From the Council of Constantinople to the Great Schism (Heresy History 2: 381-1054)

In a previous post, I discussed the heresies in the early Christian church up through the Council of Constantinople in AD 381. They were mostly about the nature of Christ and the trinity.

• Palagianism came about in the late 300s to the early 400s due to the teachings of Palagius. He denied original sin and stated that human nature is not bad, but neutral, so that man's will is capable of choosing good or evil.
• Nestorianism came about between 428 and 431 due to the teachings of Nestorius. He taught that Christ has two separate natures, one divine and one human, that are not united.

In AD 431, First Council of Ephesus, or the third ecumenical council was convened and led to condemning Palagianism as well as Nestorianism. The Nestorianists started their own church called the “Assyrian Church of the East.”

• Semipalagianism tried to soften Palagianism by stating that man makes the first move toward believing in God, but God has to help bring him the rest of the way.
• Monophysitism (or Monophysiticism) began after the council of Ephesus as a backlash against Nestorianism and taught that Jesus has one nature, which is divine. 
• Eutychianism: taught that Jesus was fused into one nature, but the divinity consumes the humanity, or his humanity is absorbed by His divinity.
• Apollinarism taught that Jesus had a human body and lower soul, but a Divine Logos taking place of the “mind”, or higher soul.

In AD 451 the Council of Chalcedon, or the fourth ecumenical council, was convened to response and refute Monophysitism. This resulted in the "Chalcedonian Position" (or Dyophysitism, meaning two natures), which taught that Jesus' human nature and divine nature exist together in one person and are united.

• Miaphysitism attempted to bridge the gap between monophysitism and dyophysitism by stating that Jesus was both divine and human in one nature. 

Shortly thereafter, in AD 476, the Roman Empire (Western Empire) fell. Seventy-seven years later, the Second Council of Constantinople, or the fourth ecumenical council, was convened and rejected Nestorianism again, included Miahpysitism. The people who taught Miahpysitism formed the Oriental Orthodox Church (including who are now the Coptic Christians in Egypt).

• Melchizedekianism or Athinganism emerged around AD 600 and lasted for a few hundred years. They were Monarchians who believed Melchizedek was an incarnation of the Logos.
• Monoenergism (meaning one energy) started around AD 629, teaching that while Christ has two natures in one person he only had one energy.
• Monothelitism (meaning one will) started around the same time, teaching that Christ has two natures in one person, except that he had only one divine will and no human will.

The third council of Constantinople was convened in AD 680 and condemned monenergism and monothelitism, asserted that Jesus had two united energies and two united wills.

• Paulicianism started in the seventh century and had Manichaean-Gnostic and Adoption-Monarchianism roots.
• Bogomils were essentially the Paulicans in bulgaria during the AD 900s
• Iconoclasm began in AD 730 and was characterized by wanted to get rid of all images and icons, stating that using them was idolatry.

The Second Council of Nicaea was convened in AD 787 and condemned Iconoclasm. In AD 1054, 267 years after the Second Council of Nicaea, the Great Schism occurred between the East (Eastern Orthodoxy) and the West (Roman Catholicism) mainly over issues of the Filoque, the primacy of the Pope, celibacy of clergy, geography, and politics.