“I Offer You… the Divinity”? The Limits of Admissible Prayer Language in the Light of Nicene-Chalcedonian Christology and the Lex Orandi – Lex Credendi Principle

Dariusz Chełstowski

dariusz.chelstowski@icloud.com
University of Presov, Slovakia (Slovakia)
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3112-6963

Abstract

The article offers a critical theological analysis of the central formula of the Divine Mercy Chaplet: “Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son”. The aim of the study is to evaluate the structure of this prayer in the light of the Christology of the Councils of Nicaea I (325) and Chalcedon (451) as well as the principle lex orandi – lex credendi. The methodological approach consists in a structural-dogmatic analysis of the language of prayer, comparing its syntactic construction with the classical distinction in the theology of Christ’s sacrifice (secundum humanitatem – virtute divinitatis). The analysis shows that the term “Divinity” is placed within the same sequence of objects of the offering as the elements referring to Christ’s human nature. This structure creates a controversy between the literal wording of the prayer and the classical Christological distinction concerning the two natures and their operations. The article also examines contemporary attempts to reinterpret the formula – especially symbolic, Eucharistic, and perichoretic interpretations – and points to their methodological limitations. The conclusion argues that the problem of the formula concerns not the spiritual intention of the prayer but the theological structure of its language in relation to the normative Christology of the Church.

Keywords:

Divine Mercy Chaplet, Christology, Council of Nicaea I, Council of Chalcedon, lex orandi – lex credendi, theology of sacrifice, functional subordinationism, language of prayer

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Published
2026-06-30

Cited by

Chełstowski, D. (2026). “I Offer You… the Divinity”? The Limits of Admissible Prayer Language in the Light of Nicene-Chalcedonian Christology and the Lex Orandi – Lex Credendi Principle. Warsaw Theological Studies, 39(1), 31–47. https://doi.org/10.30439/WST.2026.1.3

Authors

Dariusz Chełstowski 
dariusz.chelstowski@icloud.com
University of Presov, Slovakia Slovakia
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3112-6963

Dariusz Chełstowski, PhD — graduate of the Faculty of Philosophy and Sociology at the University of Warsaw, holding a doctorate in the social sciences. He is currently affiliated with the Orthodox Theological Faculty of the University of Prešov in Prešov. His research interests include patristics, Byzantine philosophy and theology, the aesthetics of the icon, and Christian missions among the Jews.



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