This collection of essays has its origin in a conference held at Oxford in 2006 to mark the publication of the first English edition of the Acts of Chalcedon. Its aim is to place Chalcedon in a broader context, and bring out the importance of the acts of the early general councils from the fifth to the seventh century, documents that because of their bulk and relative inaccessibility have received only limited attention till recently. This volume is evidence that this situation is now rapidly changing, as historians of late antiquity as well as specialists in the history of the Christian Church discover the richness of this material for the exploration of common concerns and tensions across the provinces of the Later Roman Empire, language use, networks of influence and cultural exchange, and political manipulation at many different levels of society. The extent to which the acts were instruments of propaganda and should not be read as a pure verbatim record of proceedings is brought out in a number of the essays, which illustrate the fascinating literary problems raised by these texts.

This book is the fruit of years of interdenominational Christian dialogue between the Oriental Orthodox Family of Churches and both the Eastern Orthodox Family of Churches and the Roman Catholic Church. The main obstacle preventing unification of these three most traditional groups of Churches is still agreeing upon their beliefs in the nature of Christ. The first schism in the Church occurred in 451 A.D. as a result of the Council of Chalcedon when afterwards Christians were divided into either Chalcedonian or non-Chalcedonian. The Oriental Orthodox Family of Churches (i.e. Coptic, Syrian, Armenian, Indian, Ethiopian, and Eritrean) are non-Chalcedonian whereas the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic are Chalcedonian. This book goes into great depth based on Biblical, historical and Patristic evidence as to why the non-Chalcedonians, i.e. Miaphysites, refused the Council of Chalcedon of 451 A.D. from the Oriental Orthodox perspective. It is comprised of six parts: I) Nestorianism; II) Eutychianism; III) Important Christological principles related to this Council; IV) History of the Council and other subsequent Chalcedonian Councils; V) Arguments against this Council; and VI) Anathemas pronounced and condemnations against those who accepted the Council of Chalcedon and/or the Tome of Leo. May God the Logos Incarnate our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ about Whom this research is concerned bless this work and make it a fruitful contribution beneficial in healing the divisions and leading to the unity of the Church on the basis of the identity of the authentic Apostolic Orthodox faith entrusted to us as expressed, confirmed and followed by the Fathers of the First Three Ecumenical Church Councils.

In the first part of the sixth century, variant forms of Monophysitism existed. In 'Christology after Chalcedon', Iain Torrance provides a theological introduction and a translation of the letters between Severus of Antioch and Sergius the Grammarian. Severus was the Monophysite Patriarch of Antioch - a leader of the moderate Monophysites whose doctrine adhered more closely to Catholic teaching and whose primary divergence from orthodoxy was terminological. Though little is known of Sergius, it is apparent from his letters that he was a Monophysite of the more extreme sort. The correspondence between Sergius and Severus comprises three letters from Sergius, three replies by Severus, and an apology by Sergius.

This work examines the role of the reception of the Council of Nicaea (325) in the major councils of the mid-fifth century.

Bringing to a new generation a resource that has been used in theology & church history courses for more than 30 years, this volume features translations of the most important primary documents, introductions to the context of each text & new supplementary materials.

Edited by Alcuin Reid Adrian Fortescue, a British apologist for the Catholic faith in the early part of the 20th century, wrote this classic of clear exposition on the faith of the early Church in the papacy based upon the writings of the Church fathers until 451. No ultramontanist, Fortescue can be a keen critic of personal failings of various Popes, but he shows through his brilliant assessment of the writings of the Church fathers that the early Church had a clear understanding of the primacy of Peter and a belief in the divinely given authority of the Pope in matters of faith and morals. Referring to the famous passage in Matthew 16:18 where Jesus confers his authority upon Peter as the head of the Apostles, and the first Pope, Fortescue says that, while Christians can continue to argue about the exact meaning of that passage from Scripture, and the various standards that are used for judgments about correct Christian teaching and belief, ""the only possible real standard is a living authority, an authority alive in the world at this moment, that can answer your difficulties, reject a false theory as it arises and say who is right in disputed interpretations of ancient documents."" Fortescue shows that the papacy actually seems to be one of the clearest and easiest dogmas to prove from the early Church. And it is his hope through this work that it will contribute to a ressourcement with regard to the office of the papacy among those in communion with the Bishop of Rome, and that it will assist those outside this communion to seek it out, confident that it is willed by Christ for all who would be joined to him in this life and in the next.

In the first book to be devoted exclusively to Severus, well-known author in the field, Pauline Allen, focuses on a fascinating figure who is seen simultaneously as both a saint and a heretic. Part of our popular Early Church Fathers series, this volume translates a key selection of Severus' writings which survived in many other languages. Shedding light on his key opposition to the Council of Chalcedon and rehabilitates his reputation as a key figure of late antiquity, is examines his his life and times, thinking, homiletic abilities and his pastoral concerns. Severus was patriarch of Antioch on the Orontes in Syria from 512-518. Though he is venerated as an important saint in the Old Oriental Christian tradition, he has mostly been regarded as a heretic elsewhere; and as his works were condemned by imperial edict in 536, very little has survived in the original Greek.