divine ...
Anastasius I
(d. 598), Patr. of Antioch 559–70 and 593–8. A critic of Justinian I's aphthartodocetism, he was deposed by Justinian II and spent 23 years in exile. A key figure in the dogmatic discussions of the ...
Anatolius
(c.400–458), Patr. of Constantinople. A native of Alexandria, he was sent by St Cyril to Constantinople and elected bishop when Flavian was deposed in 449. Pope Leo I demanded that he should condemn ...
Antiochene theology
A modern designation for a style of theology associated with the Church at Antioch, contrasted with Alexandrine theology. In scriptural exegesis it placed more emphasis on the literal and historical ...
Aphthartodocetae
An extreme Monophysite group led by Julian, Bp. of Halicarnassus. They taught that from the moment of the incarnation the earthly body of Christ was in its nature incorruptible, impassible, and ...
Apollinarius
The heresy which denied the completeness of Christ's humanity. Apollinarius (or Apollinaris) (c.310–c.390), who was an upholder of orthodoxy against the Arians, became Bp. of Laodicea c.360. His ...
Armenian Church
An independent Christian Church established in Armenia since c.300 and influenced by Roman and Byzantine as well as Syrian traditions. A small Armenian Catholic Church also exists (see Uniate).
Arnobius Junior
(5th cent.), a monk, probably of African origin, who left an account of a debate between himself and an Egyptian Monophysite. He also wrote allegorizing ‘Commentaries’ on the Psalms and notes on the ...
Athanasian Creed
A profession of faith which has been widely used in W. Christendom. It expounds the doctrines of the Trinity and Incarnation, adding a list of the most important events in the Lord's life; it ...
Basil
Archbishop of Seleukeia (from ca.440); ecclesiastical writer; died after 468. Basil vacillated publicly and dramatically in his attitude toward Eutyches and Monophysitism—either from opportunism or ...
Christianity in Nubia
In the Nile Valley, from the First Cataract south to the area around Khartoum (the region formerly known as Nubia), there was a considerable Christian community from the late 6th to at least the 15th ...
Council of Chalcedon
The fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church, held in 451 at Chalcedon, a former city on the Bosporus in Asia Minor, now part of Istanbul.A Chalcedonian was a person upholding the decrees of ...
Definition of Chalcedon
The statement of faith made by the Council of Chalcedon (451). It reaffirms the Christological definitions of Nicaea and Constantinople and formally repudiates the errors of Nestorius and Eutyches. ...
Diadochos
(Διάδοχος), bishop of Photike in Epiros, prominent opponent of Monophysitism in the 450s; born ca.400, died before 486.Little else is known, though a possible connection with Victor Vitensis has ...
Dyophysites
A Monophysite title for the Catholics in reference to the orthodox belief that in the Person of Christ the two separate natures of God and man coexist.
Eastern Orthodoxy
After centuries of geographical attrition under the onslaught of the forces of Islam, the Byzantine empire collapsed with the fall of Constantinople on 29 May 1453. Following three days of ...
Ekthesis
(Ἔκθεσις, “statement of faith”), the formula issued by Emp. Herakleios at the end of 638 in an attempt to reconcile Chalcedonians and Monophysites by supporting Monotheletism. The text of the ...
