| The Lord
Jesus Christ is God Himself, the Incarnate Logos Who took
to Himself a perfect manhood. His Divine nature is one
with his human nature yet without mingling, confusion or
alteration; a complete Hypostatic Union. Words are
inadequate to describe this union. It was said, that
without controversy, "Great is the mystery of godliness,
God was manifest in the flesh. " (I Tim. 3:16). As this
union is permanent, never divided nor separated, we say in
the liturgy that His Godhead never departed from His
manhood for a single moment.
The Divine nature (God the
Word) was united with the human nature which He took of
the Virgin Mary by the action of the Holy Spirit. The Holy
Spirit purified and sanctified the Virgin’s womb so that
the Child to whom she gave birth would inherit nothing of
the original sin; the flesh formed of her blood was united
with the Only-Begotten Son. This Unity took place from the
first moment of the Holy Pregnancy in the Virgin’s womb.
As a result of the unity of both natures-the Divine and
the human-inside the
Virgin’s womb, one nature was formed out of both: "The One
Nature of God the Incarnate Logos" as St. Cyril called it.
The Holy Church did not find an expression more reliable,
deep and precise than that which was used by St. Cyril the
Great, and which St. Athanasius the Apostolic used before
him. Both of them were true leaders in the theological
field worldwide.
After the schism which took place in the year 451 A.D.,
when the Oriental Orthodox Churches rejected the motions
of the Council of Chalcedon and its theological struggles,
we were called "Monophysites" that is, those who believe
in the "One Nature". Sharing this belief are the Syrians,
the Armenians, the Ethiopians, the Copts (Egyptians) and
the Indians; who were also called "Non-Chalcedonian"
Orthodox Churches.
On the other hand, the
Chalcedonian Catholic and Greek Churches "The Greek
Orthodox" believe in the two natures of Christ; the
Protestant Churches also hold this belief. Consequently,
these churches are known as "Diophysites" - believers in
the two natures of Christ.
The Roman - or Chalcedonian
- Greek Orthodox Churches include those of Constantinople,
Greece, Cyprus, Russia, Romania, Hungary and Serbia as
well as the Greek Orthodox Churches of Egypt, Syria,
Lebanon, America and the St. Catherine Monastery in the
Sinai desert. The
term "Monophysites" used for the believers in the One
Nature has been intentionally or unintentionally
misinterpreted throughout certain periods of history.
Consequently, the Coptic and the Syrian Churches in
particular were cruelly persecuted because of their
belief, especially during the period which started from
the Council of Chalcedon held in 451 AD. and continued to
the conquest of the Arabs in Egypt and Syria (about 641
A.D.). This misinterpretation continued along history as
though we believed in one nature of Christ and denied the
other nature. The
expression "One Nature" does not indicate the Divine
nature alone nor the human nature alone, but it indicates
the unity of both natures into One Nature which is "The
Nature of the Incarnate Logos".
The same applies when we speak about our human nature
which comprises two united natures: the soul and the body.
Thus, man’s nature is not the soul alone nor the body
alone, but their union in one nature called human nature.
St. Cyril the Great taught to never talk about two
natures after their unity. So we can say that the Divine
nature united hypostatically with the human nature within
the Virgin’s womb, but after this unity we do not ever
speak again about two natures of Christ. In fact, the
expression "two natures" implies in itself division or
separation, and although those who believe in "the two
natures" admit unity, the tone of separation was obvious
in the Council of Chalcedon - a matter which prompted the
Orientals to reject the Council. |
