Monothelitism

From Maronite History

Monothelitism is the teaching that Christ had two natures but one will, which in effect was the divine will. Monothelites claimed that two wills in Christ would imply that the human and divine wills could separate, making Christ capable of sinning. This is contrary to the Catholic belief that ignoring Christ's human will would distort his humanity.

Monothelitism came about in the 7th century as an attempt to seek a compromise between the Monophysites, who claimed that there was only one nature in Christ, and the Catholic party, which insisted that there were two natures in Christ, one divine and one human. The teaching, however, was condemned as heretical by the Sixth Ecumenical Council of Constantinople in 681. It has since been considered a heresy by the Catholic Church.

Were the Maronites Monothelites?

A number of historical and modern sources claim that the Maronites were once Monothelites, and that they converted to Catholic beliefs in the 12th century. The principal source of this claim appears to be William of Tyre, a contemporaneous historian who mentions a mass conversion of Maronites in 1182 that involved both clergy and laity (some scholars, on the other hand, have speculated that the event was a public profession of faith, rather than an abjuration of heresy). Another source is Dionysius Tal Mahri, a ninth-century Syrian Orthodox patriarch of Antioch, who writes that the monnks of the Monastery of Marun had adopted Monothelitism in the years 629-630, at a time when Byzantine Emperor Heraclius imposed Monothelitism on the people of Syria.

The Maronite Church, however, has always denied these accusations and has repeatedly affirmed its embrace of Catholic teachings and its union with the Pope, as have the official declarations of Popes over 900 years, which have consistently praised the Maronites for their constant union with Rome. Although there appear to be writings of individual Maronites speaking favorably of Monothelitism, there is no indication that the Maronite Church, its patriarchs or its bishops, have ever taught Monothelitism. In addition, in condemning Monothelitism, the Council of Constantinople did not mention any Maronites on its list of those who spread the heresy.

Further supporting the claim that Maronites have always been adherents to the faith of Chalcedon is a letter written in 517 and sent to Pope Hormisda. Signed by clergymen from Syria Secunda and by the abbot of the Monastery of Marun, the letter charged Severus, patriarch of Antioch and Peter, bishop of Apamea, with the massacre of 350 monks from the Monastery of Marun due to their adherence to the faith of Chalcedon. This is in addition to several other letters, addressing the same matters, that were submitted in 536 to the council in Constantinople.

Sources

• Chorbishop Seely Beggiani - Aspects of Maronite History (Part Three), http://www.stmaron.org/marhist3.html.
• New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia - Monothelitism and Monothelites, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10502a.htm.
• Matti Moosa - The Maronites in History (Syracuse University Press, 1986).