Apostolic authority as a historical question: Chalcedon and the Eighth Council
The post shares a video in which Alex responds to a question about how to determine which church holds correct apostolic authority, specifically comparing the Eastern Orthodox Church to the Oriental Orthodox Church. He argues that this is a historical question requiring historical inquiry and evaluation of the merits. Regarding the Council of Chalcedon, he states that the Oriental Orthodox initially accepted it but then a mob lynched the new patriarch and installed an anti-Chalcedonian patriarch, which he says resembles setting up a separate church.
Concerning the Eighth Ecumenical Council, he says that Rome and Constantinople agreed to recognize each other's jurisdiction and not alter the creed, but Rome went back on that agreement while the Orthodox Church maintained it. The video opens with a quotation from St. Irenaeus of Lyons on the ability to trace episcopal succession from the apostles to the present.
Key moments
- The question of which church has correct apostolic authority is a historical question that requires historical inquiry and evaluating the merits.
- At the Council of Chalcedon, the Oriental Orthodox initially accepted it but then a mob lynched the new patriarch and installed an anti-Chalcedonian patriarch, which appears to be setting up their own church.
- At the Eighth Ecumenical Council, Rome and Constantinople agreed to recognize each other's jurisdiction and not change the creed, but Rome went back on that agreement.
- The Orthodox Church is the one that maintained the agreement and did not change.