Monophysitism Annuls The Distinction Between Divine Person And Divine Nature

This distinction is of paramount importance in Christology. Diphysites

hold fast to the distinction. They maintain a human nature in Christ,

but they do not humanise His person. The person cannot be humanised.

It remained divine after the incarnation, as it was before. Though He

became man, the depth of His being was unchanged. The rain from heaven

and the waters from the earthly spring mingle in one stream, but

b neath the surface the deep undercurrent of being flows on unchanged.

The monophysite in effect abandons this distinction. This is where his

psychology is most seriously at fault. He confuses person and nature.

Deep-seated and superficial states of soul are all one to him. He does

not see the duality in the being of his fellow-men; so he cannot see it

in the ideal man. This is a consequence of monophysitism which has not

attracted the attention of theologians, and which the monophysite

himself did not intend. The doctrine that rules out the human nature

of Christ rules out the divine nature also, by confusing it with the

personality. The monophysite affirms the divine nature while denying

the human. Such affirmation is purely verbal. It is completely void

of significance. The contrast between the divine and human natures is

needed to throw personality into relief. Take away the human nature,

and that contrast disappears, and with it goes the distinction between

divine person and divine nature. Then, instead of a transcendent

personality in whose portrait divine and human features are distinctly

limned, we have a blur. Where God planned a unique though intelligible

psychic harmony, we find a psychic medley.