CHALCE'DON (Lat.. from Ka2x7)5thy, Kal ehnlon, or XclAktiSu5v, Chaik(Tion). A city of an cient, Bithynia, at the entrance of the Bosporus, opposite to Byzantium. It was founded about n c'. 077 IT a colony from iNlegara, and soon be came a place of considerable trade and impor tance. It contained several temples, one of mulch, dedicated to Apollo, had an oracle. After the liberation of the Greek cities from Persian rule, Chalcedon joined the Athenian League, but at the end of the Peloponnesian war eame into possession of the Spartans. With the rest of Bithynia, it w:is, bequeathed to the Romans by King Nicomedes. During the Mithridatie war it was the scene of a bold exploit of the Pontie sovereign. Bithynia having been invaded by Mithridates, all the 'wealthy Romans in the dis trict tied for refuge to Chalcedon, whereupon he broke the chains that protected the port, burned four ships, and towed away the remaining sixty. Under the Empire Chalcedon was made a free city, and it was the scene of a general council. held A.D. 451. King of Persia, captured it 610, after which it declined, un til it was finally demolished In the Turks, who used its ruins to build mosques and other edifices in Constantinople. Chaleedon was the birthplace
of the philosopher Nenocrates.
The Council of Chaleedon, to which allusion has been made, was the fourth general coun cil, and was assembled by the Emperor Marcian for the purpose of drawing up a form of doctrine in regard to the nature of Christ, which should equally avoid the errors of the Nestorians (q.v.) and those of the Monophysites (q. v.). Six hun dred bishops. almost all of the Eastern or Greek Church, were present. The doctrine deelared to be orthodox was that in Christ there were two natures, whieh could not be intermixed (this elause was directed against the Monophysites), and which also were not in entire separation (this was directed against the .Nestorians), but were so conjoined that their union de stroyed neither the peculiarity of eaeh nature nor the oneness of Christ's person.