Council of Chalcedon (451): Christ 'in two natures'
451
Place: chalcedon
40.993, 29.037 · On the map
Attested. Each side 'won' in different territories: Chalcedonians held the imperial church, Miaphysites kept Egypt and Ethiopia and much of Syria and Armenia. Full controversy record: branches-and-controversies.
Shared record: Chalcedon (451) and the Miaphysite split
Chalcedon defined Christ as one person in two natures. Much of Egypt, Syria, Armenia and Ethiopia rejected this as too close to Nestorius and became the 'Miaphysite' churches. By 600 Arabia's neighbors held three rival Christologies — Chalcedonian (Byzantine), Miaphysite (Ghassanid, Aksumite, Najrani) and Church of the East (Persian, Hira) — and the Qur'an treats Christian division as a sign of error (e.g., Q 19:37).
People named here
- Pope Leo I
- Dioscorus of Alexandria
- Marcian
Links
Context
Out
Ghassanids: Christian Arab kings for Byzantium (al-Jabiya)
The Ghassanids championed the anti-Chalcedonian (Miaphysite) side.
context
attestedOut
Martyrdom of the Christians of Najran
Najran's martyrs were celebrated by Miaphysite writers.
context
attestedOut
Christian division into sects (Q 19:37 'the factions differed') against a background of post-Chalcedon schism.
context
scholarly hypothesis
Sources
- Wikipedia: Council of Chalcedon
Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Wikipedia: Oriental Orthodox Churches
Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Qur'an, Surat Maryam (19)
Quran.com. Accessed 2026-11-11.