Rightly Defining the Son of God

Chalcedon’s Definition and Evangelical Retrieval

J. Alexander Rutherford

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2026
• Print ISBN:
  9798385266791
  9798385266807
• eBook ISBN:
  9798385266814
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Denominations

Amid the flourishing of scholarly interest in the theology of the early Christian church, many Evangelical theologians have zealously pursued theological retrieval of this ancient thought. They have drawn upon sources from the first seven centuries of the church for constructive and critical purposes. However, the dangers facing this project are seldom heeded.

Through a close reading of the definition produced by the Council of Chalcedon, this study demonstrates that the definition conceals significant conceptual problems. In seeking to uphold the Nicene Creed as the standard of orthodox faith, Chalcedon gives the fourth-century interpretation of the creed theological preeminence while introducing subtle but significant conceptual changes through the letters of Cyril and Leo. These changes were necessary for their doctrine of the incarnation but undermined the original ends of the fourth-century theological tradition.

The problems implicit in the definition have immediate ramifications for modern efforts to engage with the theological past in dealing with the issues of the present. Thus, this study engages in theological retrieval not to use the theological tools of the past to address present theology but to let the church’s theological past address current methodology.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• 1. Introduction
• 2. The Definition Within the Acts of Chalcedon
• 3. The Conceptual Apparatuses of Fourth-Century Greek Theology
• 4. The Conceptual Apparatus of Cyril’s Conciliar Letters
• 5. The Conceptual Apparatus of Leo’s Tome
• 6. The Conceptual Apparatus of the Definition of Chalcedon
• 7. Conclusion
• Bibliography