then explained his theory by the illustration that as the body is controlled by the soul, so is the human nature in Christ controlled by His Divine Will—an illustration which certainly ought to have opened Honorius's eyes, even if the proposal to abandon the orthodox expression, "two energies," did not already alarm him. Now this letter of Sergius was condemned by the Sixth General Council. But this same letter Honorius approved.
Honorius replied that he learns from Sergius's letter that new controversies have been stirred up by a certain Sophronius, a monk, now Bishop of Jerusalem, against "our brother, Cyrus of Alexandria, who taught converts from heresy the doctrine of one energy in Christ." He is glad to hear that this expression, "one energy," has been abandoned, because it "might give offence to the simple." Honorius, however, asserts for himself "we confess one will of our Lord Jesus Christ," and explains that there was no diverse or conflicting will in the human nature of Christ; no conflict that is of the flesh against the spirit. He says that we may not erect into dogmas of the Church the statements that in Christ there is one energy or two, since neither the New Testament nor the Councils have so taught. He says, further, that he desires to reject everything which as a novelty of expression might cause uneasiness in the Church. He is quite aware that the expression "two energies" might be considered Nestorian, and "one energy" Eutychian. Accordingly, he "exhorts" Sergius to avoid both expressions and to keep to the already sanctioned phrases.
This letter of Honorius was utilised in the East to justify the Monothelite heresy—the existence of one will in Christ. Honorius died shortly after its publication (638). His successor, John IV., defended Honorius's orthodoxy on the ground that, since Sergius's enquiry
