迦克墩信經The Chalcedonian Definition (The Chalcedonian Creed)

我們跟隨聖教父，合一贊同並向人教導我們的信仰；

Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge

我們信獨一的子，我們的主耶穌基督，有完美的神性和完美的人性；

祂是真神和真人，有一個具理性的靈魂和身體；

one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body;

有與父同本質的神性，有與我們同本質的人性；

of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood;

祂的人性與我們相同，但沒有罪；

like us in all respects, apart from sin;

在萬世之先，按照神格從父生出，並且在末後的日子裡，為我們和我們的救恩，按照人格藉著聖靈從童女瑪利亞而生；

as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer;

祂是獨一、同一的基督，神的獨生子，我們的主，具有不可混合、不可改變、不可分割、不可分開的兩個本性；

one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation;

兩個本性的合一並不影響兩個本性上本質的區別，保持了各本性的特質，同存於一位格和同一存活，不是分割開的兩個人，而是獨和同一的子，父的獨生子，神的話，主耶穌基督；

the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ;

正如眾先知論到祂自始所宣講的，主耶穌基督自己所教訓我們的 ，諸聖教父的信經所傳給我們的。

even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the fathers has handed down to us.

本次會議採用“上帝之母”一詞，並非像天主教所言，以為是給馬利亞加上皇冠。其實是為耶穌基督戴上棘冠。此詞不僅強調了從馬利亞真實的取了人性，同時也強調了從此神人二性聯合在一個位格內永不分離，為此就不能說她僅是他人性的母親，乃是耶穌基督，即神的第二位格的母親，在此同時也維護了三位一體的教義，絲毫沒有高舉馬利亞之意，而是借馬利亞維護與高舉神人二性的我們的救主耶穌基督。

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迦克頓信經  THE DEFINITION OF THE COUNCIL OF CHALCEDON (451 A.D)  是於西元451年召開的第四次教會議會中制定的。當時有不同的基督論產生，造成了東方教會的混亂，其中尤以涅斯多留（Nestorians）及猶提干（Eutyches，380～456）為最主要的困惑；前者宣稱基督具有神人二性並雙重位格，乃是為了要保持基督人性的完整。後者則站在相對的地位，宣稱基督只有一個位格，但也只有一個神性，因為他的人性已被神性蓋過，就如同一滴醋落入在大海裡而消逝一般。而涅氏已在431年召開的以弗所議會中被定為異端，故猶提干則成為迦克墩議會最主要的背景。

此議會的召集人是羅馬皇帝馬仙（Marcian，396～457），參加的有來自東方教會的主教500人及教皇代表數位。起初大家一致通過接納尼西亞信經，利歐的〈大卷〉及區利羅寫給涅氏的信件，為基督論的正統，並無意重新制定信經。但是馬仙及政府的代表認為若不重新清楚的詮釋基督論，則不足以解決教會的紛爭，極力要求重定信仰告白，於是議會決定製定迦克墩信經。

此信經的重點有二：

一則它極力維護基督單一位格的完整，二則它全然強調基督神人二性的分別。基督從神性而言與父神同質，但就他的人性而言，他與人類同質，而此二性是「不相混亂，不相交換，不能分開，不能離散」的，並且此二性是存在於一位格之內。因此，猶提乾派被定為異端。

《迦克墩信經》並未解釋基督神人二性的奇特性，但是它制定了一正統的模範，並顯出救恩之所以可能，正是因為基督是神也是人：因此，此信經成為基督論正統的準則。

The Chalcedonian Definition (also called the Chalcedonian Creed) was adopted at the Council of Chalcedon in A.D. 451.Chalcedon was an early centre of Christianity located in Asia Minor (modern Turkey). The Council was the fourth of theEcumenical Councils that are accepted by Chalcedonian churches which include the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and mostProtestant churches. It was the first Council not to be recognised by any Oriental Orthodox church; these churches may be classified as non-Chalcedonian.

The Definition defines that Christ is 'acknowledged in two natures', which 'come together into one person and one hypostasis'. The formal definition of 'two natures' in Christ was understood by the critics of the council at the time, and is understood by many historians and theologians today, to side with western and Antiochene Christology and to diverge from the teaching of Cyril of Alexandria, who always stressed that Christ is 'one'. However, a modern analysis of the sources of the creed (by A. de Halleux, in Revue Theologique de Louvain 7, 1976) and a reading of the acts, or proceedings, of the council (recently translated into English) show that the bishops considered Cyril the great authority and that even the language of 'two natures' derives from him.