{"id":2956,"date":"2012-10-08T06:50:29","date_gmt":"2012-10-08T11:50:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kathyschiffer.com\/?p=2956"},"modified":"2016-09-30T15:58:38","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T20:58:38","slug":"think-this-not-that-6-monothelitism-say-that-with-your-mouth-full","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/kathyschiffer\/2012\/10\/think-this-not-that-6-monothelitism-say-that-with-your-mouth-full\/","title":{"rendered":"THINK THIS, NOT THAT #6: Monothelitism. Say THAT With Your Mouth Full!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"Oh, the confusion! <\/strong><\/p>\n

Last time in \u201cThink This, Not That,\u201d<\/strong> I talked about the Council of Chalcedon, at which the Church ironed out the controversy over the \u201cThree Chapters\u201d<\/strong> and Nestorianism <\/strong>(which wrongly claimed that Jesus had two distinct subsistences).<\/p>\n

In the seventh century, one of the biggest theological crises looming at the Council of Constantinople III (680-681 A.D.) was the spread of monothelitism<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Say what?<\/strong> Well, that\u2019s \u201cmono\u201d (as in \u201cone\u201d) and \u201cthelitism\u201d (as in theanthropic will\u2014as in, God\u2019s\/man\u2019s will combined, with God\u2019s will sort of superceding man\u2019s will and topping it out and bringing it into alliance with His own perfect will).<\/p>\n

So, got it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

*\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

Monothelitism<\/span> developed as a response to monophysitism<\/span>.\u00a0 (Extra credit for all these big words in a single sentence!)<\/p>\n

The monophysites<\/span> had claimed, back in the fifth century, that Christ had only one nature\u2014he was altogether divine, and not human.\u00a0 \u201cNo!\u201d<\/strong> shouted the 7th<\/sup> century monothelites<\/span>.\u00a0 \u201cChrist had two natural wills and two natural operations, without division, conversion, separation or confusion.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the Church again said \u201cNo\u201d\u2014the monothelite doctrine diminished the full nature of Christ\u2019s humanity.\u00a0 Rather, Jesus is at the same time both fully God<\/span> and fully man<\/span>.<\/p>\n

This is what the Church teaches to the present day.<\/p>\n

*\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

That major crisis resolved, the Council made quick work of the other issues before them:<\/p>\n