Definition of Faith of the Council of Chalcedon (complete)
Greek text: Hahn (1897) (Greek text: Hahn (1897), archive.org scan, OCR corrected by Claude).English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0).
Chapter 1
1Hahn (1897), 166–167
Ἑπόμενοι τοίνυν τοῖς ἁγίοις πατράσιν ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ὁμολογεῖν υἱὸν τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν συμφώνως ἅπαντες ἐκδιδάσκομεν, τέλειον τὸν αὐτὸν ἐν θεότητι καὶ τέλειον τὸν αὐτὸν ἐν ἀνθρωπότητι, θεὸν ἀληθῶς καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἀληθῶς τὸν αὐτόν, ἐκ ψυχῆς λογικῆς καὶ σώματος, ὁμοούσιον τῷ πατρὶ κατὰ τὴν θεότητα καὶ ὁμοούσιον τὸν αὐτὸν ἡμῖν κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα, κατὰ πάντα ὅμοιον ἡμῖν χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας· πρὸ αἰώνων μὲν ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς γεννηθέντα κατὰ τὴν θεότητα, ἐπ᾿ ἐσχάτων δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν τὸν αὐτὸν δι᾿ ἡμᾶς καὶ διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν ἐκ Μαρίας τῆς παρθένου τῆς θεοτόκου κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα, ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν Χριστόν, υἱόν, κύριον, μονογενῆ, ἐν δύο φύσεσιν ἀσυγχύτως, ἀτρέπτως, ἀδιαιρέτως, ἀχωρίστως γνωριζόμενον: οὐδαμοῦ τῆς τῶν φύσεων διαφορᾶς ἀνῃρημένης διὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν, σωζομένης δὲ μᾶλλον τῆς ἰδιότητος ἑκατέρας φύσεως καὶ εἰς ἓν πρόσωπον καὶ μίαν ὑπόστασιν συντρεχούσης, οὐκ εἰς δύο πρόσωπα μεριζόμενον ἢ διαιρούμενον, ἀλλ᾽ ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν υἱὸν καὶ μονογενῆ, θεὸν λόγον, κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν: καθάπερ ἄνωθεν οἱ προφῆται περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς ὁ κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐξεπαίδευσε καὶ τὸ τῶν πατέρων ἡμῖν παραδέδωκε σύμβολον.
Hepomenoi toinyn tois hagiois patrasin hena kai ton auton homologein huion ton kyrion hēmōn Iēsoun Christon symphōnōs hapantes ekdidaskomen, teleion ton auton en theotēti kai teleion ton auton en anthrōpotēti, theon alēthōs kai anthrōpon alēthōs ton auton, ek psychēs logikēs kai sōmatos, homoousion tǭ patri kata tēn theotēta kai homoousion ton auton hēmin kata tēn anthrōpotēta, kata panta homoion hēmin chōris hamartias; pro aiōnōn men ek tou patros gennēthenta kata tēn theotēta, ep᾿ eschatōn de tōn hēmerōn ton auton di᾿ hēmas kai dia tēn hēmeteran sōtērian ek Marias tēs parthenou tēs theotokou kata tēn anthrōpotēta, hena kai ton auton Christon, huion, kyrion, monogenē, en dyo physesin asynchytōs, atreptōs, adiairetōs, achōristōs gnōrizomenon: oudamou tēs tōn physeōn diaphoras anę̄rēmenēs dia tēn henōsin, sōzomenēs de mallon tēs idiotētos hekateras physeōs kai eis hen prosōpon kai mian hypostasin syntrechousēs, ouk eis dyo prosōpa merizomenon ē diairoumenon, all᾽ hena kai ton auton huion kai monogenē, theon logon, kyrion Iēsoun Christon: kathaper anōthen hoi prophētai peri autou kai autos hēmas ho kyrios Iēsous Christos exepaideuse kai to tōn paterōn hēmin paradedōke symbolon.
Following, then, the holy fathers, we all with one voice teach that we confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: the same perfect in divinity and the same perfect in humanity, the same truly God and truly human, of a rational soul and a body; of the same essence as the Father according to the divinity, and the same of the same essence as us according to the humanity, like us in all things apart from sin; begotten of the Father before the ages according to the divinity, and in the last days the same, for us and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer, according to the humanity; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only-begotten, made known in two natures without confusion, without change, without division, without separation, the difference of the natures being in no way taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved and coming together into one person and one hypostasis; not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son and only-begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from of old taught about him, and the Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the fathers has handed down to us.
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Heb 4:15 (allusion, high confidence) · Heb 1:2 (allusion, medium confidence) · John 1:14 (echo, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The Chalcedonian definition: one and the same Christ, perfect in divinity and in humanity, made known in two natures without confusion, change, division, or separation, in one person.
- The definition of faith of the Council of Chalcedon (451), as printed by Hahn, who gives only the definition proper (the preamble and the creeds of Nicaea and Constantinople that precede it in the acts are not included).
- "Of the same essence" (ὁμοούσιον); "God-bearer" (θεοτόκος); "person" (πρόσωπον) and "hypostasis" (ὑπόστασις) are used together.
- The four adverbs ἀσυγχύτως, ἀτρέπτως, ἀδιαιρέτως, ἀχωρίστως are rendered "without confusion, without change, without division, without separation".
Notes on the original text
- Hahn's apparatus: Mansi 7:108–116 (Actio 6); Evagrius, HE 2.4; Agatho's letter (Mansi 11:256)
Topics: Christology
Cite (SBL): Conc. Chalced. Def. 1 (Hahn (1897), 166–167; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/council-chalcedon-451-definitio/1/#p-1). (abbreviation not yet checked)
BibTeX · RIS (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-council-chalcedon-451-definitio-1) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek (Hahn, Bibliothek der Symbole, 1897); compared afterwards with NPNF² 14.