What Was the Third Council of Constantinople?

The Third Council of Constantinople was the sixth of the seven Ecumenical Councils of the early Christian church. The Third Council was held in 680-681 CE in the City of Constantinople, like several previous councils. It was called upon by Emperor Constantine to question whether Jesus Christ had one will (called Monothelitism) or two (known as Dyothelitism).

The five previous ecumenical councils each dealt with various issues surrounding the person and nature of Jesus Christ. The humanity and divinity of Jesus, as well as the extent of His humanity and divinity, were all issues at hand to one level or another in each of the preceding councils. While most of those issues had been resolved, particularly for Western Christianity, several controversies still waxed and waned in Eastern Christianity over the first few hundred years since the times of the New Testament.

What Issues Were Discussed at the Third Council of Constantinople?

Two specific issues had arisen before the Third Council. One issue was the idea of monoenergism, the idea that Jesus had one “energy,” a vague term similar to will or motivation. Dyoenergism is the concept that He had a separate human and divine “energy.”  The second issue was the concept of Monothelitism, or the idea that Jesus only had a single divine will (more clearly defined that in monoenergism), rather than dyothelitism, the idea that He had two wills, divine and human. The general problem with the “mono” positions their opponents held was that they implicitly have a denial of the human nature of Jesus, and were therefore heterodox.

His successor, Constans II, actually attempted to outlaw the discussion of the issues to no success as well. Pope Martin I and Maximus the Confessor held the Lateran Council of 649 in Rome to condemn the “mono” beliefs, and were arrested by Constans for holding the council without his authority. Constantine IV finally decided to settle the issue, having dealt with the 678 Muslim siege of Constantinople and desired some form of reconciliation between the Eastern and Western Churches.

The Third Council, though preceded throughout other parts of the empire by other meetings, only had 37 Bishops and a few other church leaders in attendance due to the continuing Muslim conquests and wars in the Eastern part of the empire. Eventually, 151 Bishops were able to attend by the time the council was concluded.

Pope Agatho had sent a delegation with a letter that endorsed the dyothelitistic and dyoenergistic views, a position that was upheld at the council. The “mono” views were condemned, as well as several specific figures who supported them, including Pope Honorius I, who had died in 638.

Two Monothelite supporters, George of Constantinople and Macarius of Antioch, attempted to prove from the writings on the church Fathers that their position was correct. However, their opponents were able to prove that they were either misusing the materials, or had deliberately misstated what the church Fathers wrote. George recanted his position, but Macarius held to his and was condemned and deposed.

Did Someone Attempt to Resurrect a Dead Man at the Council?

Polychronius, a supporter of Macarius, believed so strongly in their position that he sought to prove it by raising someone from the dead.  In the Prosphoneticus to the Emperor – the report of the council’s findings – it was written:

“Likewise also that old man Polychronius, with an infantile intelligence, who promised he would raise the dead and who when they did not rise, was laughed at…”

What Was the Result of the Council?

The council resulted in a further defining of the orthodox beliefs regarding the hypostatic union – the combination of the human and divine will in Jesus Christ. While some further division existed with the Eastern churches over the terminology, previous councils, particularly the Council of Chalcedon, had resulted in greater divisions that had not yet healed.