Page 88 - THE ARMENIAN CHURCH_Neat

Essentials of Faith 89

the Patriarch of Constantinople (386-451),
advocated the presence of two separate
natures, divinity and humanity, alongside
each other in Christ to such a degree that he
put in jeopardy the unity of Christ's person.
Eutyches (380-456), an archimandrite, on the
other hand, vehemently fought against the
view of Nestorius and stressed the single
nature of Christ, refusing to recognize two
natures in Christ. Considering such inter-
pretations and views as unorthodox, St.
Cyril, the Patriarch of Alexandria (376-444),
emphasized the unity of two natures in one
person: "one incarnate nature of the Word of
God." The Council of Ephesus refuted both
the Nestorian and Eutychian teachings as
heresies and adopted the Cyrilian formula,
which became a crucial phrase and a major
point of reference in ensuing christological
controversies. The same council also af-
firmed that St. Mary is the Mother of God.
The Armenian Church was represented
in the first ecumenical council by Catholicos
Aristakes, the son and the successor of
St. Gregory the Illuminator. Although the
Armenian Church did not take part in the
second and third ecumenical councils be-
cause of the political situation in Armenia, it
accepted the teachings of all three ecumeni-
cal councils and anathemized all those who
were regarded heretics and all the teachings
that were considered heresies.