Ecumenical Councils

The Coptic Orthodox Church, along with the other Oriental Orthodox Churches (Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, the Armenian Apostolic Church, The Malankara Orthodox, The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and The Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church) accepts the first three Ecumenical Councils of the early Christian Church: Nicaea (325 AD), Constantinople (381 AD), and Ephesus (431 AD). These councils were gatherings of bishops from all over the Christian world who came together to preserve the true faith. At Nicaea, the Church affirmed that Jesus Christ is truly God, “of one essence with the Father,” standing against those who denied His divinity. At Constantinople, the Church taught about the Holy Spirit, confirming that the Spirit is also fully God and a part of the Holy Trinity. Finally, at Ephesus, the Church defended the truth that Jesus is one person, fully God and fully man, and therefore we rightly call St. Mary the “Theotokos”, meaning “Mother of God,” because the one she bore was God incarnate.

Later on, in 451 AD, another council was held in Chalcedon. The Greek (Eastern) Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches accepted this council and those that followed it, making a total of seven ecumenical councils in their tradition. However, the Coptic Church and the other Oriental Orthodox Churches did not accept the Council of Chalcedon. The reason was not because of disbelief in Christ’s divinity or humanity, but because the wording used at Chalcedon saying that Christ is “in two natures” seemed to divide Christ into two separate persons. The Coptic Church instead holds firmly to the teaching of St. Cyril of Alexandria: that Christ is One Nature of God the Word Incarnate, fully God and fully man, united without confusion, without change, without division, and without separation. This belief, known as Miaphysitism, protects the mystery of the Incarnation, showing that our Lord Jesus Christ is one undivided person, divine and human, who lived, suffered, died, and rose for our salvation.

This difference in understanding led to a separation between the Oriental Orthodox Churches (like the Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, and Ethiopian) and the Chalcedonian Churches (Eastern Orthodox and Roman churches). Over time, these divisions were deepened by geopolitical, cultural, and language divides. Yet, in modern years, the Coptic Church has engaged in loving dialogue with the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches, and both sides have discovered that we share much more in common than once thought, especially our faith in the same Lord Jesus Christ. For new believers, knowing this history helps us appreciate how the Coptic Church has preserved the ancient faith with courage and humility, guarding the mystery of the Incarnation and keeping the apostolic tradition that was handed down from the early Church Fathers.