Eutyches facts for kids

Eutyches (Ancient Greek: Εὐτυχής; born around 380 – died around 456) was an important church leader in Constantinople. He was a presbyter (a type of priest) and an archimandrite (a leader of monks). Eutyches first became well-known in 431 at the First Council of Ephesus. He strongly disagreed with the teachings of Nestorius at that time. Later, at the 448 Synod of Constantinople and the 451 Council of Chalcedon, Eutyches himself was criticized. People thought he had gone too far in the opposite direction. However, Eutyches did not agree with how his ideas were understood.

Who Was Eutyches?

Eutyches was the leader of a large monastery located just outside the city walls of Constantinople. He was in charge of about 300 monks. People respected him a lot. He was also the godfather to Chrysaphius, who was an important official at the court of Emperor Theodosius II.

Eutyches's Church Career

Eutyches had strong beliefs about Jesus Christ's nature. He did not believe that Christ's human side was limited or incomplete. Some people thought his ideas were similar to a teaching from Alexandria. However, the Coptic Church strongly disagrees with this, seeing Eutyches as someone who taught wrong ideas.

• The First Disagreement (448)

Eutyches was very energetic and sometimes not careful when he shared his views. This led to people misunderstanding him. He was accused of teaching wrong ideas (heresy) by Domnus II of Antioch and Eusebius, bishop of Dorylaeum. This happened at a meeting called a synod in Constantinople in 448. Flavian led this meeting. Eutyches tried to explain himself, but the council did not find his explanations good enough. They removed him from his role as a priest and stopped him from being part of the church.

• The Second Council of Ephesus (449)

In 449, another important meeting was called. This was the Second Council of Ephesus. Dioscorus of Alexandria organized it. Dioscorus thought that Eutyches had changed his mind about his controversial ideas. Many monks from Egypt were present, and their large numbers influenced the council. This council not only gave Eutyches his priestly role back but also removed Eusebius, Domnus, and Flavian from their positions. These three were Eutyches's main opponents.

However, the decision of this council did not match the opinion of Pope Leo I, the bishop of Rome. Pope Leo had written a very strong letter to Flavian. In his letter, he supported the idea that Christ has two natures (divine and human) but is one person. This was different from the policy of the previous pope, Celestine.

• The Council of Chalcedon (451)

Meanwhile, Emperor Theodosius II died. His successor, Marcian, married Theodosius's sister, Pulcheria. In October 451, Marcian and Pulcheria called for a new council. This was the fourth ecumenical council, meaning it was a major meeting for the whole Christian church. Dioscorus attended this council, and he was criticized there.

The council at Chalcedon called the previous synod of Ephesus a "robber synod." They said that Dioscorus had threatened bishops with death if they did not agree with him. The decisions made at that earlier synod were canceled. The Council of Chalcedon then declared that Christ has two natures united in one person. This means the divine and human natures come together without changing, mixing, or confusing each other. Eutyches died while he was in exile, but we do not know much about his later life.

After Eutyches

People who did not agree with the Council of Chalcedon were later called "Monophysites." Today, they are known as "Oriental Orthodox" churches. This group includes the Coptic Church, the Armenian Orthodox Church, and the Syrian Orthodox Church. They were wrongly accused of agreeing with Eutyches that Christ has only "one nature." They were also accused of rejecting that Christ is fully divine (like God the Father) and fully human (like us).

However, Oriental Orthodox churches prefer to be called "Miaphysites." They are against the teachings of Eutyches. This was confirmed in May 1973. At that time, the Coptic pope, Shenouda III, visited Rome. He wrote a statement about Christ's nature with Pope Paul VI, showing their agreement on this point.

People who supported the Council of Chalcedon, like Leo I, often used the term "Eutychian" to criticize those who disagreed with Chalcedon. In return, those who disagreed with Chalcedon accused the Chalcedonians of being "Nestorians" and believing in "dyophysite" (two separate natures) views.

See also

In Spanish: Eutiques para niños