The Acts of the Sixth Ecumenical Council—that put an end to the
monothelete controversy in 680-1—have never attracted much attention of
the church historians. Unjustly so, as they offer a surprisingly rich
account of the most dramatic ecumenical council in church history. Below
the carefully edited surface of orderly sessions, one can catch
glimpses of intense diplomatic manoeuvring and of dramatic conflict that
degenerated into a civil war, the dethronement of two emperors, the
execution of several generals, and a momentous defeat with the Bulgars. I
will attempt to show how these events are related to the condemnation
of monotheletism and how the Acts have been redacted to mute conflict
and emphasise consensus and the respect of procedures. On this basis, I
will reflect on the mechanisms of theological diplomacy and unsuccessful
conflict prevention during the monothelete controversy.
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