TEOPASCHITI. — The term (Θεός = God and πάσχω = I suffer) designates those who attribute suffering and death to the Word.
A distinction must be made between two forms of theopaschism: the proper or real form, heretical, which refers the Passion and death to the divinity and is expressed by the formula: Divinitas passas est; and the improper or nominal form, orthodox and legitimate, which, through the communication of idioms (v.), attributes to the person of the Incarnate Word the actions and passions of the assumed human nature. Given the Incarnation, one may say: Deus passus est, unus de Trinitate crucifixus est. Theopaschite expressions already occur among the Fathers who preceded the Christological controversies (cf. s. Ignatius, Ad Rom., VI; Ad Eph. I, 1). Nestorianism (v.), which denied the communication of idioms, rose up against them. Since the two natures each possessed its own personality, operations had to be referred to the respective nature and person, nor could one say: Deus natus, passus, mortuus est. St. Cyril defended these expressions, adding, for clarity, the word carne (cf. Anathema, XII, in Denz-U, 124).
While Nestorianism rejected even verbal theopaschism, Eutychianism (v.) or real Monophysitism
(v.) passed to the opposite extreme, upholding real theopaschism. The error arose from theories that maintained the absorption of humanity by divinity, which alone would subsist; or the “nullification” of divinity in humanity; or the mixture of divinity and humanity in a divine-human composite, in a theandric nature; or composition in a complete essence.
The Orthodox accused all Monophysites, both nominal and real, of theopaschism, especially after the liturgical innovation of Peter Fullon (v.). He added to the trisagion of the Mass (Sanctus Deus, Sanctus fortis, Sanctus immortalis) the words: qui crucifixus est pro nobis, adopted by the Monophysite Churches. The Orthodox, who referred the trisagion to the Most Holy Trinity, saw in the addition a genuine theopaschism and patripassianism. The nominal Monophysites, however, were not t. in the proper sense. In an orthodox sense, they referred the addition to the person of the Incarnate Word, understanding the trisagion as referring to Jesus Christ. The Catholics, however, rejected the addition, which was equivocal and suspect, because some Eutychians were found among the nominal Monophysites. Once the danger of error had been removed, the addition was also accepted by the Catholics. Rome first tolerated it, then ordered its suppression in 1677 among the Armenians, and again in 1833.
The form of Philoxenus also spread among the Monophysites: Unus de Trinitate crucifixus est. The expression, like the preceding one, when referred to Christ, is legitimate, through the communication of idioms, and the nominal Monophysites took it in an orthodox sense. For Catholics, however, on the lips of the Monophysites it was dangerous and suspect. Some Scythian monks, in order to win over the Monophysites, revived the Cyrillian formula: Unus de Trinitate passus est carne, and attempted to have it approved by the papal legates in Constantinople. They resisted, judging the attempt inopportune because it favored Monophysitism. Four monks came to Rome to convince Pope Hormisdas (v.), who, informed by the legates, refused to approve the formula, suspect in both the wording and the intention of its supporters. The Scythian monks did not desist; the emperor Justinian included the formula in the profession of faith (15 March 533) and urged its approval by Pope John II. Since Western theologians had judged the formula orthodox in itself, he approved it (25 March 534). He thus departed from the line of conduct of his predecessor, who had resisted, taking into consideration the formula’s origin and its favor among the Monophysites, among whom there were genuine Eutychians. A firmer attitude would have spared further discussions and curbed the movement to revive Monophysitism. Pope Vigilius was obliged to acknowledge the same formula (cf. Council of Constantinople, II, can. 10; Denz-U, 222).