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AD 431
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AD 451
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Council of Ephesus |
Council of Chalcedon |
The basic result of this council was a declaration that "Christ is complete God and complete man."
| There were two rivals
vying for primacy in the East at this time:
(1) NESTORIUS, Bishop of
Constantinople -- He believed Mary to be the
mother of the flesh of Jesus but not the mother of God.
(2) CYRIL, Bishop of Alexandria -- He believed Mary to be the mother of God. DOCTRINE OF MONOPHYSITES: This doctrine projected that Jesus had a humanity but he had so much of God in Him that His flesh was like a drop of wine in the ocean. Christ had just one nature, and it was divine. EUTYCHES: He supported this doctrine of the Monophysites and was excommunicated for it. THE ROBBER SYNOD: This council in AD 449 restored Eutyches. An outraged Pope Leo gave it the name, "The Robber Synod." The Robber Synod gave this result: WE ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS CHRIST AS COMPLETE GOD AND COMPLETE MAN.
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The basic result of this council was a declaration that "Jesus is one person with two natures, separate but not apart."
The principle purpose in convening this council was to assert the orthodox Catholic doctrine against the heresy of Eutyches and the Monophysites.
Pope Leo wrote a letter to define the issue, stating "that each nature (of Jesus) acts according to its own qualities."
This was the largest church council, with 600 bishops present and 16 sessions conducted between October 8 and November 1 of AD 451.
This council also ruled that Rome and Constantinople were officially equal in authority.
Significant to reiterate that the express purpose of the first four church councils was to determine the question of Christology (i.e., "Who Is Christ?")
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AD 476 Barbarians |
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Conquer Rome |
The Barbarians conquered the CIVIL (political power) of Rome in AD 476. This effectively gave the Pope more power than the government. Although the Barbarians conquered the political power of Rome, they did not conquer the Religious Power of Rome. This left the Pope in Rome the most powerful figure there. You now can see how slowly the Papal power and the Papacy began to evolve into what it is today.
CLOVIS OF THE FRANKS: In AD 496, Clovis of the Franks was converted to Christianity. This was an important event because 200 years later the Franks would provide a barricade against the invading Moslems.
Significant to remember that from AD 378 - AD 476, it was a period of chaos as Barbarians attempted to conquer Rome