Editing Three-Chapter Controversy (section)

==Background==
At a very early stage of the controversy the incriminated writings themselves came to be spoken of as the ''Three Chapters''. In consequence those who refused to anathematize these writings were said to defend the Three Chapters, and accused of professing [[Nestorianism]]; and, conversely, those who did anathematize them, were said to condemn the Three Chapters as [[heresy|heretical]].

At the end of 543 or the beginning of 544 the Emperor [[Justinian I]] issued an edict in which the three chapters were [[anathematized]], in hope of encouraging the [[Oriental Orthodox]] to accept the decisions of the [[Council of Chalcedon]] and the [[Pope Leo I#Tome|Tome]] of [[Pope Leo I]], thus bringing religious harmony to the [[Byzantine Empire]]. However, [[Evagrius Scholasticus|Evagrius]]<ref>''Hist. eccl.'', IV, 28</ref> tells us that [[Theodorus Ascidas]], the leader of the [[Origen| Origenists]], had raised the question of the Three Chapters to divert Justinian from a persecution of his party. [[Liberatus]] adds that Theodorus Ascidas wished to take revenge on the memory of Theodore of Mopsuestia, who had written much against Origen.<ref>Liberatus, ''Breviarium'', c. 24</ref> In his letter to Vigilius, Domitian, Bishop of Ancyra, reports the same story of intrigue.

Although [[Catholic]] [[canon law|canonists]] admit that theological errors, and in the case of Theodore very serious ones, can be found in the writings, the mistakes of Theodoret and Ibas were chiefly but not wholly due to a misunderstanding of the language of [[Cyril of Alexandria]]. However these errors do not make the decision of condemnation easy, for there were no good precedents for dealing harshly with the memory of men who had died in peace with the Church. [[Facundus]], Bishop of Hermiane, pointed out in his ''Defensio trium capitulorum'' that Saint [[Cyprian]] had erred about the rebaptism of heretics, yet no one would dream of anathematizing him. The condemnation of the "Three Chapters" was demanded primarily to appease opponents of the [[Council of Chalcedon]]. Both Ibas and Theodoret had been deprived of their bishoprics by condemned heretics, and both were restored by the Council of Chalcedon upon anathematizing Nestorius.