Christ in Christian Tradition: Volume Two: From the Council of Chalcedon (451) to Gregory the Great

542 Pages·1995·4.16 MB·English

by  Aloys Grillmeier

Christ in Christian Tradition
Volume One: From the Apostolic Age to Chakedon (451)
Volume Two: From the Council of Chakedon (451) to Gregory the
Great (590-604)
Part One: Reception and Contradiction, The development of the
discussion about Chakedon from 451 to the beginning of
the reign of Justinian
Part Two: The Church of Constantinople in the sixth century
CHRIST

IN CHRISTIAN

TRADITION

VOLUME TWO
From the Council of Chakedon (451)
to Gregory the Great (590-604)

PART Two
The Church of Constantinople
in the sixth century
ALOYS GRILLMEIER SJ

in collaboration with
THERESIA HAINTHALER
translated by
JOHN CAWTE
&
PAULINE ALLEN
MOWBRAY WJK
Published in Great Britain by Mowbray, A Cassell imprint, Wellington House, 125 Strand,
London WC2R OBB
Published in the United States by Westminster John Knox Press, 100 Witherspoon Street,
Louisville, Kentucky 40202-1396
German original published as Jesus Her Chnstus im Glaulen <fer Kmhe,
Band 2/2, © Verlag Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1989
English translation © Mowbray, a Cassell imprint, 1995
All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying,
recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior
permission in writing from the publishers.
English translation first published 1995
Intpnmt potest: Jorg Dantscher SJ
Praep. Prov. Germ. Sup. SJ
Monachii, die 13 Aprilis 1989
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 0-264-67261-5
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
(Revised for volume 2, part 2)
Grillmeier, Aloys, date.
Christ in Christian tradition.
Author statement varies.
Edition statement varies.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
Contents: v. 1. From the apostolic age to Chalcedon (451) — v.
2. From the Council of Chalcedon (451) to Gregory the Great (590-
604). Pt. 1. Reception and Contradiction. Pt. 2. The Church of
Constantinople in the sixth century.
1. Jesus Christ — History of doctrines — Early church, ca. 30-600.
I. Title.
BT198.G743 1975 232'.09 75-13456
ISBN 0-664-21997-7 (v. 2, pt. 2)
The publication of this book has been assisted by a contribution from Inter Nationes, Bonn.
Typeset by Colset Private Ltd, Singapore
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Mackays of Chatham pic
DOMINO FRANCISCO CARDINALI KOENIG
DIALOGI CUM ECCLESIIS ORIENTALIBUS PROMOTORI
ET
INSTITUTIONI 'PRO ORIENTE'
AB IPSO FUNDATAE
CONTENTS
PREFACE vii
ABBREVIATIONS xxi
ORBIS CHRISTOLOGICUS 451-604 1
THE PATRIARCHATE OF CONSTANTINOPLE (500-600) 5
PART ONE
THE ANTI-CHALCEDONIAN POLE
THE CHRISTOLOGY OF PATRIARCH SEVERUS
OF ANTIOCH
CHAPTER ONE: The disputatious polemicist
2
1
SECTION ONE: Severus and his adversaries 21
§ 1. The discussion with the supporters of Chalcedon and the
reasons for it
2
2
I. The Florilegium Cyrillianum and the Philalethes of
Severus 22
II. The emergence of the monk Nephalius and his fight
against Severus 23
III. The Apologia for the Synod of Chalcedon of John the
Grammarian
2
4
§ 2. The controversies of Patriarch Severus within his own
party 25
I. The quarrel with Julian, bishop of Halicarnassus
2
5
II. The controversy with Sergius the Grammarian
2
6
SECTION TWO: The christological result of the polemics of
Patriarch Severus 28
§ 1. The discussion with the Chalcedonian opponents and the
Severan response 28
I. The intent and the significance of the Florilegium
Cyrillianum (FlorCyr) 28
x CHRIST IN CHRISTIAN TRADITION
II. The Cyrillian christology of the Philalethes of Severus 3
1. 'Sacrilegious plunderer of the inspired words of 1
Cyril*
2. On the christology of the Philalethes of Severus 3
(a) Analogies for the unity in Jesus Christ 1
(i) The body-soul comparison 3
(ii) Burning thornbush (Ex 3,2-3) and glowing 3
coal (Is 6,6-7) 3
(b) Direct, conceptually demarcated language 4
The reaction of Severus of Antioch 3
III. Severus of Antioch and the theology of mediation of 4
neo-Chalcedonianism
1. Nephalius: from monophysite to supporter of
3
Chalcedon 9
2. John of Caesarea, presbyter and grammarian 4
(a) Work on the concept
0
(i) A surprise attack by the Grammarian: the
4
distinction between physis and ousia
5
(ii) The concept of enhypostaton
(b) A compromise for peace
4
(c) The Severan purification of christological
7
language. The custodian of faith
(i) Linguistic correction for the incarnation in
4
fieri
7
(ii) Insufficient designations of the incarnation
5
in facto esse
2
5
§ 2. From the discussion among the anti-Chalcedonians
3
I. Julian of Halicarnassus and his interpretation of the
earthly existence of Jesus Christ
5
1. Cyrillian-Severan points of departure for Julian
4
(a) The 'glowing coal' (Is 6,6-7) and two different
6
interpretations by Severus
(b) The wood of the Ark of the Covenant and 1
6
the aphtharsia of Christ in the works of Julian
2. The Apollinarian work Kata mews pistis as Julian's 7
source 7
Notable critique of authorities by Severus
The teaching on aphtharsia of Julian of Halicarnassus 2
as judged by Severus of Antioch
(a) Polarization between Julian and Severus 7

3
7
4
7
9
7
9
8
2
8
2
CONTENTS xi
(i) Determination of norms for the
relationship of the properties
9
5
(ii) The teaching of the properties of Christ's
body in terms of content
9
8
(iii) Terminological clarification 100
(iv) The anthropological-protological framework
of Julian's teaching on aphtharsia
10
1
(v) The free decision to suffer and to die 104
(b) A concluding consideration of the dispute
between Severus and Julian
10
6
(i) A constructional error in the system 107
(ii) The understanding of the virginal birth of
Jesus 108
II. The essence and being of Christ conceptualized: the
amateur theologian, Sergius the Grammarian
11
1
1. A problem shared with Julian of Halicarnassus
11
1
2. The zealot of the unity in Christ
11
3
3. Incarnation as event in the realm of being
11
6
4. One being — one property — one doxa
12
1
CHAPTER TWO: The preacher
12
9
I. Classification and fundamental theological statement
of the homilies
12
9
II. 'Mysteries of the life of Jesus' according to a
kerygma of the mia physis
13
2
III. The credo of the catechumens — the
anti-Chalcedonian catechesis
14
3
The one activity of the incarnate God-Logos 145
Ousia — physis — hypostasis 146
The Trishagion 146
CHAPTER THREE: Severus the dogmatician and his picture
of Christ
14
8
I. The role of the Patriarch Severus in the
Chalcedonian-post-Chalcedonian process of
understanding the mystery of Christ
15
0
II. The Severan picture of Christ as an alternative to
Chalcedon
15
2
1. The fundamental orientation: a christology from
above 152
2. A christology aimed at 'unity'
15
3
CHRIST IN CHRISTIAN TRADITION
(a) MM physis: the fundamental formula with its
variants 153
(b) The mia energeia 162
(c) Knowledge and growth of Jesus
17
1
Concluding reflection:
The panorama of Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian
christologies 174
PART TWO
RETROSPECTIVE THEOLOGICAL
CONSIDERATION OF CHALCEDON
CHAPTER ONE: Leontius of Byzantium, the crown witness of
Chalcedonian christology

18
SECTION ONE: The person and work of Leontius 181
1
SECTION TWO: The christology of Leontius of Byzantium
His contribution to solving the Chalcedonian problem 185
I. A short report on research 185
1. Literary-historical identifications 185
2. Biographical identifications 186
3. On the method 186
II. The christology of Leontius of Byzantium 186
1. The Chalcedonian, anti-Severan language of
186
Leontius
187
(a) The 'subject of the incarnation'
189
(b) Distinction of hypostasis and physis
193
(c) Discoverer of the formal ratio of subsistence?
(d) The major objective of Leontius: the
justification of the formula of the 'two
natures'
2. The interpretation of the 'unity' in Christ
(a) The depiction of the body-soul analogy
(fe) The range of the body-soul analogy
(c) The manner of the union (6 rpdnoq T//C

ivtiaetoq)
III. Leontius of Byzantium and the Chalcedonian picture
of Christ
CONTENTS Xlll

1. The 'Aphthartodocetists' ('Aphthartics') of Leontius
of Byzantium
21
3
2. Jesus Christ in his aphtharsia
21
4
3. Leontius' critique of the aphtharsia teaching and
his own contrasting picture
21
7
(a) Fundamental objections and their evaluation 217
(b) Christ's impassibility in the tension between
nature and supernature
22
0
(i) Fundamental considerations 220
(ii) Nature and supernature in the concrete
life of Jesus
22
1
(iii) A test question for Leontius: the human
will in Christ
22
2
(c) Passibility and mortality of Christ in the light
of protology
22
6
(d) Christ's uncorruptedness — conception
through the Spirit — henosis
22
7
CHAPTER TWO: The expanded circle of strict-Chalcedonian
theologians of the type of Leontius of Byzantium
23
0
I. Hypatius, Archbishop of Ephesus (531-C.538)
23
0
1. Biographical notes
23
0
2. Hypatius of Ephesus as a christological author
23
1
(a) The sources
23
2
(b) The character of the colktio
23
3
(c) The goal of the doctrinal dialogue
23
4
(d) The course of the doctrinal dialogue
23
4
(i) The two-natures theme according to I 237