What was the significance of the Council of Chalcedon?

Answer

The Council of Chalcedon convened in AD 451 in Chalcedon, a city in Asia Minor. Its decision was a crucial step in clarifying the essence of Christ and the orthodox belief in the Trinity. Additionally, the council set the stage for one of the most significant events in church history—the Great Schism.

To grasp the importance of the Council of Chalcedon, some context is necessary. Discussions about the nature of Christ began before the initial Council of Nicaea in AD 325. Arius propagated the erroneous idea that the Son of God was a created being and of a different substance (heteroousios) than the Father. The Council of Nicaea aimed to clearly define the relationship between the Father and the Son, affirming that Jesus was genuinely God. Despite the Nicene affirmation, opponents of Christ’s divinity persisted. However, faithful individuals like Athanasius continued to uphold Christ’s deity, ultimately prevailing over falsehood.

Following Nicaea, the Council of Constantinople in AD 381 refuted the teachings of Apollinaris, who claimed that Jesus’ divine nature had replaced His human mind and will, suggesting that Jesus was not fully human—a notion cautioned against in 2 John 1:7. Subsequently, Nestorius posited that Jesus possessed two distinct natures and wills, essentially portraying Him as two persons sharing one body. This concept was denounced at the Council of Ephesus in AD 431. A decade later, Eutyches similarly rejected Jesus’ true humanity, asserting that His human nature was “absorbed” or merged with His divine nature. This disagreement led to the Council of Chalcedon, which transpired from October 8 to November 1, 451.

The Council of Chalcedon condemned those who advocated for Christ having solely a divine nature or a “blend” of His two natures. The council formulated the “CChalcedonian Definition,” which affirms that Christ is “the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man.” He is “consubstantial [homoousios] with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood.” Jesus Christ is “to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably” (quoted from www.carm.org). The divine and human natures of Christ are distinct yet united in one Person. This co-existence of Christ’s two natures is called the hypostatic union.

By affirming that Jesus Christ is one Person who is both divine and human, the Council of Chalcedon made it easier to identify error. The Chalcedonian Definition affirms the truth that Jesus Christ is fully divine and, at the same time, fully human. He is both the Son of God «He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. », (1 John 5:10) and the Son of Man «The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born. », (Mark 14:21). Jesus, the Word incarnate, assumed perfect humanity in order to save fallen humanity. He could not have saved us unless he was fully God and fully man.

The Council of Chalcedon was also significant because it ratified the creeds of Nicaea and Constantinople. And it condemned the false doctrines of Nestorius and Eutyches. The council affirmed the single personality of Christ and the authenticity and perfection of both His natures, human and divine.

Besides dealing with matters of theology, the Council of Chalcedon is famous for upholding an earlier ruling concerning church structure. The Council of Chalcedon assigned

The council accorded equal honor to the Church of Constantinople and the Church of Rome. It bestowed the title “patriarch” upon the most eminent bishops and determined that the church of Constantinople (“New Rome”) occupied a position of authority akin to that of “Old Rome.” The pope, naturally, repudiated that specific article, albeit embracing the remainder of the Chalcedonian Creed. Ultimately, the schism between Rome and Constantinople resulted in the Great Schism between the Eastern Church and the Western Church in AD 1054.