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The nature of Jesus Christ is represented by the early Christian ecumenical councils, or conferences of the bishops which had the major goal – to prevent “various heresies that threatened to destroy the Church”. (Bray 21) It is known that the decisions of these ecumenical councils represent those theological tenets that are essential for today’s beliefs of the Christians concerning God and Jesus Christ. The early Christian ecumenical councils are also called the Councils of Jerusalem. They are recognized by three major branches of the Christian Church which include Orthodox Church, Catholic Church and Protestant Church. These councils are the following ones:
• the Council of Nicea in 325 AD;
• the First Council of Constantinople in 381 AD;
• the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD;
• the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD;
• the Second Council of Constantinople in 553 AD;
• the Third Council of Constantinople in 680 AD;
• the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 AD. (Margull 11)
The above mentioned seven early Christian ecumenical councils developed different ways of understanding the nature of Jesus Christ. However, they could establish the key standards of the Christian doctrine.
The first early Christian ecumenical council was held in Nicaea. The major goal of this ecumenical council was to discuss the nature of God and Jesus Christ and the relations between the Father and the Son. According to the historical data, the Roman Emperor Constantine called about 300 bishops in order to issue Nicene Creed, the first ecumenical creed. It says that “the creator, God the Father, and the Redeemer, Son of God, were of the same nature, and Jesus Christ is the only begotten of the Father”. It means that Jesus Christ is equal to God the Father. It was declared that the Son is of the same substance as the Father. So, duality of God was proved. (Dvornik 26)
The ecumenical council of Constantinople declared the trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It means that the Holy Spirit was added to the Nicene Creed. It is known that this council was convened by the Emperor Theodosius the Great.
The third ecumenical council was the Council of Ephesus. It took place in 443 AD. It had the major task – to counter the heresy of Nestorius who stated that there were two separate persons in Jesus Christ. The Council of Ephesus stated that Jesus Christ was one person but with two natures: God and man. The other important issue discussed in this council concerns the nature of the Virgin Maria. The Council rejected the ideas of Nestorius who stated that Mary was the mother of Jesus but not the mother of God. It was declared that Mary was the mother of God. (Keith 2)
The forth ecumenical council was the Council of Chalcedon. It was held in Bithynia in order to reject the Monophysite doctrines concerning Jesus Christ’s nature. It was declared that there were two natures in Jesus that “were united without any confusion, change, division and separation”. It is known that the Chalcedonian Creed was issued in order to describe “full humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ”. According to this doctrine, the human nature and the divine nature were united in the God’s Son: “Jesus Christ is true God and true man. He has two natures: one divine and one human. Both are united in one person and that person is divine”. (Davis 52)
The Second Council of Constantinople was held in 553 AD. The Roman Emperor Justinian called this council to declare that “God died”. However, the third council declared that “God was born”. This council is also called “the council of acclamation”. (Davis 57)
The Third Council of Constantinople took place in 680 AD in order to discuss the dual nature of Jesus and the will of Jesus. This council declared that Jesus has two wills – divine and human. In other words, it was proved that Jesus is both divine and human.
The Second Council of Nicaea was called to discuss the role of icons which are considered to be the acceptable images of warship. They include the images of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, the Saints and the Angels. Moreover, monotheistic religion of Jesus Christ was replaced by polytheistic one. (Bray 19)
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, it is necessary to say that the early Christian ecumenical councils helped to develop true Christian doctrines which became the key doctrines for the present day Christians. The first ecumenical councils are very important for all Christians as they help to understand not only the nature of Jesus Christ but also the meaning of the Christian faith.
Works Cited
Bray, G. Creeds, Councils and Christ. Did the Early Christians Misrepresent Jesus? Liturgical Press. 1999.
Davis, L. The First Seven Ecumenical Councils: Their History and Theology. Liturgical Press. 1990. Print.
Dvornik, F. The Ecumenical Councils. New York: Hawthorne Books. 1992. Print.
Keith, G. Formulation of Creeds in the Early Church. Themelios. Vol.24(1). October, 1998.
Margull, H. The Councils of the Church: History and Analysis. Philadelphia: Fortress. 1999.