MONOPHYSITES, the name given to a widely ramified sect of Christians who hold that Christ has only one nature (Gr. monos, one; Apr's, nature), a human nature become divine. Monophysite views were first decidedly put forward in the controversy against Nestorius. Cyril having expressed the opinion that the flesh of the Logos was essential to his personality, the archimandrite Eutyches (q.v.) went on to assert a deification or apotheosis of the flesh of Christ, and obtained the consent of a synod at Ephesus, in 449, commonly called the "synod of robbers," to this doctrine; but lie and his adherents (at first called after him EIITYCIITANS) were condemned as heretics by the council of Ma cedon in 451. It was after this council that the name Nonophysites began to be used. The decision of the council, however—viz., that in Christ two natures, neitherinterfused, changed, nor divided, were united in one person, and constituted one hypostasis—was not calculated to allay, but rather to increase discord. Accordingly, the strife grew hotter. The Asiatic and Egyptian clergy, strongly opposed to Nestorianisrn, were gen erally inclined to Monophysite views, and received countenance from the emperor Basi liscus. After long, and often bloody conticsts between the supporters of the opposite *pinions, the Monophysites, formerly separated from the orthodox church. This sepa ration took place in the first half of the 6th c., when the imperial protection itherto bestowed upon them was lost by the alliance of the emperors Justin and Justinian with the Latin church. Besides, they had not maintained unity among themselves. As early as 482,•when the emperor Zeno published his famous llenoticon, or formula of con cord, it was accepted by several of the more moderate Monophysites. This roused the indignation of the extremer sectaries; they renounced fellowship with their later breth ren, and formed a sect of their own. They were called Akephaloi, and formed the ultras
the Monopbysites. Controversies arose also in 510 on the question, whether or not the body of Christ was corruptible. The Severians—adherents of Severus, a deposed bishop of Antioch—affirmed that it was; the Julianists, or Gajanites, followers of bishop Juliauus or Gajanus, denied it. The former were consequently called (Gr.) Pi/Marto/at /•as, (Lat.) Corauptitoka (worshipers of the corrupt); the latter, Aphtlartodocetie (helievers or teachers of incorruption), and sometimes—as an incorruptible body could only be apparent, and not real—Phantasia8ts. The Aphthartodocetat split again on this other point—whether or not Christ's body was created; the Aktistetoi ktizo, to create) asserting that it was not created, and the Kt/sic/at/ids, that it ices. The Severians, called also, after one of their bishops, Theodosians, finally got the the upper hand, and excommunicated their opponents, including another sect, the Agnoetoi, who denied that Christ as a man was omniscient. About 560 the Monophysite Askusuages, and after him the Christian philosopher Philoponus, ventured to speak of the three persons in the Godhead as three gods. This, however, was reckoned heretical even by the Monophy sites themselves, and was the occasion of a large recession to the bosom of the Catholic church. Monophysite communities continued strongest in Egypt, Syria, and Mesopo tamia, where they maintained a regular ecclesiastical order under their own patriarchs of Alexandria and Antioch; and after the Syrian, Jakob Bamdmus (Al-Baradai, died about 578), had drawn up for them an ecclesiastical constitution, they formed the inde pendent churches of the Jacobites (q.v.) and Armenians. See ARMENIAN enunon. The Coptic and Abyssinian churches are also Monophysite in doctrine.