Dioscorus of Alexandria

Dioscorus I of Alexandria was the Patriarch of Alexandria 444 AD– 451 AD/the 25th Pope of Alexandria 444 AD–454 AD/457 AD (by different traditions respectively)

Saint Dioscorus I (died c. 454/457). in Asia Minor, 11 Sept., 454.

Controversy

Dioscorus I of Alexandria is considered a saint by the Coptic, Syriac, and other Oriental Orthodoxy churches. He is considered a heretic by the Orthodox Church.

His character and stance are subject to contravention between the Oriental Orthodoxy churches on one side and the Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholic churches on the other.

The Oriental Orthodoxy churches are generally accused by other churches of accepting the Eutychian doctrine of Monophysitism— this is denied by these churches as they consider Eutyches a heretic as the other churches but to have redemed himself by retreving this herecy in the Ephsus second council but figures large in the differences between those churches and most other populous Christian churches, as well as in the civil strife and friction of the era and afterwards within the Eastern Roman Empire.

Hence, in the mess typical of schisms, according to mainstream Christian sects, he was merely a Patriarch of Alexandria turned heretic, who in a pre-emptive power-play characteristic of meglomania attempted to excommunicate many other influential bishops in opposition to his belief in Monophysitism, including Pope Leo I.

He was subsequently excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Pope Leo I, most likely in very early 450 AD during the aftermath of the controversial Second Council of Ephesus, which he was charged by the Emperor to precide over with the concurrence of Pope Leo I.

It was supposed to be the fourth ecumenical council and can only be discribed as Template:Wdy in effect and bizarre in it's rubber stamping character wherein giants of the orthodox sects were slain in abstentia by excomunication and which findings were all subsequently negated and annulled by Pope Leo I as well as the succeeding ecumenical council in 451 AD, the Council of Chalcedon (Widely accepted as the fourth ecumenical council, by most mainstream Christian sects. In contrast, the eastern sects listed above accept the Second Council of Ephesus as canonical, and don't accept the council of Chalcedon, nor the Chalcedonian Creed.)

The other person involved in this controversy apart from Dioscorus I is Leo I with each side considering the other person a heretic. The main factors behind this are still present and it is subject to discussion between the churches.

In recent research it was suggested that both Leo and Dioscoros are Orthodox because they agree with St.Cyril of Alexandria, especially with his Twelve Chapters, even though both had been considered heretical by the other side .

In May 1973 After fifteen centuries, H.H. Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria visited H.H. Pope Paul VI of Rome and declared a common faith in the nature of Christ, the issue which caused the schism of the church in the Council of Chalcedon .

A similar declaration was reached between the Oriental Orthodoxy churches and the Eastern Orthodoxy churches in the 1990s. In the summer of 2001, the Coptic Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Patriarchates of Alexandria agreed to mutually recognize baptisms performed in each other's churches .

Early life

Before being a Pope Dioscorus served as the dean of the Catechetical School of Alexandria, and was the personal secretary of Saint Cyril the Great, Patriarch of Alexandria, whom he accompanied to the Third Ecumenical Council held at Ephesus.

Eutyches and Nestorius

In his struggle against Nestorius, St. Cyril explained the union between the two natures of Christ (His Divinity and His Humanity) as "inward and real without any division, change, or confusion." He rejected the Antiochene theory of "indwelling", or "conjunction", or "close participation" as insufficient to reveal the real unification. He charged that their theory permitted the division of the two hypostasis of Christ just as Nestorius taught.

Thus the traditional Orthodox formula adopted by Cyril and Dioscorus was "ONE INCARNATE NATURE" which translated in Greek to "MIA-PHYSIS" and not "Mono Physis". They meant by "MIA": one; not "single one", but "unity one"; "out of two natures"; as St. Dioscorus stated. He insisted on "the one nature" of Christ to assert Christ's oneness, as a tool to defend the Church's faith against Nestorianism. Thus Christ is at once God and man.

On the other hand the Antiochene formula was "Two natures after the union" which is translated to "DYO PHYSIS". This formula explained Christ as two natures; Son of God, and Son of Man, and that God did not suffer nor did He die.

A struggle occurred between Eutyches and Theodoret. Eutyches was an archmandrite of a monastery in Constantinople. He defended the formula "one nature" against that of "two natures". He concluded that the Godhead absorbed the manhood of Christ. Theodoret accused Eutyches and Cyril, and published a long attack on them. The council of Constantinople was held in 448, and Eutyches was condemned and exiled.

Pope Leo of Rome wrote to Eutyches praising his zeal in opposing the Nestorian dualism. But Leo changed his mind; perhaps when he heard that the emperor wrote to Dioscorus calling him to a council to be held to discuss that matter. Leo, who was not part of the conflict between the Alexandrian and the Antiochian Christology, sent the famous Tome (letter) of Leo to Constantinople -- not to work for reconciliation of the parties, but to defame the Alexandrian theologians.

Second Council of Ephesus

Then Emperor Theodosius II convened the Second Council of Ephesus (called the "Robber Synod") in 449 and asked Dioscorus to exercise supreme authority over it as president. Eutyches was rehabilitated because he offered to repent and also because Leo, Bishop of Rome wrote to Flavian saying that he should be kind to him, and to accept him if he repented.

Council of Chalcedon

Then on July 28, 450, Emperor Theodosius died and his sister Pulcheria and her consort Marcian were declared emperors. Pulcheria supported Rome against Alexandria. She gathered signatures for the "Tome" of Leo to be introduced as the basic paper for a new council to be held at Chalcedon. At the same time, she decided not to let Rome hold supreme authority in the church. She refused Leo's demand to hold the council in Italy, but insisted that it would be held in the East. Although the council of Chalcedon is believed to have condemned Eutyches, the man with whom it really dealt was Dioscorus, for Eutyches was already in North Syria, where he had been exiled before the council met.

During the council, St. Dioscorus explained why the Orthodox faith should adopt the formula "One incarnate nature of God the Word". On hearing "one nature", some bishops in the council shouted, "Eutyches says these things also." Here Dioscorus clarified the Alexandrian view, saying, "We do not speak of confusion, neither of division, nor of change." St. Dioscorus tried to make his position clear: that he did not accept "two natures after the union", but he had no objection to "From two natures after the union."

When the judges started the order of the acts of the Council, Paschasinus the Roman delegate said, "We have orders from Rome that Dioscorus should not have a place in this council. If this is violated he should be cast out." When the judges asked about what Dioscorus did, the Roman delegate replied, "He has dared to conduct a council without the authorization of the apostolic see in Rome, a thing which has never happened and which ought not to have happened."

It was the emperor's favor that the council had to draw out Alexandria and declare a new formula to bring the entire Church in the east under the leadership of Constantinople. They used Leo as a tool to accomplish their objective through his enmity to Alexandria, looking upon it as an obstacle in realizing his papal authority on the Church over the world.

The verdict of the commissioners was announced: Dioscorus of Alexandria, Juvenal of Jerusalem, Thalassius of Caesarea, Eusebius of Ancyra, Eutathius of Berytus, and Basil of Seleucia - these were the men who had been responsible for the decisions of the second council of Ephesus, and should as such all be deposed. Thus the Patriarch of Alexandria was exiled to Gangra Island. In fact, Dioscorus was condemned not because of a theological heresy, but due to political circumstances.

New formula of faith

Under strong pressure, the bishops of the council accepted a new formula of faith, so that Alexandria would not acquire theological precedence. Yet when the delegates attempted to impose the papal authority upon the universal church, silence turned into revolt. Leo announced, in his repeatedly angry letters, his resistance to the council because it regarded Rome and Constantinople as equal.

Exile of Dioscorus

After those incidents, a messenger from Constantinople arrived in Alexandria announcing the exile of the Patriarch Dioscorus, and the appointment of an Alexandrian priest named Proterius as an imperial [i.e. alien/foreign/non-Egyptian] patriarch over Alexandria, with the approval of the emperor. He threatened whoever dared to show disobedience. The Melchite patriarch who was appointed by the emperor became surrounded by soldiers willing to punish those who might resist the imperial command.

In the year 457 Patriarch Dioscorus died in exile, and when the Copts heard that, they met with the clergymen and elected Timothy, the disciple of Dioscorus, to be the new Patriarch. This became a regular practice of the Coptic Church, who never surrendered to the alien patriarchies.

External links

• Encyclopedia Coptica: The Christian Coptic Orthodox Church Of Egypt
• Lives of Saints :: Tout 7 — 1. The Departure of St. Dioscorus, 25th Pope of Alexandria.

See also

• List of Coptic Orthodox Popes of Alexandria
• Coptic Orthodox Church
• Orthodox Patriarchs of Alexandria
• Coptic Popes

External links

• ORTHODOX AND ORIENTAL ORTHODOX CONSULTATION

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