The Christological Controversy and the Chalcedonian Schism:

Unique and Pioneering Role of Father V.C. Samuel

By Paulos Mar Gregorios

The Rev. Dr. V. C. Samuel has played a unique and pioneering role in making Oriental Orthodox

Christology intelligible as well as acceptable to others. Most of us who came later into the debate about

the nature of Christ owe our basic insights to his outstanding work at Yale University in the fifties of our

century.i

This became very clear as we began the first "Unofficial Consultation Between Theologians of

Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches" held at the University of Aarhus, Denmark, from

August 11-15, 1964. In August 1989, we should celebrate the silver jubilee of this historic event in the

life of the ecumenical movement.

Father Samuel's paper on "One Incarnate Nature of God the Word" affirmed that phrase from

Cyril of Alexandria (+444 A.D.) as "a most crucial linguistic tool to conserve the Church's faith in the

Person of Jesus Christ". It made clear to leading Byzantine theologians present like Karmiris ii,

Meyendorffiii, Florovskyiv, Romanidesv, Nissiotisvi, Konidarisvii, and Borovoyviii that the Oriental Orthodox

agreed with the Byzantine Orthodox in condemning the teachings of both Eutyches and Nestorius. It was

Fr. Samuel's paper which convinced them. There ware other dignitaries present like the present Syrian

Patriarch of Antioch and the present Armenian Catholicos of Antelias; it is no exaggeration to say,

however that there was no one on the Oriental Orthodox side who could convince the Byzantine

theologians on the basis of historical scholarship that there was no essential disagreement between the

Byzantines and the Orientals on the substance of Christological teaching. I had the great privilege of

organizing, along with the late Nikos Nissiotis, that first unofficial theological conversation (Aarhus,

1964) as well as the three subsequent ones (Bristol 1967, Geneva, 1970 and Addis Ababa, 1971). I can

say without any hesitation that the presence and contributions of Fr. V. C. Samuel were the crucial

elements in determining the final outcome of these conversations.

i The Council of Chalcedon Re-examined: A Historical Theological Survey, CLS, Madras 1977

ii Prof. Johannes N. Karmirisiii Rev. Prof. John Meyendorffiv Rev. Prof. George Florovskyv Rev. Prof John S. Romanidesvi Dr. Nick A. Nissiotisvii Prof. G. Konidarisviii Rev. Prof. Vitaly Borovoy

(Compiled from the paper The Last Step to Unity, the Book ORTHODOX IDENTITY IN INDIA: Essays in honour of V.C. Samuel, Ed: Fr. M.K. Kuriakose, Bangalore 1988)