EUTYCHES, the reputed founder of the Eutychians, a sect of Christians which began in the East in the 5th century, though the opinions attributed to Eutyches are said to have existed before (' De Eutyohianismo ante Eutychen ' by Christ. Aug. Selig., and also Assemani, 'Bibliotheca Orientalist tom. L, p. 219.) Eutyches was a monk who lived near Constantinople, and had a great reputation for austerity and sanctity. He was already advanced in fears when he came out of his retirement, A.D. 448, in order to oppose the Neste rians, who were accused of teaching "that the divine nature was not incarnate in, but only attendant on Jesus, being superadded to his human nature after the latter was formed ;" an opinion however which Nestoriva himself had disavowed. In his zeal for opposing the error ascribed to the Nestorians, Eutyches ran into the opposite extreme of saying that in Christ there was "only one nature, that of the incarnate Word," his human nature having been absorbed in a manner by his divine nature. Eusebius, bishop of Dorylmum, who had already opposed the Neetorians, denounced Eutyches before a council assembled at Constantinople by Flavianus, bishop of that city. That assembly condemned Eutychea who, being supported by friends at the court of Theodosius II., appealed to a general council, which was soon after convoked by the emperor at Ephesus in 449, under the presidency of Dioscorus, bishop of Alexandria, and suc cessor to the famous Cyril, who had himself broached a doctrine very similar to that of Eutyches. The majority of the council tumul. tuously acquitted Eutychea and condemned Flavianus ; the bishops opposed to him were obliged to escape, and Flavianus was cruelly scourged by the soldiers ; it was in short a scene of disgraceful violence, which earned for the council of Ephesus the name of meeting of robbers.' Flavianus appealed to Leo the Great, bishop of Rome, who, in his answer, condemned the doctrine of Eutyches, but could not obtain of Theodosius the convocation of another couocil.
After the death of that emperor, his successor, Marcianus, convoked a council at Chalcedou in 451, which is reckoned as the fourth oecumenical council of the Church, and which the pope's legates attended. By this assembly the acts of the council of Ephesus were muulled, Dioscorus was deposed and banished, and Eutyches, who had already been banished by the emperor, was again condemned, Ind deprived of his sacerdotal office. The doctrine was at the same time expounded that "in Christ two distinct natures are united in me person, and that without any change, mixture, or confusion." 1:utyches died in exile; but several weeks, espeeisily in Syria, con• tinned the schism, and having found a protectress in the empress Ended& the widow of Theodosius, who was liviog in Palestine, they became more daring, and excite' the people against the partisans of the council of Chalcedon, whom they stigmatised as Nestorian& The emperor was obliged to send troops to repress these disorders.
The doctrine of Eutychos was perpetuated in the East under cer tain modifications, or rather quibbling of words, which caused the sect to be subdivided under various names, all however comprehended under the general name of Idonophysites, or believers in one nature. (Ameemani, ' De Monophyeitia,' at the beginning of voL ii. of his 'Bibliotheest Orientalis' and Albufarragiusie Arguments' in favour of that doctrine in the same volume, pp. 2SS-89.) In the sixth cen tury a fresh impulse was given to the Eotychian doctrine by one Jacob, a monk, unnamed Bandanas who reconciled the various divi sions of the Monophysitea throughout the Ea,t, and spread their tenets through Syria, Armenia, Mesopotamia, and Egypt, found supporters among several prelates (among others in the bishop of Alexandria), and died himself bishop of Edema in 583. Ile was considered as the second founder of the Monophysite', who assumed from him the name of Jacobites, under which appellation they still constitute a very numerous church, equally separate from the Greek, the Roman or Latin, and the Nestorian churches. The Armenians and the Copts aro Jacobite*, and so are likewise many Syrian Christians in contra distinction to the Melchitem, who belong to the Greek Church. Jacobite congregations are found in Mesopotamia.
The Monothelitea who appeared in the 7th century have been con sidered as an offshoot of the Eutychians or Monophysites, though they pretended to be quite unconnected with them. They admitted the two natures in Christ, explaining that after the union of the two into one person there was in him only one will' and one operation.
This was an attempt to conciliate the Monophysite/1 with the Ortho dox Church, and it succeeded for a time, It was approved of by many eastern prelates, and even by Pope Ilonorins T., in two epistles to Sergina, patriarch of Constantinople, which are found in the Acts of the Councils'. But the successors of Honorius condemned the Monothelites, and Martin L, in a bull of excommunication, 649, con signed them and their patrons (meaning the Emperor Comtism', who protected them) " to the devil and his angels." Conetans, indignant at this, caused his exarch in Italy to arrest Martin, and send him prisoner to the Chersonesue. At last, under Constantine, who suc ceeded Coastans, the council of Constantinople, which is the sixth oecumenical council, in 680, condemned the 31onothelites and with them Pope Houorius himself.