Monothelitism

Definition and Meaning

Monothelitism, meaning "one will," is the position that although Jesus Christ has two natures, divine and human, he has only one will. The opposing position is dyothelitism, which holds that Christ has both a divine will and a human will, and that the human will follows the divine will without opposing it. Monothelitism belongs to the ancient controversies of Christology, the field of doctrine concerned with who Christ is.

Biblical and Historical Background

In 451 the Council of Chalcedon confessed that Christ possesses two natures in one person (hypostasis). Some Eastern churches, however, did not accept this decision, and conflict continued. In the seventh century the Byzantine emperor Heraclius and Patriarch Sergius of Constantinople sought to reconcile the two sides. To this end they first advanced monoenergism, the teaching that Christ has a single activity (energy), and then monothelitism, the teaching that he has a single will. In 638 the imperial edict known as the Ecthesis made monothelitism the official position.

Proponents of monothelitism argued that will belongs to the person, so that one person has only one will, and that speaking of two wills would seem to imply conflict within Christ. Their leading opponent, Maximus the Confessor, held that will belongs to nature. He therefore countered that if Christ's humanity is to be complete, it must include a human will. Passages frequently cited in this controversy include the prayer in Gethsemane, "nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39), and "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will" (John 6:38).

The Third Council of Constantinople (680–681) determined that Christ has two wills and that his human will is obedient to his divine will. The council condemned the supporters of monothelitism, among them Pope Honorius I. Since then, the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church have accepted dyothelitism as orthodox.

Practice in Korean Churches

Most Korean Protestant denominations accept the ancient Christology handed down through the Council of Nicaea and the Council of Chalcedon. Monothelitism is not a point of contention between denominations today. It is taught in seminary courses on church history and systematic theology (Christology) as one of the ancient Christological controversies.

In preaching and Bible study, the issue surfaces indirectly when Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane is discussed. The passage is commonly explained as showing that Jesus, possessing a true human nature, was in anguish in the face of suffering yet obeyed the Father's will—an interpretation consistent with the dyothelite understanding.