Jesus is both fully human and fully divine. How, exactly, did that work out in practice? Thus went arguments in the middle of the first millennium regarding Nestorianism, Monophysitism, and Chalcedon. What does Scripture say?
Christological Controversies (2) | Sermon Outline
Nestorianism
Claim: Jesus’ human and divine natures were so fully distinct as to seem to be two people (dyophysitism).
Difficulty: Jesus was both human and divine and yet considered one person throughout Scripture.
Monophysitism
Also known as: Eutychanism, Miaphysitism
Claim: in response to Nestorianism, the belief that Jesus’ human nature was subsumed into His divinity, thus expressing the unity of Jesus’ nature to the detriment of His humanity.
Related: Apollinarism, in which Jesus featured a human body and divine soul; monergism, in which Jesus maintains humanity and divinity but features one energy; monothelitism, in which Jesus maintains humanity and divinity but has only one will
Difficulty: Jesus was both divine and human in one person and yet His humanity persevered (1 Timothy 2:5); Jesus as fully experiencing humanity, mind, body, and soul (Hebrews 4:15, 5:7-8); Jesus’ human will as crying out (Matthew 26:39).
