Eutyches

For the pope, seePope Eutychian.

For the author of the life of Theophilus the Penitent, seeEutychianus of Adana.

Eutyches(Ancient Greek:Εὐτυχής;c. 380 – c. 456)orEutyches of Constantinoplewas apresbyterandarchimandriteatConstantinople.He first came to notice in 431 at theFirst Council of Ephesus,for his vehement opposition to the teachings ofNestorius.At the 448 Synod of Constantinople and the 451Council of Chalcedon,Eutyches was condemned for having adopted an equally extreme, although opposite view. He himself, however, would reject this interpretation of his thought.

1701 engraving byRomeyn de Hooghe

Life

Eutyches was an archimandrite of a monastery outside the walls of Constantinople, where he ruled over 300 monks. He was much respected and was godfather to Chrysaphius, an influentialeunuchat the court of Theodosius II.

Controversy

The Monophysite view of Christ's nature ascribed to Eutyches

Thepatriarch of Constantinople,Nestorius,having asserted thatMaryought not to be referred to as the "Mother of God" (Theotokosin Greek, literally "God-bearer" ),was denounced as a heretic; in combating this assertion of Patriarch Nestorius, Eutyches was claimed to have declared thatChristwas "a fusion of human and divine elements",causing his own denunciation as a heretic seventeen years after theFirst Council of Ephesusat the 448 AD Synod of Constantinople, and later again in 451 at theCouncil of Chalcedon.

According to Nestorius, all the human experiences and attributes of Christ are to be assigned to 'the man', as a personal subject distinct from God the Word, though united to God the Word from the moment of conception. The fathers of the Synod of Constantinople argued that in opposition to this Eutyches had inverted the assertion to the opposite extreme, asserting that human nature and divine nature were combined into the single nature of Christ without any alteration, absorption or confusion: that of the incarnateWord.Although this accorded with the later teaching of Cyril of Alexandria, Eutyches was accused of having gone beyond Cyril in denying that Christ was "consubstantialwith us men ", by which he did not intend to deny Christ's full manhood, but to stress His uniqueness.

In the surviving acts of the 448 Synod in which Eutyches presents his own defence, however, he himself rejects this understanding of his thought, and the doctrine that became known as "Eutychianism" is presented only by hostile parties as an interpretation of the implications of his thinking.In an overview of the proceedings against Eutyches, which they view as a type of imperialshow trialdirected against Cyril's radical supporters, the historians Patrick T. R. Gray and George A. Bevan argue that "what [Eutyches] himself said gives us no reason to see him as having been anything other than a vigorous champion of a late Cyrillian position", that is,miaphysitism.

Career

Eutyches denied that Christ's humanity was limited or incomplete, a view that some thought similar to the Alexandrine doctrine. In any event, the energy and imprudence with which Eutyches asserted his opinions led to his being misunderstood. He was accused of heresy byDomnus II of AntiochandEusebius, bishop of Dorylaeumat a synod presided over byFlavianatConstantinoplein 448. His explanations deemed unsatisfactory, the council deposed him from his priestly office and excommunicated him.

In 449, however, theSecond Council of Ephesuswas convened byDioscorus of Alexandria,who was under the impression that Eutyches had renouncedMonophysitism.Overawed by the presence of a large number ofEgyptianmonks, the council not only reinstated Eutyches to his office but also deposed Eusebius, Domnus, and Flavian, his chief opponents. The council's judgment conflicted with the opinion of the bishop of Rome,Leo,who, departing from the policy of his predecessorCelestine,had written very strongly to Flavian in support of the doctrine of the two natures and one person.

Meanwhile, the emperorTheodosius IIdied. His successor,Marcian,married Theodosius's sister,Pulcheria.In October 451, Marcian and Pulcheria summoned a council (the fourth ecumenical) which met atChalcedon,which Dioscorus attended and at which he was condemned. There the synod of Ephesus was called a "robber synod," at which, it was said, Dioscorus had threatened the bishops with death if they did not agree with him. That previous synod's proceedings were annulled and, in accordance with the more miaphysite strand in the teaching of Cyril of Alexandria, it was declared that the two natures are united in Christ (without any alteration, absorption or confusion) and 'come together to form one person and one hypostasis.' Eutyches died in exile, but of his later life nothing is known.

Those who did not approve the Chalcedonian Council were later accused of being "Monophysites" and are nowadays known as "Oriental Orthodox,"a phrase that today applies to churches such as theCoptic Church,theArmenian Orthodox Church,and theSyrian Orthodox Church.They were wrongfully accused of agreeing with Eutyches about "one nature" in Christ and of rejecting Christ's dual consubstantiality (with the Father and with us men); however, Oriental Orthodox churches prefer to be called "Miaphysites" and are against the teachings of Eutyches. This was confirmed in May 1973 when the late Coptic pope,Shenouda III,visited Rome and penned a Christological statement with Pope Paul VI.

Eutyches's memory was kept alive by the Chalcedonians such asLeo I,who used the term 'Eutychian' as a pejorative description of the non-Chalcedonians who in their turn accused the Chalcedonians of being 'Nestorians'.

References

• G. A. Bevan and P. T. R. Gray, "The Trial of Eutyches: A New Interpretation",Byzantinische Zeitschrift101(2009), 617–57.
• Cohen, Samuel (2020). "Eutychianorum furor! Heresiological Comparison and the Invention of Eutychians in Leo I's Christological Polemic".Entangled Religions.11(4).doi:10.46586/er.11.2020.9434.ISSN2363-6696.
• Adolf Harnack,History of Dogma,iv. passim
• F. Loofs,Dogmnegeschichte(4th ed., 1906), 297 ff.
• Meyendorff, John(1983).Byzantine Theology: Historical Trends and Doctrinal Themes(revised 2nd ed.). New York: Fordham University Press.ISBN9780823209675.
• Meyendorff, John(1989).Imperial unity and Christian divisions: The Church 450-680 A.D.The Church in history. Vol. 2. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press.ISBN9780881410563.
• Ostrogorsky, George(1956).History of the Byzantine State.Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
• R. L. Ottley,The Doctrine of the Incarnation,ii. 97 ff.
• Article in Herzog-Hauck,Realencyk. für prot. Theol.,with a full bibliography.
• This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Eutyches".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 958.