Chalcedonian Creed facts for kids

The Chalcedonian Creed is an important statement of Christian belief. It was created during a big meeting called the Council of Chalcedon in the year 451 AD. This meeting was one of the first major councils of the early Christian Church.

Many Christian groups, like the Eastern Orthodox, Catholics, and many Protestant churches, accept this creed. However, the Oriental Orthodox Church does not agree with it.

The Chalcedonian Creed was written because there were disagreements between different parts of the Church. They argued about how to understand Jesus Christ being both fully God and fully human. They also had different ideas about the power of the emperor and the role of the Pope in Rome.

Most Western Churches accepted the creed easily. But some Eastern Churches had problems with it. The creed became a main teaching for the Orthodox Church. But the Coptic Church of Alexandria disagreed. They preferred a different way of explaining Jesus's nature. They believed the creed should say Christ was "from two natures" instead of "in two natures."

What is the Chalcedonian Creed?

The Chalcedonian Creed is a statement that explains who Jesus Christ is. It was written to help Christians understand how Jesus can be both completely God and completely human at the same time. This idea is called the Incarnation.

Why was the Creed created?

In the early Church, people had different ideas about Jesus's nature. Some thought he was only God, and others thought he was only human. The Council of Chalcedon was called to settle these arguments. The creed was written to make a clear statement that everyone could agree on.

What does the Creed say about Jesus?

The creed teaches that Jesus is one person, but he has two complete natures:

• He is truly God, sharing the same divine nature as God the Father.
• He is truly human, with a real human soul and body, just like us, but without sin.

It says that these two natures (God and human) are joined together in Jesus without mixing or changing each other. They are not divided into two separate people. Jesus is one single person who is both fully God and fully human.

Key ideas in the Creed

The creed uses some important words to explain this:

• Inconfusedly: The two natures are not mixed up or blended together.
• Unchangeably: Neither nature changes into the other.
• Indivisibly: The two natures cannot be separated from each other.
• Inseparably: They are always together in one person.

This means that Jesus is one person who has both a divine nature and a human nature, working perfectly together.

Who accepts the Creed?

Many major Christian groups accept the Chalcedonian Creed. These include:

• The Eastern Orthodox Church
• The Catholic Church
• Many Protestant churches

Who does not accept the Creed?

The Oriental Orthodox Church does not accept the Chalcedonian Creed. This includes churches like:

• The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria
• The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
• The Armenian Apostolic Church

They believe the creed's language doesn't fully capture their understanding of Jesus's single, united nature after the Incarnation. They prefer the teachings of Saint Cyril of Alexandria.

English translation of the Creed

Here is a simplified version of what the Chalcedonian Creed says:

We, following the holy Fathers, all agree to teach people to believe in one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

He is perfect in his God-nature and also perfect in his human-nature.

He is truly God and truly man, with a thinking soul and a body.

He is of the same divine nature as the Father, and of the same human nature as us.

He is like us in every way, except he has no sin.

He was born from the Father before time began, as God. And in recent times, for us and for our salvation, he was born from the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, as a human.

He is one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, the only one born, to be understood in two natures.

These natures are not mixed up, not changed, not divided, and not separated.

The difference between the natures is not taken away by their union. Instead, each nature keeps its own qualities.

They come together in one Person and one Being. He is not two separate persons, but one and the same Son, the only one born, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is what the prophets said about him from the beginning, what the Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and what the Creed of the holy Fathers has passed down to us.

See also

• In Spanish: Definición de Calcedonia para niños