Book contents
- The Cambridge Edition of Early Christian Writings
- The Cambridge Edition of Early Christian Writings
- The Cambridge Edition of Early Christian Writings
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Notes on Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Note on the Texts and Translations
- Abbreviations
- Series Introduction
- Introduction
- Part I The Council of Chalcedon and Its Reception
- 1 Acts of the Home Synod at Constantinople (November 448):
- 2 Eutyches, Letter to Leo of Rome
- 3 Leo of Rome, Tome to Flavian of Constantinople
- 4 Acts of the Council of Chalcedon (October 451):
- 5 Leo of Rome, The Second Tome (Letter to Emperor Leo)
- 6 Timothy Aelurus, Petition to Emperor Leo
- 7 Timothy Aelurus, Against the Council of Chalcedon
- 8 Timothy Aelurus, Letter to Claudianus
- 9 Emperor Zeno, The Henotikon
- 10 Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, Fourth Letter
- 11 Narsai, Metrical Homily on “the Word became Flesh” (John 1:14)
- 12 Narsai, Selections from the Metrical Homilies on the Nativity and on the Epiphany
- 13 Philoxenos of Mabbug, Letter to the Monks of Senoun (Selections)
- 14 Jacob of Serugh, Metrical Homilies on the Name “Emmanuel” and on How the Lord is Known in Scripture as Food and Drink
- 15 Jacob of Serugh, Metrical Homily on the Council of Chalcedon
- 16 Jacob of Serugh, Letter 14
- 17 Simeon of Beth Arsham, Letter on Bar Ṣawmā and the Heresy of the Nestorians
- 18 Emperor Justinian, Edict on the Orthodox Faith (Selection)
- 19 Acts of the Second Council of Constantinople (May–June 553):
- Part II Christological Perspectives after Constantinople II
- Suggestions for Further Reading
- Scriptural Index
15 - Jacob of Serugh, Metrical Homily on the Council of Chalcedon
from Part I - The Council of Chalcedon and Its Reception
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 February 2022
- The Cambridge Edition of Early Christian Writings
- The Cambridge Edition of Early Christian Writings
- The Cambridge Edition of Early Christian Writings
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Notes on Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Note on the Texts and Translations
- Abbreviations
- Series Introduction
- Introduction
- Part I The Council of Chalcedon and Its Reception
- 1 Acts of the Home Synod at Constantinople (November 448):
- 2 Eutyches, Letter to Leo of Rome
- 3 Leo of Rome, Tome to Flavian of Constantinople
- 4 Acts of the Council of Chalcedon (October 451):
- 5 Leo of Rome, The Second Tome (Letter to Emperor Leo)
- 6 Timothy Aelurus, Petition to Emperor Leo
- 7 Timothy Aelurus, Against the Council of Chalcedon
- 8 Timothy Aelurus, Letter to Claudianus
- 9 Emperor Zeno, The Henotikon
- 10 Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, Fourth Letter
- 11 Narsai, Metrical Homily on “the Word became Flesh” (John 1:14)
- 12 Narsai, Selections from the Metrical Homilies on the Nativity and on the Epiphany
- 13 Philoxenos of Mabbug, Letter to the Monks of Senoun (Selections)
- 14 Jacob of Serugh, Metrical Homilies on the Name “Emmanuel” and on How the Lord is Known in Scripture as Food and Drink
- 15 Jacob of Serugh, Metrical Homily on the Council of Chalcedon
- 16 Jacob of Serugh, Letter 14
- 17 Simeon of Beth Arsham, Letter on Bar Ṣawmā and the Heresy of the Nestorians
- 18 Emperor Justinian, Edict on the Orthodox Faith (Selection)
- 19 Acts of the Second Council of Constantinople (May–June 553):
- Part II Christological Perspectives after Constantinople II
- Suggestions for Further Reading
- Scriptural Index
Summary
This homily, like most of Jacob’s other homilies, begins with a long introduction. The passionate feeling of sorrow at the discord caused by the council which is expressed in the homily speaks for itself. It is, however, a little hard to discern the force of the biblical testimonia adduced (lines 116–126) in favor of the author’s standpoint, since these are standard testimonia with which any side in the controversy would presumably have been happy. Yet there is also a clear statement of the reasons why the council was unacceptable (lines 143–150): it is the dividing up of the properties, ascribing them either to the human or to the divine nature. It was precisely the emphasis on this aspect in the Tome of Leo and the Letter of Ibas that led to the disapproval of these two particular documents of the council by the opponents of Chalcedon. What Jacob objected to was the suggestion of a schizophrenic Christ; hence the impassioned cry which Jacob puts into the church’s mouth in line 155: “The Son of God is one, he is one!” There is a radical difference of perspective here.
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- The Cambridge Edition of Early Christian Writings , pp. 294 - 303Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022