What is the relationship between Saint Dioscorus I and other historical figures?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

Yes, St. Dioscorus I, the 25th Pope of Alexandria, is a central figure who connects these individuals through his defense of the Orthodox faith and his suffering for the truth.

1. St. Dioscorus and Eutyches

The relationship between St. Dioscorus and Eutyches is often misrepresented by Western and Byzantine historians.

• The Second Council of Ephesus (449 AD): Eutyches appealed to St. Dioscorus after being condemned by Eusebius of Dorylaeum. At this council, Eutyches presented a written confession of faith stating he held the faith of Nicaea and St. Cyril. Based on this seemingly Orthodox confession, St. Dioscorus reinstated him.
• The Betrayal of Truth: Later, it became clear that Eutyches was deceptive and held to his heresy (that Christ’s humanity was absorbed). Because of this, the Coptic Orthodox Church—following the lead of St. Dioscorus' successors like St. Severus—officially anathematized Eutyches. St. Dioscorus never supported Eutychianism; he supported the "One Nature of God the Logos Incarnate."

2. St. Dioscorus and Eusebius of Dorylaeum

Their relationship was one of direct legal and theological antagonism.

• The Trial of Eutyches: When Eusebius of Dorylaeum accused Eutyches, St. Dioscorus presided over the council that reviewed the case. Eusebius was a strict Dyophysite (two-nature) proponent.
• The Council of Chalcedon (451 AD): Eusebius of Dorylaeum was one of the primary accusers of St. Dioscorus at Chalcedon. Eusebius sought to overturn the decisions of Ephesus and was instrumental in the political maneuvering that led to the unjust exile of St. Dioscorus.

3. St. Dioscorus and St. Severus of Antioch

St. Severus is the theological heir to St. Dioscorus.

• Defense of the Pillar: St. Severus spent much of his life and his vast theological writings defending the memory and the Orthodoxy of St. Dioscorus.
• The Miaphysite Faith: While St. Dioscorus was the martyr (suffering exile and physical abuse in Gangra for the faith), St. Severus was the systematic theologian who clarified the language St. Dioscorus used. St. Severus proved that St. Dioscorus was not a "Eutychian," but a "Cyrillian" who refused to accept the Nestorian-leaning language of "two natures after the union."

4. The Famous Stand of St. Dioscorus

At the Council of Chalcedon, when pressured to accept the two-nature formula, St. Dioscorus famously prioritized the Patristical truth over political safety. When his jaw was broken and his beard was plucked by the mobs, he sent the teeth and hair back to Alexandria, saying, "This is the fruit of the faith."

Summary Connectivity

• Eutyches was the heretic whose confusion caused the crisis.
• Eusebius of Dorylaeum was the catalyst who used Eutyches' error to push for an incorrect Dyophysite division.
• St. Dioscorus was the defender of the Cyrillian faith who was unjustly condemned for refusing to divide Christ.
• St. Severus was the light who emerged later to vindicate St. Dioscorus and solidify the Miaphysite position against both Eutyches and the followers of Eusebius.

In the Coptic Liturgy, we remember St. Dioscorus as a hero of the faith who maintained that the divinity never parted from the humanity for a single moment nor a twinkling of an eye.