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Dyophysitism (; "dyophysitism". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. from Ancient Greek δύο dyo, "two" and φύσις physis, "nature") is the Christology position that Jesus Christ is in two distinct, inseparable natures: divine and human nature. It is accepted by the majority of Christian denominations, including the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Church of the East, Anglicanism, Methodism, Reformed Christianity and Lutheranism. It is rejected by the Oriental Orthodox churches, who hold to Miaphysitism – that Jesus Christ is of two natures united into one composite nature – while rejecting Monophysitism as heresy along with other extant denominations.
Those who subscribe to the "two natures after the union" formula on either Chalcedonian and Nestorianism side were referred to as dyophysites (). It is related to the doctrine of the hypostatic union and Prosopon.
Dyophysitism as a position stands in opposition to the views of monophysitism, the doctrine of Jesus having a sole divine nature, and miaphysitism, the doctrine that Christ is of both divine and human natures fully united into one composite nature. The Chalcedonian definition of dyophysitism states that the two natures are completely and perfectly united in the one person and hypostasis of Jesus Christ, in union with each other and co-existing without mixture, confusion or change; the Nestorian definition, on the other hand, holds that the two natures are united in a Prosopic union, as opposed to the Hypostatic union elaborated upon by Cyril of Alexandria and upheld by the Oriental Orthodox Churches. The importance of dyophysitism was often emphasized by prominent representatives of the Antiochene school in contrast to the Alexandrian school.
The miaphysites upheld the idea of one nature in Christ based on their understanding of Cyril of Alexandria's teachings, including his Twelve Anathemas, namely number 4 which states:
Dyophysitism was articulated in the Council of Chalcedon in 451, which produced the Chalcedonian Definition, that states:
Ousia in the Chalcedonian sense can be understood to be referring to a set of "powers and qualities which constitute a being" whereas Prosopon refers to "a concrete individual acting as subject in its own right."
For adherents, the hypostatic union is the center of Jesus's unity (his divinity and humanity being described as natures) whereas those who rejected the Council of Chalcedon saw his nature itself as the point of unity.
Dyophisitism has also been used to describe some aspects of Nestorianism, the doctrines ascribed to Nestorius of Constantinople. It is now generally agreed that some of his ideas were not far from those that eventually emerged as orthodox, but the orthodoxy of his formulation of the doctrine of Christ is still controversial among churches.
There remain churches which hold to the miaphysite positions, such as the Oriental Orthodox Church.
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