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One person, God and man

In short
  • F04.1 One person, fully God and fully man (consensus from T1); the formula splits after 451 between ‘in two natures’ (Chalcedon) and ‘one incarnate nature’ (Cyril, Severus) (high)
  • F04.2 Θεοτόκος is a Christological title (the one born of Mary is God the Son): consensus from Ephesus (431) (high)
  • F04.3 Both natures’ properties are predicated of the one Christ (communicatio idiomatum): consensus from Leo’s Tome and Chalcedon (high)
  • F04.4 The Word is everywhere and never confined to the flesh; the body keeps its human limits and is now in heaven, though filled with divine power: Era III–IV (Athanasius, Augustine, Leo, John of Damascus) (medium–high)

From the study it came from: Agree on the substance; Scripture supports two wills.

Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 4 questions each rests on; ⚠ marks coverage more than 10 points below the median, a less certain rank). This doctrine is first-order (tier weight 3). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation

Closeness to Scripture

1 Oriental Orthodox⚠ 3/4 cells · low coverage 100% 3/4 q
2 Catholic4/4 cells 97% 4/4 q
3 Orthodox4/4 cells 97% 4/4 q
4 Lutheran4/4 cells 97% 4/4 q
5 General Baptist⚠ 3/4 cells · low coverage 93% 3/4 q
6 Anglican4/4 cells 91% 4/4 q
7 Presbyterian4/4 cells 91% 4/4 q
8 Reformed Baptist4/4 cells 91% 4/4 q
9 Anabaptist⚠ 3/4 cells · low coverage 75% 3/4 q

Closeness to the fathers

1 Catholic4/4 cells 100% 4/4 q
2 Orthodox4/4 cells 100% 4/4 q
3 Oriental Orthodox⚠ 3/4 cells · low coverage 100% 3/4 q
4 General Baptist⚠ 3/4 cells · low coverage 92% 3/4 q
5 Lutheran4/4 cells 91% 4/4 q
6 Anglican4/4 cells 89% 4/4 q
7 Presbyterian4/4 cells 89% 4/4 q
8 Reformed Baptist4/4 cells 89% 4/4 q
9 Anabaptist⚠ 3/4 cells · low coverage 67% 3/4 q
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
Closeness to the fathers, by question (0–4). Hatched = not assessed in the category file. Click a question for its verdict.
01234Catholic · F04.1: 4/4 — Chalcedon received4Orthodox · F04.1: 4/4 — Chalcedon received4Oriental Orthodox · F04.1: 4/4 — Severus: 'one nature of God the Word incarnate' (verified); full deity and humanity confessed, Chalcedon rejected4Lutheran · F04.1: 4/4 — AC III; Formula of Concord VIII4Anglican · F04.1: 4/4 — Art. II: 'two whole and perfect Natures ... joined together in one Person'4Presbyterian · F04.1: 4/4 — WCF VIII.24Reformed Baptist · F04.1: 4/4 — 1689 8.24General Baptist · F04.1: 4/4 — Orthodox Creed: Christ's two natures 'without change of either Nature, or mixture of both' (verified, EEBO OCR)4Anabaptist · F04.1: 3/4 — Menno Simons, *True Confession ... of the Incarnation*: Christ 'the Lord from heaven ... generated and nourished in Mary' ('in', not 'of', Mary: the celestial-flesh position), yet 'truly flesh and blood ... like unto us in all things, yet without sin' (verified)3F04.1conf. highCatholic · F04.2: 4/4 — Ephesus received4Orthodox · F04.2: 4/4 — Theotokos in the liturgy4Oriental Orthodox · F04.2: 4/4 — Ephesus received; Theotokos central4Lutheran · F04.2: 4/4 — FC Epitome VIII: Mary 'rightly called and truly is the mother of God' (verified)4Anglican · F04.2: 3/4 — Not used in the Articles, Homilies or 1662 BCP (the 1544 Litany's 'mother of God' was removed in 1549; ARCIC-II archive survey, secondary); Art. II confesses one person3Presbyterian · F04.2: 3/4 — Not used in WCF; one person confessed (WCF VIII.2, verified)3Reformed Baptist · F04.2: 3/4 — Not used; 1689 8.23General Baptist · F04.2: 3/4 — Not used; creeds received3Anabaptist · F04.2: 2/4 — Not used; Menno's 'in Mary, not of Mary' sits uneasily with the title2F04.2conf. highCatholic · F04.3: 4/4 — Leo's Tome received; Chalcedon; communicatio in the one person4Orthodox · F04.3: 4/4 — Chalcedon / liturgy: one Christ; attributes of both natures4Oriental Orthodox · F04.3: 4/4 — Cyril / Ephesus: common predications of the one incarnate Word4Lutheran · F04.3: 4/4 — FC VIII: communication of attributes4Anglican · F04.3: 4/4 — Art. II: two natures in one Person; creeds4Presbyterian · F04.3: 4/4 — WCF VIII.2: distinct natures inseparably joined in one person4Reformed Baptist · F04.3: 4/4 — 1689 8.24General Baptist · F04.3: 4/4 — Orthodox Creed 6: two natures in one Christ without change or mixture (verified)4Anabaptist · F04.3: 3/4 — Menno: true God and true man (verified); celestial flesh qualifies3F04.3conf. highCatholic · F04.4: 4/4 — Trent XIII ch. 1: Christ 'always sitteth at the right hand of the Father in heaven, according to the natural mode of existing', and is 'in many other places, sacramentally present'. Matches the fathers: the body is in heaven by its natural mode. The added account of sacramental presence is scored in S044Orthodox · F04.4: 4/4 — Dositheus, Decree 17: the Eucharist is 'not because the Body of the Lord that is in the Heavens descends upon the Altars', for 'it is one Body of the Lord in many places, and not many'. Keeps the body in heaven, as the fathers do; the eucharistic presence is scored in S044Oriental Orthodox · F04.4: not assessedLutheran · F04.4: 2/4 — Formula of Concord, Epitome VIII, rejects the claim 'That because of the property of the human nature it is impossible for Christ to be able to be at the same time in more than one place, much less everywhere, with His body', and (rejected proposition 13) presence 'only according to His divinity'. It also rejects a flesh 'everywhere present in the same manner as the divine nature'. Keeps the fathers' life-giving flesh (Cyril; John of Damascus III.17) but goes against John of Damascus III.4 and III.7 and Augustine, Tractate 502Anglican · F04.4: 3/4 — Art. IV: Christ took his body 'wherewith he ascended into Heaven, and there sitteth, until he return'. The 1662 Black Rubric: 'the natural Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ are in Heaven, and not here; it being against the truth of Christ's natural Body to be at one time in more places than one'. Follows Augustine's Tractate 50 but rests on a rule about bodies that the fathers did not state3Presbyterian · F04.4: 3/4 — WCF VIII.4: Christ 'ascended into heaven, and there sitteth'; VIII.7: 'that which is proper to one nature is sometimes in Scripture attributed to the person denominated by the other nature'; XXIX.7 denies a presence 'corporally or carnally, in, with, or under the bread'. Matches the fathers on the body and the Word; describes the human nature's gifts as being 'anointed with the Holy Spirit, above measure' (VIII.3) rather than as receiving the divine energies (John of Damascus III.17)3Reformed Baptist · F04.4: 3/4 — 1689 8.7 uses the same words as WCF VIII.7; 30.7 follows WCF XXIX.7. Same assessment as Presbyterian3General Baptist · F04.4: not assessedAnabaptist · F04.4: not assessedF04.4conf. medium–high
CatholicOrthodoxOriental OrthodoxLutheranAnglicanPresbyterianReformed BaptistGeneral BaptistAnabaptistnot assessed
When the cited witnesses spoke (approximate dates) and where later traditions fixed their positions. Filled dot = consensus question; hollow orange = a question on which the fathers varied. Each item links to its source note or post-750 note.
1002003004005006007001000125015001700post-750 (compressed)Ignatius (c. 110) · F04.1Ignatiusc. 110 · F04.1Athanasius (c. 335) · F04.4Athanasiusc. 335 · F04.4Gregory Nazianzen (c. 380) · F04.1Gregory Nazianzenc. 380 · F04.1Augustine (c. 415) · F04.4Augustinec. 415 · F04.4Augustine (c. 415) · F04.4Augustinec. 415 · F04.4Cyril of Alexandria (c. 430) · F04.4Cyril of Alexandriac. 430 · F04.4Ephesus (c. 431) · F04.1Ephesusc. 431 · F04.1Ephesus (c. 431) · F04.2Ephesusc. 431 · F04.2Leo the Great (c. 449) · F04.3Leo the Greatc. 449 · F04.3Leo the Great (c. 449) · F04.4Leo the Greatc. 449 · F04.4Chalcedon (c. 451) · F04.1Chalcedonc. 451 · F04.1Chalcedon (c. 451) · F04.3Chalcedonc. 451 · F04.3Severus of Antioch (c. 515) · F04.1Severus of Antiochc. 515 · F04.1John of Damascus (c. 730) · F04.4John of Damascusc. 730 · F04.4John of Damascus (c. 730) · F04.4John of Damascusc. 730 · F04.4John of Damascus (c. 730) · F04.4John of Damascusc. 730 · F04.4Formula of Concord (1577) · LutheranFormula of Concord1577 · LutheranWestminster Confession (1646) · PresbyterianWestminster Confession1646 · Presbyterian
  1. c. 110 Ignatius F04.1
  2. c. 335 Athanasius F04.4
  3. c. 380 Gregory Nazianzen F04.1
  4. c. 415 Augustine F04.4
  5. c. 415 Augustine F04.4
  6. c. 430 Cyril of Alexandria F04.4
  7. c. 431 Ephesus F04.1
  8. c. 431 Ephesus F04.2
  9. c. 449 Leo the Great F04.3
  10. c. 449 Leo the Great F04.4
  11. c. 451 Chalcedon F04.1
  12. c. 451 Chalcedon F04.3
  13. c. 515 Severus of Antioch F04.1
  14. c. 730 John of Damascus F04.4
  15. c. 730 John of Damascus F04.4
  16. c. 730 John of Damascus F04.4
  17. 1577 Formula of Concord Lutheran
  18. 1646 Westminster Confession Presbyterian

F4 · One person, God and man

Christ is one person, true God and true man, without confusion or division.

Tier: First-order (scoring weight 3). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Site structure: structure.

Questions

  • F04.1 The union of natures (was christology/X1)
  • F04.2 Is Mary rightly called Mother of God (Θεοτόκος)?
  • F04.3 Are both natures’ properties predicated of the one Christ (communicatio idiomatum)?
  • F04.4 Is Christ’s human body everywhere, or is it in heaven while the Word is everywhere?

Verdicts and trace

F04.1 · The union of natures

QuestionVerdictConfidenceReasoningKey sourcesScripture (benchmark)
F04.1One person, fully God and fully man (consensus from T1); the formula splits after 451 between ‘in two natures’ (Chalcedon) and ‘one incarnate nature’ (Cyril, Severus)HighF04.1.1 · F04.1.3 weighingignatius-chr-s1 · gregory-nazianzen-chr-s1 · ephesus-chr-s1 · chalcedon-chr-s1 · severus-of-antioch-chr-s1F04.1.4: high

F04.2 · Is Mary rightly called Mother of God (Θεοτόκος)?

QuestionVerdictConfidenceReasoningKey sourcesScripture (benchmark)
F04.2Θεοτόκος is a Christological title (the one born of Mary is God the Son): consensus from Ephesus (431)HighF04.2.1 · F04.2.3 weighingephesus-f04x-s1F04.2.4: medium-high

F04.3 · Are both natures’ properties predicated of the one Christ (communicatio idiomatum)?

QuestionVerdictConfidenceReasoningKey sourcesScripture (benchmark)
F04.3Both natures’ properties are predicated of the one Christ (communicatio idiomatum): consensus from Leo’s Tome and ChalcedonHighF04.3.1 · F04.3.3 weighingleo-the-great-f04-s1 · chalcedon-f04-s1F04.3.4: high

F04.4 · Is Christ’s human body everywhere, or is it in heaven while the Word is everywhere?

QuestionVerdictConfidenceReasoningKey sourcesScripture (benchmark)
F04.4The Word is everywhere and never confined to the flesh; the body keeps its human limits and is now in heaven, though filled with divine power: Era III–IV (Athanasius, Augustine, Leo, John of Damascus)Medium-high. The Greek and Latin witnesses agree; most are Era III–IVF04.4.1 · F04.4.3 weighingathanasius-f04x-s1 · augustine-f04x-s1 · augustine-f04x-s2 · leo-the-great-f04x-s1 · cyril-of-alexandria-f04x-s1 · john-of-damascus-f04x-s1 · john-of-damascus-f04x-s2 · john-of-damascus-f04x-s3F04.4.4: low-medium

Post-750 development

Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes.

TraditionClosest to the fathers onDeparts or sharpens on
CatholicF04.1, F04.2, F04.3—
OrthodoxF04.1, F04.2, F04.3—
Oriental OrthodoxF04.1, F04.2, F04.3—
LutheranF04.1, F04.2, F04.3—
AnglicanF04.1, F04.3; partly F04.2—
PresbyterianF04.1, F04.3; partly F04.2—
Reformed BaptistF04.1, F04.3; partly F04.2—
General BaptistF04.1, F04.3; partly F04.2—
Anabaptistpartly F04.1, F04.3F04.2

Origin

Plan, overall verdict and verification status of the former christology category (shared with the other doctrines that came from it)

Christology

Method and conventions: docs/conventions.md. Reasoning: christology reasoning. Traditions’ sources: confessional sources.

1. Plan

Questions: X1 one person, truly God and truly man (and the formula: ‘in two natures’ or ‘one incarnate nature’); X2 one or two wills and operations in Christ. Scripture: John 1:1, 14; Phil 2:6–8; Col 2:9; Heb 2:14–17; 4:15; Luke 22:42; John 6:38. Fathers: Ignatius, Ephesians 7; Gregory Nazianzen, Letter 101; Cyril’s anathemas (Ephesus 431); Leo’s Tome (449); Chalcedon (451); Severus of Antioch’s letters; Constantinople III (681). Later: the Lutheran communication of attributes, Menno Simons on Christ’s flesh, and the classic non-Chalcedonian position.

2. Verdicts and trace

Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father tiers T1–T4.

3. Post-750 development

4. Overall verdict

X1 / F04.1: all nine confess one person fully God and fully man; the classic Mennonite ‘celestial flesh’ view qualifies how Christ’s flesh relates to Mary, and the Chalcedonian/Cyrilline split is largely terminological on the substance. F04.2: Θεοτόκος protects the one person (Ephesus). F04.3: both natures’ properties are predicated of the one Christ (Leo, Chalcedon). X2: two wills is supported by Scripture and Gregory; the non-Chalcedonian one-operation view departs.

5. Verification status

Menno’s wording is verified from A True Confession … of the Incarnation. The Orthodox Creed’s Christological article and Formula of Concord VIII are cited from standard editions.

  • F04.4 (2026-10-24): verified in English: Athanasius, On the Incarnation 17; Augustine, Tractates on John 50.4, 50.13 and Letter 137.12; Leo, Tome 4; Cyril, Anathema 11; John of Damascus, Exposition III.4, III.7, III.17; Trent XIII ch. 1; Dositheus 17; Formula of Concord, Epitome VIII (bookofconcord.org); Arts. IV and the 1662 Black Rubric; WCF VIII.3, VIII.4, VIII.7, XXIX.7; 1689 8.7, 30.7; LSB English. To verify: Augustine, Letter 187 (on Christ’s presence everywhere as God and in heaven as man; not checked); the Greek of John of Damascus III.7 and III.17.