In the 7th century, Byzantine emperor Heraclius attempted to solve the schism created by the Monophysites and Chalcedonians, and suggested the compromise of Monoenergism. This compromise adopted the Chalcedonian belief that Christ had two natures, combined with the Monophysite view that Christ had one "will." The definition of the term "will" was left deliberately vague. Monoenergism was accepted by the Patriarchs of Constantinople, Antioch, and Alexandria, as well as by the Armenians, though not by the Patriarch of Jerusalem or Pope Honorius I. The lack of support from the Pope led Heraclius to abandon the belief in 638. Instead he declared the doctrine of Monothelitism, though this did not solve the schism either.
It is argued that Sophronius used his version of the miracles to strengthen his claims for the orthodoxy of those who opposed the imperially-sponsored doctrines of monoenergism and its later development, monothelitism.
In what follows I focus on what the Greek, the Latin and, to a lesser extent, the Arabic versions of this text have to tell us about the relations between Christians in the eras in which they were composed.
Monoenergism was accepted by the Patriarchs of Constantinople, Antioch, and Alexandria, as well as by the Armenians, though not by the Patriarch of Jerusalem or Pope Honorius I.
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