"The Chambezi Treaty (1990)"

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The 1990 Agreement of Chambesia was an agreement reached at the third meeting of the Joint Commission on theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Churches (Byzantine tradition) and the Ancient Eastern Orthodox Churches, held on 23-28 September 1990 at the Orthodox Center of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Chambesy, where 34 official representatives of the Orthodox and Oriental Churches attended.

The basis of the Shambezi Agreement, called the “Second Agreed Statement” between representatives of the two groups of Orthodox Churches, was the “First Agreed Statement on Christology”, adopted by the Joint Commission for theological Dialogue between the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches on June 20-24, 1989 at a meeting at the Anba Bishoi Monastery in Egypt.

In the Chambezi agreement, the Christological teachings of the Orthodox and Ancient Eastern churches were recognized as essentially the same. In paragraphs 1 and 2, the parties condemned the teachings of Nestorius, Eutychius, and the Kryptonestorianism of Theodoret of Kirsk. Paragraphs 3 and 4 of the statement read: “Both families agree that the Hypostasis of the Word has become ‘compounded’ by being united in His uncreated divine nature . . . with the natural will and action of created human nature, which it has received and assimilated in human beings. Both families agree that the two natures have joined together ... with their actions and wills inseparably, invariably, inseparably and inseparably, and that they differ "in a speculative way." However, the question of two wills (desire) was not raised. Paragraph 7 guaranteed the right of each party to use its traditional Christological terminology. In paragraph 8, the ancient Eastern churches recognized the definitions of the IV-VII Ecumenical Councils, but did not stipulate the recognition of these Councils as Ecumenical by non-Chalcedonians. Paragraph 9 declared the common Christological teaching and the faithfulness of both Churches to Tradition. Paragraph 10 called for the removal of mutual anathemas. The text of the statement used concepts characteristic of both theological traditions. Thus, for example, the words “nobility, invariably, inseparably and inseparably” from the Chalcedonian Creed were mentioned, and the concept of “speculatively” was predominantly characteristic of the myaphysites. The 1990 statement stressed that the theological part of the commission's work had been completed and the churches were asked to consider lifting the reciprocal anathemas.

The “Second Agreed Statement” of 1990 formed the basis of the 1993 Chambesia Agreements.

Text of the Shambezi agreements
Text of the agreement: 1. Both families are unanimous in condemning the heresy of Eutychius. Also both families confess that the Logos, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, born of the Father before all ages and consubstantial to the Father, was incarnated and born of the Virgin Mary of the Virgin, that He is consubstantial to us, perfected Man in soul, body and mind (nous); that He was crucified, died, was buried and rose on the third day, ascended to the Heavenly Father, where He sits at the right hand of the Father as Lord of all Creation. At Pentecost he is through the descent of the Holy Spirit