In Das Konzil von Chalcedon und die Kirche Sandra Leuenberger-Wenger offers a new perspective on the council of Chalcedon, analyzing the rich material of its acts. Leuenberger-Wenger shows the entanglement of the Christological debate with other fields of conflict concerning the status and authority of different episcopal sees and of monasticism in the church. The study emphasizes the importance of the traditionally neglected second part of the council with its canons and resolutions and argues that these regulations had a deep impact on the structures of the church as well as on the reception of the council and its definition of faith. The evaluation of a wide range of sources places the refusal of the definition of faith in the broader context of the transformation processes of the Roman Empire in Late Antiquity and the rejection of an increasingly institutionalized Byzantine Church. In Das Konzil von Chalcedon und die Kirche entwirft Sandra Leuenberger-Wenger anhand der Konzilsakten ein neues Bild von der Bedeutung dieses Konzils für die Kirche. Sie zeigt die Verknüpfung des christologischen Streits mit weiteren kirchlichen Konfliktfeldern wie dem Status und der Autorität einzelner Bischofssitze und des Mönchtums. Die Untersuchung betont die Bedeutung des zweiten Konzilsteils für die Entwicklung der Kirche und macht deutlich, wie die Regulierungen auf kirchenpolitischer und struktureller Ebene die Rezeption des Konzils entscheidend mitbestimmten. Die Auswertung eines breiten Quellenmaterials verortet das Konzil und seine schwierige Rezeption in den spätantiken Transformationsprozessen des Römischen Reichs im Übergang zum Mittelalter und deutet die Konflikte um die Glaubensdefinition im Horizont der umfassenderen Ablehnung einer zunehmend institutionalisierten byzantinischen Reichskirche.

On the eve of the Council of Constantinople in 553, John Philoponus, the Alexandrian philosopher and prolific commentator on Aristotle, entered the controversy over the Chalcedonian definition of faith. By clarifying the terms of the debate, he intended to lay the groundwork for a defence of miaphysitism as the appropriate way of understanding the Incarnation. This monograph elucidates the argument of Philoponus' Arbiter by locating it within the Christological discussions of the fifth and sixth centuries and by highlighting its indebtedness to the Neoplatonic commentators on Aristotle. The Christian reception of an Aristotelian philosophy in the sixth century facilitated the emergence of a 'scholastic' theology, of which Philoponus is an important representative. The reader will also find here a treatment of a number of philological and historical issues concerning Philoponus' Christological writings, an English translation of the Arbiter, and a critical edition of newly discovered Greek fragments of this work.

Around 392 Theodore of Mopsuestia delivered his homilies to candidates for baptism. Using Theodore's homilies, this work studies the reception and influence of the Nicene Creed in the imperial church since Theodosius. Passed at Nicæa in 325 the Creed became an official dogma of the empire in 380/81. What was its role in the life of the church and in the theological controversies of the subsequent years? At which point did the people start to pay attention to its exact original wording? To which extent were Theodore's theological teachings influenced by the trinitarian dogma of Nicæa? The text of Theodore's Baptismal Creed is reconstructed in both its Syriac and Greek versions. It proves to be one of the most important sources of the Nicæno-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381.

Intro -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- 1. The Formation of Ecclesiastical Law in the Early Church -- 2. Sources of the Greek Canon Law to the Quinisext Council (691/2): Councils and Church Fathers -- 3. Byzantine Canon Law to 1100 -- 4. Byzantine Canon Law from the Twelfth to the Fifteenth Centuries -- 5. Sources of Canon Law in the Eastern Churches -- Index of Councils and Synods -- General Index.

The Contra Eunomium is probably Gregory of Nyssa’s most challenging work with regards to his theological and philosophical thought, and one that continues to draw the deeper attention of contemporary scholars. This volume devoted to Contra Eunomium I constitutes, in a certain way, a new version of the Proceedings of the 6th International Colloquium on Gregory of Nyssa (1988). It offers a revised English translation of Contra Eunomium I by S. G. Hall, accompanied by twenty-two supporting studies from a broad range of philological, philosophical, and theological perspectives. These studies include a selection of the most relevant papers of the 1988 Proceedings, supplemented with new contributions that explore relevant issues developed by contemporary research.

The Encyclopedia of Christian Theology, translated from the French Dictionnaire Critique de Théologie 2nd Edition, features over 530 entries, contributed by 250 scholars from fifthteen different countries. Alphabetically arranged entries provide the reader a critical overview of the main theological questions and related topics, including concepts, events, councils, theologians, philosophers, movements, and more. Hailed as a "masterpiece of scholarship," this reference work will be of great interest and use for scholars, students of religion and theology as well as general readers.

The truth of the Christian message must be interpreted in such a way that Christ as the Incarnate Word - 'truly God and truly Man' - could become part of the people's way of life. It is in such interpretation that African Christians in their faith encounter and life experiences might be able to perceive the reality of Christ-events and find a true home with themselves and with their God. Chidubem Nwaogaidu is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka, Nigeria. He holds Doctorate Degrees both in Sociology (Muenster) and in Dogmatic Theology (Eichstaett). (Series: African Theology / Afrikanische Theologie, Vol. 3) [Subject: Christianity, Religious Studies, African Studies]

Patriarch Dioscorus of Alexandria: The Last Pharaoh of Alexandria and Ecclesiastical Politics in the Later Roman Empire offers a thorough revision of the historical role of Dioscorus as patriarch of Alexandria between 444 and 451 CE. One of the major protagonists of the Christological controversy, Dioscorus was hailed a saint in Eastern Church traditions which opposed the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Yet Western Church traditions remember him as a heretic and violent villain, and much scholarship maintains this image of Dioscorus as 'ruthless and ambitious', a 'tyrant-bishop' feared by his opponents-the 'Attila of the Eastern Church'. This book breaks with these negative stereotypes and offers the first serious historical analysis of Dioscorus as ecclesiastical politician and reformer. It discusses the discrepancy that theologically Dioscorus was a loyal follower of his famous predecessor Cyril of Alexandria (412-444) while politically he was the leading figure of the anti-Cyrillian party in Alexandria. Analysing Dioscorus' role as president of the Second Council of Ephesus in 449 and his downfall and deposition at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, Menze also offers a much-needed new reading of the acts of these two general councils. Reappraising the life and role of Dioscorus ultimately shows how the Christological controversy of the fifth century can only be fully understood against the background of imperial politics-and its mechanisms for implementing 'Orthodoxy'-in the Later Roman Empire.

Here at last is a reissue of Kasper's major work with a brilliant new introduction surveying recent developments in Christology. Kasper assesses the Christological enterprise in the Church from the earliest down to the most recent times which can be recommended without hesitation to teacher and serious student. The book also provides a solid theological basis for preaching. This may also be described as a work of Christian serenity, but one which is not indifferent to current problems. It is the fruit of the deep peace which all men can gain from contemplation of Jesus the Christ. As Karl Rahner has said - this book is 'modern' in the very best sense of the word. Synthesising biblical, philosophical and traditional material, the book remains essential reading for specialists and is used widely for courses on Christology - the very basis of Christian theology itself.

In this work of Christology, Christoph Cardinal Schonborn, a world-renowned theologian, takes as his starting point the Apostle Paul's statement, "But when the time had fully come, God sent for his Son, born of woman, born under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons" (Gal 4:4-5). Based on many years of lecturing on Christology, Cardinal Schonborn's work moves from the solid conviction of faith that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah of Israel, the Son of the Living God, through the development of the Church's understanding of this truth, to the consideration of contemporary issues and the views of various modern theologians. Cardinal Schonborn sees Christology as based on the original Illumination granted by the Father in manifesting his Son, which divides, as if through a prism, into a rainbow of Christological themes. "Christology," he writes, "in every phase of its development, follows its path by this light: 'in thy light do we see light' (Ps 36:10)." Christology is always faith seeking understanding-trying to understand that to which the believer already says, "Yes!" God Sent His Son has the comprehensiveness and scholarly precision of a textbook but the insights and personal relevance of a work of spirituality. It carefully explores ancient and medieval questions, but also modern issues of Christology.