Heresy seems to be the game of the day when it comes to General Councils of the Church, and the Third General Council of Constantinople was no exception.
The Seventh Century Heresy - Monothelism
This time it was Arianism, Nestorianism, Appolonianism or any of the more familiar heresies we’ve heard about in the first five councils, but a new heresy which pitted the Eastern Church against the Western Church yet again – Monothelism.
The dispute began well before the Third General Council of Constantinople convened in the years between 610 - 641 A.D when an emperor decided to make a move towards theology and define the Christian Faith. If he had not done so, the next great heresy would never have been born.
Monothelism was a new belief touted by an emperor but which was quickly held to be be true by the Eastern Churches in direct contradiction to the Western Churches.
In the Western Church, Catholics believed that Christ operated through two natures – Human and Divine. Therefore, He performed many human acts through the human will, and He performed His divine acts such as healing through a divine will which operated separately – but in union with – his human will.
Monothelism contended that Christ did not possess a human will, only a divine will. Thus, he had never operated or acted with anything possessive of a human nature and, therefore, Jesus Christ Our Lord could not have been a man.
This dispute incited years of infighting in the church between the East and the West, the popes and the patriarchs until an unusual document was written to hopefully cause a cease-fire of words and as a result, hopefully peace.
The Ecthesis – Declaration about the Faith
In a move that shows humor, wisdom and common sense, Sergius prepared an edict from the emperor which declared a policy of silence which was obliged of all the citizens of their provinces. Specifically, the Ecthesis took it so far as to preclude the citizens of their various districts to discuss in particular the ‘operations’ of the Godhead in any way, shape or form.
It was theorized that by doing this it would quelch the arguments and avoid another need for a General Council over yet another heresy.
The Ecthesis defined the ‘will’ or ‘wills’ differently to avoid the people thinking that there could be conflict between the divine and human nature of Christ.
The Western Church agreed that the two wills worked through one, and the Eastern Church proclaimed there was one will in the operations of Christ, and therefore, they put it together and declared that “We profess that there is but a single will.”
Signs of the Times
Warring and battling over this doctrine stilled for a time, but these years in history were times of high drama. The Persians had taken over the Holy Land and were in possession of the true cross and many of the crusades took place during this point in time.
When the General Council was finally called, everyone was exhausted, war-worn and ready for a simple solution to yet another heretical debate.
Results of the Third General Council of Constantinople
What made this General Council different from the rest was that there was little argument to be had for the bishops all seemed to agree on this heresy. In previous councils, there were large factions among the Churches own clergy fighting for their cause; Arians, Nestorians, Euyches. Not this time.
The bishops declared in one accord with Pope Agatho that “We teach that in Our Lord, Jesus Christ, there are two natural wills, and two natural operations, indivisibly, inconvertibly, inseparably, without any fusion, as the holy fathers have taught, and that these two natural wills are not contrary.” From the Denzinger Decree
The Second General Council of Constantinople, 553 A.D.
The Second General Council of Nicaea, 787 A.D. Part 1
Sources: The Church in Crisis: A History of the General Councils, 325 – 1870 – By Philip Hughes, The General Councils: A History of the Twenty-One Church Councils from Nicaea to Vatican II – By Christopher M. Bellito, The Documents of Vatican II – By Walter M. Abbott, S.J. and the Very Reverend Monsignor Joseph Gallagher, A Short History of Christian Doctrine: From the First Century to the Present – By Bernard Lohse, The Reform of the Liturgy – Annibale Bugnini, www.catholicdigitalstudio.com/councils.htm
