The Byzantine emperor Zeno issued the Henoticon to reunify Chalcedonian and Miaphysite churches. Promulgated in 482, the document attempted to soften the theological dispute that had divided the Eastern Roman Empire.
The controversy centered on how to describe Christ’s nature. The Council of Chalcedon in 451 affirmed that Christ existed in two natures, divine and human. Many Christians in Egypt, Syria, and other eastern provinces rejected the council’s formulation and became associated with the Miaphysite tradition, which emphasized the unity of Christ’s nature.
Zeno’s policy was politically motivated as well as theological. The empire needed stability in provinces where Miaphysite communities were strong, while Constantinople remained largely Chalcedonian. The Henoticon affirmed earlier creeds and condemned certain teachings, but it avoided directly endorsing Chalcedon’s disputed terminology. This compromise satisfied neither side fully.
The document contributed to the Acacian Schism, a dispute between Constantinople and Rome that lasted until 519. Zeno’s successor, Anastasius I, also supported reconciliation efforts, but he was not the emperor who issued the Henoticon.