Dyophysitism

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A theological doctrine asserting that in Christ there exist two distinct natures, one divine and one human, which coexist without confusion or change
2. Recognizing both the fully divine and fully human aspects of Jesus Christ, this belief maintains their unity within one person
3. This concept addresses the relationship between the divine and human in the context of Christ's incarnation, emphasizing the duality of His nature while preserving His singular identity

Etymology: Dyophysitism is built from two Greek elements. "Dyophysite" joins "dyo-" ("two") with "physis" ("nature"), so a dyophysite holds that Christ has two natures, one divine and one human. The suffix "-ism" turns that position into a doctrine, the name of the belief itself. The Greek "physis" meant the innate character or essential makeup of a thing, not the physical world as the English word "physics" might suggest. That is why theologians could speak of Christ's divine and human "natures" without implying anything material. The debate that produced the term was about how those two natures relate within a single person, and the word names one side of that argument.

Synonyms: two-natures doctrine, Chalcedonianism

Antonyms: monophysitism, monotheletism