The Formula of Reunion (433)
In 433, a theological document was writ- ten called the Formula of Reunion, to bring unity between bishop John of Antioch and bishop Cyril of Alexandria following the condemnation of Nestorius’ teaching at the Ephesus Ecumenical Church Council in 431. Because bishop John accepted the Formula, he lost support in Antioch.
It reads:
“We confess, our lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God perfect God and perfect man of a rational soul and a body, begotten before all ages from the Father in his godhead, the same in the last days, for us and for our salvation, born of Mary the virgin, according to his humanity, one and the same consubstantial with the Father in godhead and consubstantial with us in humanity, for a union of two natures took place. Therefore we confess one Christ, one Son, one Lord. According to this understanding of the unconfused union, we confess the holy virgin to be Theotokos, the mother of God, because God the Word (Logos) took flesh and became man and from his very conception united to himself the temple he took from her. As to the evangelical and apostolic expressions about the Lord, we know that theologians treat some in common as of one person and distinguish others as of two natures, and interpret the god-befitting ones in connection with the godhead of Christ and the lowly ones with his humanity.”