| A
letter sent by Pope Leo I to Flavian, Patriarch of Constantinople,
expounding the orthodox Christology of the West. |
In this letter Leo maintains
that Jesus Christ is one person of the divine Trinity with two distinct
natures that are permanently united. These two natures share properties
through the so-called communicatio idiomatum or sharing of attributes
between the divine and human natures of Christ. Alexandrian
theologians favored this concept. It was used, but found less favor among
Antiochene theologians. Leo's statement
was directed specifically against the heresy of Eutycheanism.
The Tome of Leo
was recognized at the Council of Chalcedon
(451) as a statement of orthodox Christology. |
