Vasilije Vranic: The Christology of Eusebius of Dorylaeum

Eusebius of Dorylaeum was involved in both Christological controversies of the fifth century in very important ways. In the ‘Nestorian’ controversy he was the first to challenge the theological orthodoxy of the newly installed archbishop of Constantinople, Nestorius, by writing a pamphlet known as the Contestatio Eusebii. In it he likened the theology of Nestorius with condemned heretical teachings of Paul of Samosata. Some twenty years later, he accused a powerful archimandrite in Constantinople, Eutyches, of heresy, which set in motion the Miaphysite controversy.Yet, despite his prominence in the theological events leading to the definition of Christological orthodoxy at the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451), very little is known about his Christology.In this paper, I argue that the Contestatio Eusebii plays a crucial role in identifying the Christological position of Eusebius of Dorylaeum in the Nestorian controversy. I argue that Eusebius believed in a full, personal union of the divine and human natures of Christ into one reality without confusion.