The Doctrine of the Person of Christ in the Early Church

Through political aspirations and thirst for power amongst its leadership, the early church was ultimately able to succinctly explain the nature of the God-man Jesus Christ at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D.

Introduction


Jesus Christ resides firmly in the center of the Christian religion.  The doctrine of the person of Christ is essential for a Christian view of salvation.  The belief that divine and human nature came together in one person, the God-man Jesus Christ, and that He would suffer and die for His creation sets Christianity apart from any other religion.  Correct teaching concerning the person of Christ must affirm that He possessed both human and divine natures, and that these natures were united in one person.  Many views were put forth that affirmed only one of the natures, denied their unity, or united them to the point that no distinction remained.  These divergent teachings helped the church to articulate its doctrine as it had been handed down from the apostles.  Through political aspirations and thirst for power amongst its leadership, the early church was ultimately able to succinctly explain the nature of the God-man Jesus Christ at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D.

Article Pages

  1. Introduction
  2. The Early Church Fathers
  3. The Eastern and Western Apologists
  4. The Person of Christ in the Theologians
  5. The Apollinarian Controversy
  6. The Nestorian Controversy
  7. The Eutychian Controversy
  8. The Council of Chalcedon
  9. Conclusion
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