The Nature of Christ + St Mary in the Orthodox Concept Servants prep Winter Semester 2014

“What Christ did not assume, He did not heal” St Gregory Nazianzen

4 Heresies about the Nature of Christ Arianism In his view, Our Lord Jesus Christ was to be considered as “created”, nevertheless, preeminent among all creation. He argued that there is a distinction in a rank between Christ and other creatures. He outranks all other creatures, but shares their essentially created nature.  

St Athanasius argument: No creature can save another creature. Only God can save.

The Apollinarian Heresy He said that our Lord Jesus Christ could not be regarded as totally human. In our Lord Jesus Christ case, the Divine Logos replaced the human spirit. This means he didn’t possess our full humanity. He was without a human spirit because the divinity of the Logos provided the needed life. Apollinarius argued that, in the Lord Jesus Christ, a purely human mind and soul were replaced by a divine mind and soul. The human nature of our Lord Jesus Christ is thus incomplete.

The Nestorian Heresy Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, objected to the title “Theotokos” (Mother of God) as applied to Virgin Mary. He believed that St. Mary gave birth to a mere human being and that the Divine Logos descended and filled this man; thus, in his opinion, Virgin Mary should be called “Christotokos” (Mother of Christ) or even “Anthropotokos” (Mother of humanity)

Eutychian Heresy Eutyches said that the human nature was absorbed and dissolved in the divine nature as a drop of vinegar in the ocean. He denied the human nature of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Summary Arius denied the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ and was excommunicated by the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. Apollinarius denied the complete humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ and was excommunicated by the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD. Nestorius separated the two natures of our Lord Jesus Christ denying the hypostatic union between them and was excommunicated by the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. Eutyches denied the humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ claiming that it was absorbed by His divinity and was excommunicated by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD.

So what is our faith concerning Christology? Our Lord Jesus Christ is God Himself, the Incarnate Logos, who took to Himself a complete manhood. His Divine Nature is united with His Human nature in a complete hypostatic (personal) union without mingling, confusion, alteration, or separation

The union between iron and fire: in this union the iron is not changed into fire and the iron is not changed into iron. They are both united without mingling, confusion or alteration

The Nature Of Christ Our Lord Jesus Christ has Two Natures: The divine Nature of the Logos The Human Nature that He took from the Virgin Mary The Human nature is composed of two elements: Human Spirit Human Body`

Monophysite vs Miaphysite The Coptic church is falsely accused by the Chalcedonian churches as “monophysites” offiliated with the heresy of Eutyches

“mono” means alone- without a companion; only Mia- means “one virtually by union” Physis- means nature, nature qualities, powers

The Christological Formula “The one incarnate nature of God the Logos” by St Athanasius and later confirmed by St Cyril The proof is that both sides have together accepted that there can be no distinction between the natures except in thought alone

St Mary in the Orthodox Concept

2 Doctrines of St Mary Perpetual Virginity- And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because theLord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. 3 As for the prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.” Ezekiel 44:2-3

Betrothal and Marriage According to the Jewish Tradition, the nuptial consists of two steps: Betrothal and Marriage

This betrothal was in every respect equivalent to present day marriage but without any sexual relationship. The betrothed virgin was called the man’s wife and she would become a widow if her betrothed died claiming the financial settlement accorded to a wife when widowed. In case of infidelity she was liable to the same punishment as an adulterous wife and like a wife she could not be dismissed without a bill of divorce.

Now we can understand why Virgin Mary was called St Now we can understand why Virgin Mary was called St. Joseph’s wife even though they were only betrothed and not married. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1:20

Objection # 1: Lord Jesus was called “her firstborn Son” (Mt 1:25; Lk 2:7) therefore; she must have had other children.

Refutation It is the custom of Holy Scripture to designate with the title “firstborn” not the one who subsequently has brothers or sisters, but the one who is born first: · “Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.” (Ex 13:2)

‡ Objection # 2 It is written that St. Joseph “did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn” (Mt 1:25) this must imply that he knew her after the Lord’s birth.

Refutation: The word ‘till or until’ by no means necessarily implies that St. Joseph knew her after the birth of Lord Jesus Christ. For the word ‘till’ does not in any way imply the opposite of what is mentioned before it; this word in Holy Scriptures means eternally. For example: · “The Lord said to my Lord. Sit at my right hand till I make Your enemies Your footstool” (Ps 110:1)

Could it be that this means that our Saviour Lord Jesus Christ won’t sit at the right hand of the Father and reign with Him unto the ages of ages? We well know that “of His Kingdom there shall be no end” (Lk 1:33) · “Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up …” (Gen 8:7) Does this mean that the raven returned at one point to the ark? But we know that the raven never returned.

The Name of Theotokos And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35  But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Luke 1:43

Nestorian heresy Anastasius saying: “Let no one call Mary “Theotokos”, for Mary was but a woman, and it is impossible that God should be born of a woman”.

St. Cyril sent two letters to Nestorius in which he explains the nature of Christ, as the Incarnate Son of God, one Person and declared St. Mary’s right to be called “Theotokos”.

St Cyril’s response Nor was He first born of the Holy Virgin as an ordinary man, in such a way that the Word only afterwards descended upon Him; rather He was united (with flesh) in the womb itself.... For this reason the (Holy Fathers) confidently called the Holy Virgin “Theotokos”; not meaning that the nature of the Word or His Godhead received its beginning from the Holy Virgin, but that, inasmuch as His rationally animated body, to which the Word was personally united, was born of her, He is said to have been born after the flesh.