Iain Torrance

Christology after Chalcedon: Severus of Antioch & Sergius the Monophysite Iain Torrance

CHRISTOLOGY AFTER CHALCEDON CHRISTOLOGY AFTER CHALCEDON provides a translation and theological introduction to the Letters between Severus of Antioch and Sergius the Grammarian. The Letters were originally written in Greek, but are now preserved in a difficult sixth-century Syriac translation. This is the first, and only, English translation of them. Severus was a follower of Cyril of Alexandria, and these Letters, as the introduction shows, take one into the heart of the Post-Chalcedonian Christological debate. Severus was a 'Monophysite': he taught that there was one nature of God the Word Incarnate. Severus' clash, then, with the Chalcedonians is evident: he regarded them as Dyophysites and virtually Nestorians. What is more interesting is how he managed to distance himself from the extreme Monophysites of a Eutychian sort. It is here that we see the unravelling of his own position, and this text is central for understanding that. The aim of the introduction is to penetrate Severus' argument, making it as clear as possible, while showing his theological power and subtlety. The Letters are not solely of historical interest, as they involve real theological issues in the Christology of Cyril of Alexandria and Severus, and they are relevant to the dialogue between the Greek Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.