Fourth Hypostasis?

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Justice
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Fourth Hypostasis?

Post by Justice »

I found this from a Monophysite blog: http://www.stgeorgeministry.com/orienta ... chalcedon/

"Chalcedon is anathematised because the members of the council contradicted the faith of Nicaea, introducing a different nature into the Trinity by proposing a fourth hypostasis."

What does this mean? I'm still trying to teach myself about the council of Chalcedon and why the Monophysites reject it.

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Maria
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Re: Fourth Hypostasis?

Post by Maria »

Please do not bother yourself by asking questions about the Fourth Hypostasis.

By their fruits, you shall know them.

First ask yourself if the Oriental Orthodox have not abandoned the faith by their participation in the Ecumenical Movement.

Not only are they entertaining the Pope of Rome, but also Protestants.

In their spirit of Ecumenism, they are not only having inter-faith dialogs with the Antiochians (and sharing communion with them), but also they are having dialogs with the EP and the MP.

Since they have abandoned their faith by participating in the Ecumenical Movement, they should not be taken seriously.

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

Justice
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Re: Fourth Hypostasis?

Post by Justice »

I am aware of their false teachings such as ecumenism and modernism, I never plan on returning. The council of Chalcedon is hard for me to try and understand the Monophysite viewpoint as the Monophysite theology is distorted beyond belief.

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Maria
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Re: Fourth Hypostasis?

Post by Maria »

It is important for you, and for all of us, to surround ourselves with icons and the holy things of God, to chant the hymns of our church, to be in a church parish and actively participate in the sacramental life, to be attentive in our prayer, and to remain in the Presence of God through the continual practice of the Jesus Prayer.

If you do this, you will be saved. There is no need to be concerned with the Fourth Hypostasis or any other heresies. Let the priests be concerned with that when they instruct inquirers who seek the faith.

Take one step at a time. Prayer is the first step.

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

d9popov
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Re: Fourth Hypostasis?

Post by d9popov »

Justice wrote:

I found this from a Monophysite blog: http://www.stgeorgeministry.com/orienta ... chalcedon/

"Chalcedon is anathematised because the members of the council contradicted the faith of Nicaea, introducing a different nature into the Trinity by proposing a fourth hypostasis."

What does this mean? I'm still trying to teach myself about the council of Chalcedon and why the Monophysites reject it.

The best refutation of Monophysite propaganda against the Fourth Ecumenical Council is the council's decree itself. It clearly affirms one Person and one Hypostasis of Christ. The problem is that the Monophysites confuse hypostasis and nature. The Monophysites also betrayed Saint Cyril's stance that the Antiochians (under Patriarch John) were Orthodox in the way they understood "two natures in one hypostasis." Also, Dioscorus also betrayed Saint Cyril by exonerating Euthyches and excommunicating the Orthodox, which his robber council confirmed. Dioscorus exonerated heresy and excommunicated Orthodoxy. The Council called him "hateful to God," for his evil doctrines and actions.

Here is the decree:

We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhood and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a rational soul and body; one in essence with the Father with regard to Godhood, and one in essence with us with respect to manhood; in all things like us, except sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to [his] Godhood, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God [θεοτόκου, Theotokos], according to [his] manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledged of/in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one person [ἓν πρόσωπον, hen prosopon] and one hypostasis [μίαν ὑπόστασιν, mia hypostasis], not parted or divided into two persons [πρόσωπα, prosopa], but one and the same Son, and Only-Begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning him, and the Lord Jesus Christ himself has taught us, and the Creed of the Holy Fathers has handed down to us.

Ἑπόμενοι τοίνυν τοῖς ἁγίοις πατράσιν ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ὁμολογεῖν υἱὸν τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν συμφώνως ἅπαντες ἐκδιδάσκομεν, τέλειον τὸν αὐτὸν ἐν θεότητι καὶ τέλειον τὸν αὐτὸν ἐν ἀνθρωπότητι, θεὸν ἀληθῶς καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἀληθῶς τὸν αὐτὸν, ἐκ ψυχῆς λογικῆς καὶ σώματος, ὁμοούσιον τῷ πατρὶ κατὰ τὴν θεότητα, καὶ ὁμοούσιον τὸν αὐτὸν ἡμῖν κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα, κατὰ πάντα ὅμοιον ἡμῖν χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας· πρὸ αἰώνων μὲν ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς γεννηθέντα κατὰ τὴν θεότητα, ἐπ᾽ ἐσχάτων δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν τὸν αὐτὸν δἰ ἡμᾶς καὶ διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν ἐκ Μαρίας τῆς παρθένου τῆς θεοτόκου κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα, ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν Χριστόν, υἱόν, κύριον, μονογενῆ, ἐκ δύο φύσεων [ἐν δύο φύσεσιν], ἀσυγχύτως, ἀτρέπτως, ἀδιαιρέτως, ἀχωρίστως γνωριζόμενον· οὐδαμοῦ τῆς τῶν φύσεων διαφορᾶς ἀνῃρημένης διὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν, σωζομένης δὲ μᾶλλον τῆς ἰδιότητος ἑκατέρας φύσεως καὶ εἰς ἓν πρόσωπον καὶ μίαν ὑπόστασιν συντρεχούσης, οὐκ εἰς δύο πρόσωπα μεριζόμενον ἢ διαιρούμενον, ἀλλ᾽ ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν υἱὸν καὶ μονογενῆ, θεὸν λόγον, κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν· καθάπερ ἄνωθεν οἱ προφῆται περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς ὁ κύριος Ιησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐξεπαίδευσε καὶ τὸ τῶν πατέρων ἡμῖν καραδέδωκε σύμβολον.

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Maria
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Re: Fourth Hypostasis?

Post by Maria »

d9popov wrote:
Justice wrote:

I found this from a Monophysite blog: http://www.stgeorgeministry.com/orienta ... chalcedon/

"Chalcedon is anathematised because the members of the council contradicted the faith of Nicaea, introducing a different nature into the Trinity by proposing a fourth hypostasis."

What does this mean? I'm still trying to teach myself about the council of Chalcedon and why the Monophysites reject it.

The best refutation of Monophysite propaganda against the Fourth Ecumenical Council is the council's decree itself. It clearly affirms one Person and one Hypostasis of Christ. The problem is that the Monophysites confuse hypostasis and nature. The Monophysites also betrayed Saint Cyril's stance that the Antiochians (under Patriarch John) were Orthodox in the way they understood "two natures in one hypostasis." Also, Dioscorus also betrayed Saint Cyril by exonerating Euthyches and excommunicating the Orthodox, which his robber council confirmed. Dioscorus exonerated heresy and excommunicated Orthodoxy. The Council called him "hateful to God," for his evil doctrines and actions.

Here is the decree:

We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhood and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a rational soul and body; one in essence with the Father with regard to Godhood, and one in essence with us with respect to manhood; in all things like us, except sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to [his] Godhood, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God [θεοτόκου, Theotokos], according to [his] manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledged of/in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one person [ἓν πρόσωπον, hen prosopon] and one hypostasis [μίαν ὑπόστασιν, mia hypostasis], not parted or divided into two persons [πρόσωπα, prosopa], but one and the same Son, and Only-Begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning him, and the Lord Jesus Christ himself has taught us, and the Creed of the Holy Fathers has handed down to us.

Ἑπόμενοι τοίνυν τοῖς ἁγίοις πατράσιν ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ὁμολογεῖν υἱὸν τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν συμφώνως ἅπαντες ἐκδιδάσκομεν, τέλειον τὸν αὐτὸν ἐν θεότητι καὶ τέλειον τὸν αὐτὸν ἐν ἀνθρωπότητι, θεὸν ἀληθῶς καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἀληθῶς τὸν αὐτὸν, ἐκ ψυχῆς λογικῆς καὶ σώματος, ὁμοούσιον τῷ πατρὶ κατὰ τὴν θεότητα, καὶ ὁμοούσιον τὸν αὐτὸν ἡμῖν κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα, κατὰ πάντα ὅμοιον ἡμῖν χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας· πρὸ αἰώνων μὲν ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς γεννηθέντα κατὰ τὴν θεότητα, ἐπ᾽ ἐσχάτων δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν τὸν αὐτὸν δἰ ἡμᾶς καὶ διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν ἐκ Μαρίας τῆς παρθένου τῆς θεοτόκου κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα, ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν Χριστόν, υἱόν, κύριον, μονογενῆ, ἐκ δύο φύσεων [ἐν δύο φύσεσιν], ἀσυγχύτως, ἀτρέπτως, ἀδιαιρέτως, ἀχωρίστως γνωριζόμενον· οὐδαμοῦ τῆς τῶν φύσεων διαφορᾶς ἀνῃρημένης διὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν, σωζομένης δὲ μᾶλλον τῆς ἰδιότητος ἑκατέρας φύσεως καὶ εἰς ἓν πρόσωπον καὶ μίαν ὑπόστασιν συντρεχούσης, οὐκ εἰς δύο πρόσωπα μεριζόμενον ἢ διαιρούμενον, ἀλλ᾽ ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν υἱὸν καὶ μονογενῆ, θεὸν λόγον, κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν· καθάπερ ἄνωθεν οἱ προφῆται περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς ὁ κύριος Ιησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐξεπαίδευσε καὶ τὸ τῶν πατέρων ἡμῖν καραδέδωκε σύμβολον.

Thank you for sharing this conciliar document.

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

d9popov
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Re: Fourth Hypostasis?

Post by d9popov »

The Monophysites do not know what they are talking about when a Monophysite makes an accusation against Chalcedonian Orthodox Christians for allegedly believing in a "fourth hypostasis." We believe in only three hypostases. There was, however, one theologian from the Chalcedonian side in the twentieth century that came close to teaching the heresy of a "fourth hypostasis." His name was Protopriest Sergius Bulgakov, of the "Paris jurisdiction" of Russians. His heretical view of "Sophia/Wisdom" came close or crossed over into a heretical idea of a "fourth hypostasis." It is sad that Bulgakov taught that heresy, because he had read Saint Gregory Palamas in Greek, could quote him correctly, and could write some Orthodox, patristic things. Bulgakov's disciple, Father Boris Bobrinskoy, was a Palamite scholar who could write some amazingly-good things. On the issue of the Wisdom of God, Bulgakov deviated from Orthodox teaching. In Orthodox teaching, the hypostasis of the Son is called the Wisdom of God. Rarely, such as in Theophilus of Antioch, the Holy Spirit is called the Wisdom of God. God is three undivided hypostases in one essence. God is both essence and energy, which are distinct but never separate. At times, Bulgakov seemed to understand the Orthodox teaching on essence and energy. He clearly distorted the Orthodox teaching on the three hypostases in the one God.

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