Henoticon

The Henotikon (/həˈnɒtᵻkən/ or /həˈnɒtᵻˌkɒn/ in English; Greek ἑνωτικόν henōtikón "act of union") was a christological document issued by Byzantine emperor Zeno in 482, in an unsuccessful attempt to reconcile the differences between the supporters of the Council of Chalcedon and the council's opponents. It was followed by the Acacian schism.

In 451, the Council of Chalcedon settled christological disputes by condemning both Monophysitism, held by Eutyches, and Nestorianism. However, large sections of the Eastern Roman Empire, especially in Egypt, but also in Palestine and Syria, held monophysite (or, more strictly, miaphysite) views. In order to restore unity, the Patriarch of Constantinople, Acacius, devised an eirenic formula, which Emperor Zeno promulgated without the approval of the Bishop of Rome or of a Synod of bishops. The Henotikon endorsed the condemnations of Eutyches and Nestorius made at Chalcedon and explicitly approved the twelve anathemas of Cyril of Alexandria, but avoided any definitive statement on whether Christ had one or two natures, attempting to appease both sides of the dispute.