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Non-Chalcedonian Christianity comprises the branches ofChristianity that do not accept and upholdtheological resolutions of theCouncil of Chalcedon, thecouncil followingEphesus, held in 451.[1] Non-Chalcedoniandenominations reject theChristological Definition of Chalcedon (which assertedDyophysitism), for varying reasons.[2] Non-Chalcedonian Christianity thus stands in contrast toChalcedonian Christianity.
Today, theOriental Orthodox Churches predominantly comprise most of non-Chalcedonian Christianity.
The most substantial non-Chalcedonian tradition is known asOriental Orthodoxy. Within this tradition are a number of ancient Christian churches including theCoptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, theSyriac Orthodox Church of Antioch (sometimes referred to as "Jacobite"), theArmenian Apostolic Church, theEthiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, theEritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church and theMalankara Orthodox Syrian Church.
The official Christology of the Oriental Orthodox Church isMiaphysitism, which affirms one composite nature of God theWordIncarnate, fully divine and fully human, as articulated by theCouncil of Ephesus andCyril of Alexandria. The Church also affirmsTrinitarianTriadology.
TheChristology of theChurch of the East (i.e., "Nestorian" Christianity) may be called "non-Ephesine" for not accepting theCouncil of Ephesus, but did finally gather to ratify the Council of Chalcedon at the Synod of MarAba I in 544.[3]
Within the Patriarchates ofAlexandria andAntioch, the rejection of the Chalcedonian definition led to a significant schism. The common people of Egypt and Syria largely opposed the council, while the Byzantine-Greek minority, which constituted the ruling class, generally accepted it. These two groups competed for control of the ancient sees of Alexandria and Antioch, which were important centers of influence inChristendom at the time. Ultimately, neither faction achieved complete dominance over either church, resulting in the existence of two distinct, parallel patriarchates of Alexandria and Antioch for nearly 1,500 years, a situation that continues to the present day.
TheCoptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria represented the native Egyptian patriarchal faction that rejects Chalcedon, while the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria comprised those who accept the Council's decisions. InMesopotamia and theLevant, theSyriac Orthodox Church serves as the patriarchal faction for the localAssyrian population, whereas theGreek Orthodox Church was primarily concentrated in coastal regions with a Greek and Hellenized Syrian majority, continuing today as theRum.
In India and to a lesser degree in Persia, the schism that occurred was between theSyriac Orthodox Church and theAssyrian Church of the East, which continutes to exist inKerala as the two churches Syriac churches today. Moreoever, there exists another Oriental Orthodox Church separated from Syriac Orthodox Church called theMalankara Orthodox Syrian Church.
In the 18th century and onwards,Nontrinitarian andUnitarian Christians are necessarily non-Chalcedonian having their own separate traditions, different nontrinitarian theologies, and polities. The largest such groups areThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Latter Day Saint movement),Jehovah's Witnesses and theIglesia ni Cristo.
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