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Monoenergism (Greek:μονοενεργητισμός) was a notion in earlymedieval Christian theology, representing the belief thatChrist had only one "energy" (energeia). The teaching of one energy was propagated during the first half of the seventh century by PatriarchSergius I of Constantinople. Opposition todyoenergism, its counterpart, would persist until Dyoenergism was espoused asOrthodoxy at theSixth Ecumenical Council and monoenergism was rejected asheresy.
After the failure of EmperorJustinian I and theSecond Council of Constantinople to mend theChalcedonian schism and unify main Christian communities within theByzantine Empire by a singleChristology, similar efforts were renewed byHeraclius (610–641), who attempted to solve theschism between theChalcedonian (also calleddyophysite) party and thenon-Chalcedonianmiaphysite party, suggesting the compromise of monoenergism.
This compromise adopted the Chalcedonian dyophysite belief that Christ the IncarnateLogos of God is of and in two natures, but tried to address non-Chalcedonian miaphysite misgivings by the view that Christ had one "energy" (energeia), a term whose definition was left deliberately vague. Monoenergism was accepted by the Patriarchs ofConstantinople,Antioch, andAlexandria, as well as by theArmenians and was not clearly criticized byPope Honorius I of Rome in his 635 epistle. However, it was rejected byAthanasius I Gammolo and the strong opposition of PatriarchSophronius of Jerusalem won wide support. This led Heraclius to abandon the teaching in 638 (though still condemning dyoenergism) and to attempt to enforce instead the doctrine ofmonothelitism, opposed most notably byMaximus the Confessor. This too failed to heal the schism and theologically unite the empire.
Both monoenergism and monotheletism were condemned as heresies by theSixth Ecumenical Council, held inConstantinople in 680–681.[1]
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