Fifth-Century Heresies: The Mystery of the Trinity with R.C. Sproul

Summary

This video script provides an in-depth historical overview of the church's development of the doctrine of the Trinity, focusing on key heresies and councils. It explores early Christian struggles, including the Arian crisis and the Council of Nicea, followed by the Christological controversies of the Fifth Century, particularly with Eutyches' monophysite heresy and Nestorius' nestorianism. The script highlights the importance of the Council of Chalcedon in 451, which clarified Christ's dual natures—divine and human—without confusion or separation, a doctrine still foundational in Christian theology today.

Takeaways

• 😀 The doctrine of the Trinity has faced crucial historical challenges, particularly in the early centuries of church history.
• 😀 The Council of Nicea in 325 was a critical moment in church history, addressing the Arian controversy and affirming the full deity of Christ.
• 😀 The church's understanding of the person of Christ has been especially critical in four centuries: the Fourth, Fifth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth centuries.
• 😀 After Nicea, the church faced a new crisis, fighting two heresies simultaneously: monophysitism and Nestorianism.
• 😀 Monophysitism, led by Eutyches, taught that Jesus had only one nature, combining divinity and humanity into a single theanthropic nature.
• 😀 The monophysite heresy obscures the distinction between Christ's humanity and divinity, creating a blend of the two that was seen as a deified humanity or a humanized deity.
• 😀 Nestorianism, in contrast, separated the two natures of Christ, proposing two persons, one divine and one human, coexisting in Christ.
• 😀 The church distinguishes between the concepts of 'distinction' and 'separation' in Christ's two natures—emphasizing that they must be distinguished but not separated.
• 😀 The Council of Chalcedon in 451 defined Christ as 'truly God and truly man' with two natures, divine and human, in perfect union without mixture, confusion, separation, or division.
• 😀 Chalcedon's 'Four Negatives' rejected both the confusion of natures in monophysitism and the separation of natures in Nestorianism, emphasizing the unity of Christ's two natures.

Q & A

What was the central focus of the first three hundred years of Christian history regarding the Trinity?

The central focus was on John's concept of the Logos, or the Word, who becomes flesh and dwells among us.

What crisis arose in the Third Century concerning the doctrine of the Trinity?

The crisis was provoked by the modalism of Sabellius, which was condemned at Antioch in 267.

What was the key issue in the Arian crisis in the early Fourth Century?

The key issue was the denial of the full deity of Christ by Arius, which culminated in the Council of Nicea in 325.

How did the Council of Nicea impact the church's understanding of Christ's nature?

The Council of Nicea largely put an end to adoptionism but did not mark the end of struggles in understanding the person of Christ.

What are the four centuries in church history where the understanding of Christ's person was most critical?

The Fourth Century, the Fifth Century, the Nineteenth Century, and the Twentieth Century.

What new crisis did the church face after the Arian controversy?

The church faced a new crisis where it had to fight a war on two fronts: one against the monophysite heresy and the other against Nestorianism.

What does the term 'monophysite' refer to in Christology?

Monophysitism refers to the belief that Christ has only one nature, either a divinely human or humanly divine nature, rather than two distinct natures.

How does the monophysite heresy affect the understanding of Christ's nature?

It obscures the distinction between the human and divine natures of Christ, leading to a view where Christ is neither fully God nor fully man but a mixture of both.

What was the core of Nestorianism and how does it differ from the monophysite heresy?

Nestorianism taught that Christ had two persons, one divine and one human, whereas monophysitism taught that Christ had only one nature. Nestorianism separates the two natures, while monophysitism confuses them.

What was the significance of the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD for Christology?

The Council of Chalcedon defined that Christ is truly God and truly man, affirming the perfect unity of His two natures, divine and human, without mixture, confusion, division, or separation.

What were the 'Four Negatives' affirmed at the Council of Chalcedon, and why are they important?

The 'Four Negatives' were: no mixture, no confusion, no division, and no separation between the two natures of Christ. These were important to ensure the proper understanding of Christ's unified yet distinct divine and human natures.

What controversy does the 'kenotic heresy' address and why is it a violation of Chalcedon?

The kenotic heresy suggests that in the incarnation, Christ laid aside some of His divine attributes. This is a violation of Chalcedon, which affirms that Christ retains all of His divine attributes even in His human nature.

How does the misunderstanding of Chalcedon affect modern theological debates?

Misunderstandings of Chalcedon, such as the claim that Jesus was 'fully God and fully man' in an incompatible way, continue to shape theological debates, especially concerning the communication of divine attributes to the human nature of Christ.