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88-686: The First Council of Ephesus in 431 and the Council of Chalcedon in 451 condemned Nestorius and his doctrine , which emphasized the radical distinctness between Christ's human and divine natures . That forced a breach between the churches that defended Nestorius and the state church of the Roman Empire , which caused the Church of the East , the Christian church of Sassanid Persia, to become known as

176-607: A "consistent, if none too clear, exponent of the longstanding Antiochene dogmatic tradition." Nestorius was greatly surprised that what he had always taught in Antioch without any controversy whatsoever should prove to be so objectionable to the Christians of Constantinople. Nestorius emphasized the dual natures of Christ , trying to find a middle ground between those who emphasized the fact that in Christ God had been born as

264-562: A Sacra calling for the metropolitan bishops to assemble in the city of Ephesus, which was a special seat for the veneration of Mary, where the theotokos formula was popular. Each bishop was to bring only his more eminent suffragans. The date set by the Emperor for the opening of the council was Pentecost (7 June) 431. McGuckin notes that the vagueness of the Sacra resulted in wide variations of interpretation by different bishops. In particular,

352-578: A centre of Nestorianism. In 484, the Sassanids executed the pro-Byzantine Catholicos Babowai and enabled the Nestorian bishop of Nisibis, Barsauma , to increase his influence over the bishops of the region. That effectively ended links between Persian Christianity and the Roman Empire. The schism ended in 544, when patriarch Aba I ratified the decision of the Council of Chalcedon. After this, there

440-418: A council without the official reading of the Emperor's Sacra. A number of bishops, who were undecided between Nestorius and Cyril, did not want to give Cyril, as one party in the dispute, the right to chair the meeting and decide the agenda; however, they began to take Cyril's side for various reasons. Various circumstances including a detour necessitated by flooding as well as sickness and death of some of

528-533: A disturbance and discord among the people with an outcry, as though the emperor were opposed to God; they rose up against the nobles and the chiefs who acquiesced not in what had been done by them and they were running hither and thither. And... they took with them those who had been separated and removed from the monasteries by reason of their lives and their strange manners and had for this reason been expelled, and all who were of heretical sects and were possessed with fanaticism and with hatred against me. And one passion

616-458: A few. In the letters to the emperor and the pope which were then dispatched, the synod described itself as now consisting of 210 bishops. The long letter to Celestine gave a full account of the council, and mentioned that the pope's decrees against the Pelagians had been read and confirmed. At this session, the bishops approved Canon 7 which condemned any departure from the creed established by

704-525: A majority of the bishops and was subsequently removed from his see . On his own request, he retired to his former monastery, in or near Antioch. In 435, Theodosius II sent him into exile in Upper Egypt, where he lived on until about 451, strenuously defending his views. His last major defender within the Roman Empire , Theodoret of Cyrrhus, finally agreed to anathematize him in 451 during

792-518: A man, and who insisted on calling the Virgin Mary Theotokos ( Greek : Θεοτόκος, "God-bearer"), and those that rejected that title because God as an eternal being could not have been born. Nestorius suggested the title Christotokos ( Χριστοτόκος , "Christ-bearer"), but this proposal did not gain acceptance on either side. Nestorius tried to answer a question considered unsolved: "How can Jesus Christ, being part man, not be partially

880-502: A messenger disguised as a beggar was able to carry a letter to Constantinople by hiding it in a hollow cane. Although Emperor Theodosius had long been a staunch supporter of Nestorius, his loyalty seems to have been shaken by the reports from Cyril's council and caused him to arrive at the extraordinary decision to ratify the depositions decreed by both councils. Thus, he declared that Cyril, Memnon, and John were all deposed. Memnon and Cyril were kept in close confinement. But in spite of all

968-481: A middle ground between those that emphasized the fact that in Christ, God had been born as a man and insisted on calling the Virgin Mary Theotokos ( Greek : Θεοτόκος , "God-bearer") and those that rejected that title because God, as an eternal being, could not have been born. He never divided Christ into two sons (Son of God and Son of Mary), he refused to attribute to the divine nature the human acts and sufferings of

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1056-595: A pupil of Theodore of Mopsuestia in Antioch . He was living as a priest and monk in the monastery of Euprepius near the walls, and he gained a reputation for his sermons that led to his enthronement by Theodosius II , as Patriarch of Constantinople, following the 428 death of Sisinnius I . Shortly after his arrival in Constantinople, Nestorius became involved in the disputes of two theological factions, which differed in their Christology . Nestorius tried to find

1144-493: A safeguard against identification of the Word with the flesh. So Mary is Theotokos - because the Word was united to the temple... which is in nature consubstantial with the holy Virgin... It is in virtue of this union that the holy Virgin is called Theotokos ” - Nestorius of Constantinople, Sermon XVIII Nestorius sought to defend himself at the Council of Ephesus in 431, but instead found himself formally condemned for heresy by

1232-562: A sinner as well, since man is by definition a sinner since the Fall?" To solve that he taught that Mary, the mother of Jesus gave birth to the incarnate Christ, not the divine Logos who existed before Mary and indeed before time itself. The Logos occupied the part of the human soul (the part of man that was stained by the Fall). But wouldn't the absence of a human soul make Jesus less human? Nestorius rejected this proposition, answering that, because

1320-471: A synod in Rome convened by Celestine. The bishops asked Theodosius to allow them to go home since so many of them suffered from their presence at Ephesus. At the fourth session, Cyril and Memnon presented a formal protest against John of Antioch for convening a separate conciliabulum. The council issued a summons for him to appear before them, but he would not even receive the envoys who were sent to serve him

1408-476: A union of human and divine occurred, Nestorius believed that Christ could not truly be consubstantial with God and consubstantial with us because he would grow, mature, suffer and die (which Nestorius argued God cannot do) and also would possess the power of God that would separate him from being equal to humans. According to McGuckin, several mid-twentieth-century accounts have tended to "romanticise" Nestorius; in opposition to this view, he asserts that Nestorius

1496-400: A word that he disliked (Theotokos) but which could be interpreted as having an orthodox meaning especially in light of the fact that many saints and doctors of the church had sanctioned the word by using it themselves. John wrote to Nestorius, "Don't lose your head. Ten days! It will not take you twenty-four hours to give the needed answer.... Ask advice of men you can trust. Ask them to tell you

1584-402: Is an English translation of this work, but it was criticized as inaccurate, as well as the older French translation. Further scholarly analyses have shown that several early interpolations have been made in the text, sometime in the second half of the 5th century. In 1895, a 16th-century book manuscript containing a copy of a text written by Nestorius was discovered by American missionaries in

1672-551: Is known as the Hypostatic union . Nestorius's opponents charged him with detaching Christ's divinity and humanity into two persons existing in one body, thereby denying the reality of the Incarnation . It is not clear whether Nestorius actually taught that. Eusebius , a layman who later became the bishop of the neighbouring Dorylaeum, was the first to accuse Nestorius of heresy, but the most forceful opponent of Nestorius

1760-723: Is primarily to be attributed to the German scholar, Friedrich Loofs , of Halle University. In the Bazaar , written about 450, Nestorius denies the heresy for which he was condemned and instead affirms of Christ "the same one is twofold"—an expression that some consider similar to the formulation of the Council of Chalcedon . Nestorius' earlier surviving writings, however, including his letter written in response to Cyril 's charges against him, contain material that has been interpreted by some to imply that at that time he held that Christ had two persons. Others view this material as merely emphasising

1848-634: The Arian , Apollinarian and Eunomian heresies and condemned Memnon for inciting violence. The bishops at this council deposed both Cyril and Memnon. Initially, the emperor concurred with the actions of John's council but eventually withdrew his concurrence. The second session was held in Memnon's episcopal residence. Philip, as papal legate, opened the proceedings by commenting that the present question regarding Nestorius had already been decided by Pope Celestine as evidenced by his letter, which had been read to

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1936-466: The Byzantine Emperor . Nestorius himself used the title Theotokos and did not advocate for its ban. His teachings included cautious usage of the title Theotokos ( God – Bearer ), used for Mary, mother of Jesus , in order that Christ’s human and divine natures not be confused, as he believed Christ was born according to his humanity and not his divinity, which indicated his preference for

2024-459: The Church of the East in China did not teach a doctrine of two distinct natures of Christ. First Council of Ephesus Autocephaly recognized by some autocephalous Churches de jure : Autocephaly and canonicity recognized by Constantinople and 3 other autocephalous Churches: Spiritual independence recognized by Georgian Orthodox Church: Semi-Autonomous: The Council of Ephesus

2112-617: The Council of Chalcedon . From then on, he had no defenders within the empire, but the Church of the East in the Persian empire never accepted his condemnation. That led later western Christians to give the name Nestorian Church to the Church of the East where his teachings were deemed orthodox and in line with its own teachings. Nestorius is revered as among three "Greek Teachers" of the so-called Nestorian Church (in addition to Diodorus of Tarsus and Theodore of Mopsuestia ). The Church of

2200-659: The Council of Chalcedon . Persia had long been home to a Christian community that had been persecuted by the Zoroastrian majority, which had accused it of Roman leanings. In 424, the Persian Church declared itself independent of the Byzantine and all other churches, in order to ward off allegations of foreign allegiance. Following the Nestorian Schism, the Persian Church increasingly aligned itself with

2288-584: The Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II to call a council in which all grievances could be aired, hoping that he would be vindicated and Cyril condemned. Approximately 250 bishops were present. The proceedings were conducted in a heated atmosphere of confrontation and recriminations and created severe tensions between Cyril and Theodosius II. Nestorius was decisively outplayed by Cyril and removed from his see , and his teachings were officially anathematized . This precipitated

2376-528: The First Council of Nicaea , in particular an exposition by the priest Charisius. According to a report from Cyril to Celestine, Juvenal of Jerusalem tried and failed to create for himself a patriarchate from the territory of the Antiochene patriarchate in which his see lay. He ultimately succeeded in this goal twenty years later at the Council of Chalcedon . At this session, the council approved

2464-881: The Nestorian Schism , by which churches supportive of Nestorius, especially in the Persian Empire of the Sassanids , were severed from the rest of Christendom and became known as Nestorian Christianity , or the Church of the East , whose present-day representatives are the Assyrian Church of the East , the Ancient Church of the East , the Chaldean Syrian Church , and the Chaldean Catholic Church (which restored communion with Rome ). John McGuckin cites

2552-534: The School of Antioch , largely revolved around his rejection of the long-used title Theotokos ("Carrier of God") for the Virgin Mary . Shortly after his arrival in Constantinople, Nestorius became involved in the disputes of two theological factions, which differed in their Christology . McGuckin ascribes Nestorius' importance to his being the representative of the Antiochene tradition and characterizes him as

2640-628: The School of Edessa and were separated from the rest of the Christian Church. Anathemised in the Roman Empire, they relocated to the Sassanid Empire , where they were welcomed by Persian Christians, who had already declared independence from Constantinople in an attempt to cast off accusations of foreign allegiance. The School of Edessa relocated to the Mesopotamian city of Nisibis . The School of Nisibis thereafter became

2728-775: The Virgin Mary may be called the Christotokos , "Christ-bearer" but not the Theotokos , "God-bearer". It met from 22 June to 31 July 431 at the Church of Mary in Ephesus in Anatolia . Nestorius' doctrine, Nestorianism , which emphasized the distinction between Christ's human and divine natures and argued that Mary should be called Christotokos (Christ-bearer) but not Theotokos (God-bearer), had brought him into conflict with other church leaders, most notably Cyril , Patriarch of Alexandria . Nestorius himself had requested

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2816-524: The "elevated intellectual argument about christology" as ultimately one and the same as the "validity and security of the simple Christian life". Even within Constantinople, some supported the Roman-Alexandrian and others supported the Nestorian factions. For example, Pulcheria supported the Roman-Alexandrian popes while the emperor and his wife supported Nestorius. Contention over Nestorius' teachings, which he developed during his studies at

2904-437: The "fervent and unquestioned loyalty" of the local populace and thus could count on the support of local factions to counterbalance the military might of Candidian's troops. In view of the verdict of Rome against Nestorius, Memnon refused to have communion with Nestorius, closing the churches of Ephesus to him. Cyril brought with him 50 bishops, arriving only a few days before Pentecost. There were very few bishops representing

2992-403: The "innate rivalry" between Alexandria and Constantinople as an important factor in the controversy between Cyril of Alexandria and Nestorius. However, he emphasizes that, as much as political competition contributed to an "overall climate of dissent", the controversy cannot be reduced merely to the level of "personality clashes" or "political antagonisms". According to McGuckin, Cyril viewed

3080-669: The Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East marked the resolution of a dispute between those two churches that had existed since the Council of Ephesus. They expressed their common understanding of doctrine concerning the divinity and humanity of Christ, and recognized the legitimacy and rightness of their respective descriptions of Mary as, on the Assyrian side, "the Mother of Christ our God and Saviour", and, on

3168-565: The Catholic side, as "the Mother of God" and also as "the Mother of Christ". Nestorius Nestorius ( / ˌ n ɛ s ˈ t ɔːr i ə s / ; Ancient Greek : Νεστόριος ; c.  386  – c.  451 ) was an early Christian prelate who served as Archbishop of Constantinople from 10 April 428 to August 431. A Christian theologian from the Catechetical School of Antioch , several of his teachings in

3256-425: The East's Eucharistic Service, which is known to be among the oldest in the world, incorporates prayers attributed to Nestorius himself. The discovery, translation and publication of his Bazaar of Heracleides at the beginning of the 20th century have led to a reassessment of his theology in western scholarship. It is now generally agreed that his ideas were not far from those that eventually emerged as orthodox, but

3344-422: The Emperor to convene the council, hoping that it would prove his orthodoxy ; the council in fact condemned his teachings as heresy . The council declared Mary as Theotokos ( Mother of God ). Nestorius' dispute with Cyril had led the latter to seek validation from Pope Celestine I , who offered his support for Cyril to request that Nestorius recant his position or face excommunication . Nestorius pleaded with

3432-516: The Gospels in the centre of the church, as a symbol of Christ's presence among the assembled bishops. Despite three separate summons, Nestorius refused to acknowledge Cyril's authority to stand in judgment of him and considered the opening of the council before the arrival of the Antiochene contingent as a "flagrant injustice". The 68 bishops who opposed opening the council entered the church in protest, arriving with Count Candidian who declared that

3520-719: The Holy Ghost in Nicæa". It quoted the Nicene Creed as adopted by the First Council of Nicaea in 325, not as added to and modified by the First Council of Constantinople in 381. Although some scholars, such as Norman Cohn and Peter Toon , have suggested that the Council of Ephesus rejected premillennialism , this is a misconception, and there is no evidence of the Council making any such declaration. The bishops at Cyril's council outnumbered those at John of Antioch's council by nearly four to one. In addition, they had

3608-589: The Nestorian Church, as it took the side of Nestorius. However, in 544 the schism came to an end when patriarch Aba I ratified the decision of Chalcedon. The doctrine of Nestorianism is associated with Nestorius , the Patriarch of Constantinople from 428 to 431. Prior to becoming Patriarch, Nestorius had been a student of Theodore of Mopsuestia at the School of Antioch . Nestorius argued that Christ's human and divine natures were distinct and so he

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3696-713: The Nestorians, a measure encouraged by the Zoroastrian ruling class. The Persian Church became increasingly Nestorian in doctrine over the next decades, furthering the divide between Christianity in Persia and in the Roman Empire. In 486 the Metropolitan of Nisibis , Barsauma , publicly accepted Nestorius' mentor, Theodore of Mopsuestia , as a spiritual authority. In 489 when the School of Edessa in Mesopotamia

3784-515: The Pope's commission, Cyril convened a synod of Egyptian bishops which condemned Nestorius as well. Cyril then sent four suffragan bishops to deliver both the Pope's commission as well as the synodal letter of the Egyptian bishops. Cyril sent a letter to Nestorius known as "The Third Epistle of Saint Cyril to Nestorius." This epistle drew heavily on the established Patristic Constitutions and contained

3872-463: The West misunderstood and misrepresented his theology, and rejects that Nestorius taught any heresy. Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV repudiated the exonym Nestorian on the occasion of his accession in 1976. In the Roman Empire, the doctrine of Monophysitism developed in reaction to Nestorianism. The new doctrine asserted that Christ had but one nature, his human nature being absorbed into his divinity. It

3960-592: The West, as the papal representatives would not arrive until July. The Palestinian delegation of 16 bishops and Metropolitan Flavian of Philippi arrived 5 days after the date that had been set for opening the council, and aligned themselves with Cyril. At this point, Cyril announced his intention to open the council; however, Candidian enjoined him from doing so on the grounds that the Roman and Antiochean delegations had not arrived yet. Cyril initially acceded to Candidian's injunction knowing that he could not legally convene

4048-480: The agreement of the papal legates and the support of the population of Ephesus who supported their bishop, Memnon. However, Count Candidian and his troops supported Nestorius as did Count Irenaeus. The emperor had always been a firm supporter of Nestorius, but had been somewhat shaken by the reports of the council. Cyril's group was unable to communicate with the emperor because of interference from supporters of Nestorius both at Constantinople and at Ephesus. Ultimately,

4136-469: The argument for Christ's integrity" and concede the "ill-advised nature of Nestorius' immoveability." Concerned at the potential for a negative result at a council, they urged Nestorius to yield and accept the use of the title Theotokos when referring to the Virgin Mary. For example, John of Antioch wrote to Nestorius urging him to submit to the Pope's judgment and cease stirring up controversy over

4224-484: The assembled bishops in the first session. He indicated that he had a second letter from Celestine which was read to the bishops now in attendance. The letter contained a general exhortation to the council, and concluded by saying that the legates had instructions to carry out what the pope had decided on the question and expressed Celestine's confidence that the council would agree. The bishops indicated their approval by acclaiming Celestine and Cyril. Projectus indicated that

4312-520: The assembly was illegal and must disperse. He urged Cyril to wait four more days for the Syrian delegation to arrive. However, since even the bishops opposed to opening the council were now present, Cyril maneuvered Candidian by means of a ruse to read out the text of the Emperor's decree of convocation, which the assembly then acclaimed as recognition of its own legality. When John of Antioch and his Syrian bishops finally reached Ephesus five days after

4400-410: The church was misnamed the "Nestorian Church" by its opponents. Nestorius is however not a major figure in this church. In modern times, the Assyrian Church of the East , the descendant of the historical Church of the East, reveres Nestorius as a saint , but the modern church does not subscribe to the entirety of the Nestorian doctrine as it has traditionally been understood in the West, believing that

4488-471: The claim of the bishops of Cyprus that their see had been anciently and rightly exempt from the jurisdiction of Antioch. The council also passed five canons condemning Nestorius and Caelestius and their followers as heretics and a sixth one decreeing deposition from clerical office or excommunication for those who did not accept the Council's decrees. Eight canons were passed: The Council denounced Nestorius' teaching as erroneous and decreed that Jesus

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4576-460: The concept of a loose prosopic union of two natures (divine and human) of Christ, over the concept of their full hypostatic union . That brought him into conflict with Cyril of Alexandria and other prominent churchmen of the time, who accused him of heresy. “ If the babe and the Lord of the babe are one and the same person , the suspected phrase ‘inhabitant of the babe' must be simply intended as

4664-420: The council was in progress, John I of Antioch and the eastern bishops arrived and were furious to hear that Nestorius had already been condemned. They convened their own synod, at which Cyril was deposed. Both sides then appealed to the emperor. Initially, the imperial government ordered both Nestorius and Cyril to be deposed and exiled. Nestorius was made to return to his monastery at Antioch, and Maximian

4752-410: The council's actions. The events created a major schism between the followers of the different versions of the council, which was only mended by difficult negotiations. The factions that supported John of Antioch acquiesced in the condemnation of Nestorius and, after additional clarifications, accepted the decisions of Cyril's council. However, the rift would open again during the debates leading up to

4840-414: The council, they met with Candidian who informed them that Cyril had begun a council without them and had ratified Celestine's conviction of Nestorius as a heretic. Angered at having undertaken such a long and arduous journey only to have been pre-empted by actions taken by Cyril's council, John and the Syrian bishops held their own Council with Candidian presiding. This council condemned Cyril for espousing

4928-422: The council. Theodosius appointed Count Candidian as the head of the imperial palace guard to represent him, to supervise the proceedings of the Council, and to keep good order in the city of Ephesus. Despite Nestorius' agenda of prosecuting Cyril, Theodosius intended for the council to focus strictly on the christological controversy. He thus gave Candidianus strict directions to remain neutral and not to interfere in

5016-423: The delegates seriously delayed John of Antioch and his bishops. It was rumored that John might be delaying his arrival in order to avoid participating in a council which was likely to condemn Nestorius as a heretic. Two weeks after the date set for the council, John and the bulk of his Syrian group (42 members) had not yet appeared. At this point, Cyril formally opened the council on Monday, 22 June by enthroning

5104-614: The distinction between how the pre-incarnate Logos is the Son of God and how the incarnate Emmanuel , including his physical body, is truly called the Son of God. Though Nestorius had been condemned by the Imperial church, there was a faction loyal to him and his teachings. Following the Nestorian schism , many Nestorian Christians were forced to relocate to the communities in Persia , and

5192-607: The efforts of the Antiochene party, the representatives of the envoys whom the council was eventually allowed to send, with the legate Philip, to the Court, persuaded the emperor to accept Cyril's council as the true one. Seeing the writing on the wall and anticipating his fate, Nestorius requested permission to retire to his former monastery. The synod was dissolved in the beginning of October, and Cyril arrived amid much joy at Alexandria on 30 October. Pope Celestine had died on 27 July but his successor, Sixtus III , gave papal confirmation to

5280-469: The emperor in the summer of 430 for the assembling of a council. He now hastened it, and the summons had been issued to patriarchs and metropolitans on 19 November, before the pope's sentence, delivered through Cyril of Alexandria, and was served on Nestorius. Emperor Theodosius II convoked a general church council, at Ephesus, itself a special seat for the veneration of Mary, where the Theotokos formula

5368-492: The facts, not just what they think will please you.... You have the whole of the East against you, as well as Egypt." Despite this advice from his colleagues, Nestorius persisted in maintaining the rightness of his position. On 19 November, Nestorius, anticipating the ultimatum which was about to be delivered, convinced Emperor Theodosius II to summon a general council through which Nestorius hoped to convict Cyril of heresy and thereby vindicate his own teachings. Theodosius issued

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5456-422: The fields of Christology and Mariology were seen as controversial and caused major disputes. In 431, he was condemned and deposed from his see by the Council of Ephesus , presided over by his archrival Cyril of Alexandria , but the counter-council led by John of Antioch vindicated him and deposed Cyril in return. Nestorius refrained from attending both of these councils and instead sought retirement from

5544-458: The human soul was based on the archetype of the Logos, only to become polluted by the Fall, Jesus was "more" human for having the Logos and not "less". Consequently, Nestorius argued that the Virgin Mary should be called Christotokos , Greek for "Carrier of Christ", and not Theotokos , Greek for "Carrier of God". Nestorius believed that no union between the human and divine was possible. If such

5632-510: The library of the Nestorian patriarch in the mountains at Qudshanis, Hakkari . This book had suffered damage during Muslim conquests, but was substantially intact, and copies were taken secretly. The Syriac translation had the title of the Bazaar of Heracleides . The original 16th-century manuscript was destroyed in 1915 during the Turkish massacres of Assyrian Christians . Edition of this work

5720-517: The man Jesus Christ. Nestorius suggested the title Christotokos ( Χριστοτόκος , "Christ-bearer"), but he did not find acceptance on either side. " Nestorianism " refers to the doctrine that there are two distinct hypostases in the Incarnate Christ, the one Divine and the other human. The teaching of all churches that accept the Council of Ephesus is that in the Incarnate Christ is a single hypostasis, God and man at once. That doctrine

5808-738: The monastery in Antioch in which he had been staying to a monastery in the Great Oasis of Hibis ( al-Khargah ), in Egypt, securely within the diocese of Cyril . The monastery suffered attacks by desert bandits, and Nestorius was injured in one such raid. Nestorius seems to have survived there until at least 450 (given the evidence of The Book of Heraclides ). Nestorius died shortly after the Council of Chalcedon in 451, in Thebaid , Egypt. Very few of Nestorius' writings survive, many being destroyed by his opponents. There are several letters preserved in

5896-551: The most famous article of Alexandrian Orthodoxy: "The Twelve Anathemas of Saint Cyril." In these anathemas , Cyril excommunicated anyone who followed the teachings of Nestorius. For example, "Anyone who dares to deny the Holy Virgin the title Theotokos is Anathema!" Nestorius however, still would not repent. McGuckin points out that other representatives of the Antiochene tradition such as John of Antioch , Theodoret and Andrew of Samosata were able to recognize "the point of

5984-469: The neighbouring Dorylaeum was the first to accuse Nestorius of heresy, but his most forceful opponent was Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria . Cyril argued that Nestorianism split Jesus in half and denied that he was both human and divine. Cyril appealed to Pope Celestine I , charging Nestorius with heresy . The Pope agreed and gave Cyril his authority to serve a notice to Nestorius to recant his views within ten days or else be excommunicated . Before acting on

6072-530: The orthodoxy of his formulation of the doctrine of Christ is still controversial. Sources place the birth of Nestorius around 386 in the city of Germanicia in the Province of Syria, Roman Empire (now Kahramanmaraş in Turkey ). A Syriac source mentioned that Nestorius was of Persian origin, while others have stated he was of Hellenized Antiochian or Syrian origin. He received his clerical training as

6160-563: The papal letter enjoined the council to put into effect the sentence pronounced by Celestine. Firmus, the Exarch of Caesarea in Cappadocia, responded that the pope's sentence had already been carried out in the first session. The session closed with the reading of the pope's letter to the emperor. Having read the Acts of the first session, the papal legates indicated that all that was required

6248-452: The perception that Candidian's troops were, in fact, there to support Nestorius. Candidian ordered all monks and lay strangers to leave the city; he further instructed the bishops not to leave on any pretext until the council was concluded. Several sources comment that the purpose of this injunction was to prevent bishops from leaving the council to appeal to the emperor directly. According to McGuckin, Memnon, as bishop of Ephesus, commanded

6336-606: The records of the Council of Ephesus, and fragments of a few others. About 30 sermons are extant, mostly in fragmentary form. The only complete treatise is the lengthy defence of his theological position, The Bazaar of Heraclides , written in exile at the Oasis, which survives in Syriac translation. It must have been written no earlier than 450, as he knows of the death of the Emperor Theodosius II (29 July 450). There

6424-526: The summons. Next day the fifth session was held in the same church. John had set up a placard in the city accusing the synod of the Apollinarian heresy . He was again cited, and this was counted as the third canonical summons. He paid no attention. In consequence the council suspended and excommunicated him, together with thirty-four bishops of his party, but refrained from deposing them. Some of John's party had already deserted him, and he had gained only

6512-471: The theological proceedings. It is generally assumed that Candidian initially maintained his neutrality as instructed by the emperor and only gradually became more biased towards Nestorius. McGuckin, however, suggests that Candidian may have favored Nestorius from the start. Celestine sent Arcadius and Projectus, to represent himself and his Roman council; in addition, he sent the Roman priest, Philip, as his personal representative. Cyril Patriarch of Alexandria

6600-419: The vastness of John of Antioch's ecclesiastical territory required a lengthy period to notify and gather his delegates. Because the overland trip from Antioch to Ephesus was long and arduous, John composed his delegation of his metropolitan bishops who were restricted to bring no more than two suffragans each. By doing so, he minimized the number who would have to travel to Ephesus. Neither of the emperors attended

6688-410: Was Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria . This naturally caused great excitement at Constantinople, especially among the clergy, who were clearly not well disposed to Nestorius, the stranger from Antioch. Cyril appealed to Pope Celestine I to make a decision, and Celestine delegated to Cyril the job of excommunicating Nestorius if he did not change his teachings within 10 days. Nestorius had arranged with

6776-540: Was a council of Christian bishops convened in Ephesus (near present-day Selçuk in Turkey ) in AD 431 by the Roman Emperor Theodosius II . This third ecumenical council , an effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom , confirmed the original Nicene Creed , and condemned the teachings of Nestorius , Patriarch of Constantinople , who held that

6864-478: Was against using the title Theotokos (Greek: " God bearer") for the Virgin Mary . He preferred to call her Christotokos (" Christ bearer"). Cyril of Alexandria considered the doctrine contrary to Orthodox teaching and encouraged measures against it. Finally, Nestorius and his doctrine were condemned at the First Council of Ephesus in 431, which was reiterated at the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Afterward, churches aligned with Nestorius were centred on

6952-528: Was already present with his 52 bishops. Nestorius and his 16 bishops were the first to arrive shortly after Easter. As archbishop of the imperial city of Constantinople, he traveled with a detachment of troops who were under the command of Count Candidian. McGuckin notes that the troops were not there to serve as Nestorius' bodyguard but to support Candidian in his role as the emperor's representative. However, McGuckin theorizes that Candidian's progressive abandonment of neutrality in favor of Nestorius may have created

7040-524: Was closed by Byzantine Emperor Zeno for its Nestorian teachings, the school relocated to its original home of Nisibis, becoming again the School of Nisibis , leading to a wave of Nestorian immigration into Persia. The Persian patriarch Mar Babai I (497–502) reiterated and expanded upon the church's esteem for Theodore, solidifying the church's adoption of Nestorianism. In 1994, the Common Christological Declaration between

7128-454: Was consecrated Archbishop of Constantinople in his place. Cyril was eventually allowed to return after bribing various courtiers. In the following months, 17 bishops who supported Nestorius's doctrine were removed from their sees. Eventually, John I of Antioch was obliged to abandon Nestorius, in March 433. On August 3, 435, Theodosius II issued an imperial edict that exiled Nestorius from

7216-412: Was in them all, Jews and pagans and all the sects, and they were busying themselves that they should accept without examination the things which were done without examination against me; and at the same time all of them, even those that had participated with me at table and in prayer and in thought, were agreed... against me and vowing vows one with another against me.... In nothing were they divided. While

7304-411: Was no less dogmatic and uncompromising than Cyril, and that he was clearly just as prepared to use his political and canonical powers as Cyril or any of the other hierarchs of the period. Nestorius's opponents charged him with detaching Christ's divinity and humanity into two persons existing in one body, thereby denying the reality of the Incarnation . Eusebius, a layman who later became the bishop of

7392-400: Was no longer technically any "Nestorian Church", i.e. a church following the doctrine of Nestorianism , although legends persisted that still further to the east such a church was still in existence (associated in particular with the figure of Prester John ), and the label of "Nestorian" continued to be applied even though it was technically no longer correct. Modern research suggests that also

7480-462: Was one person ( hypostasis ), and not two separate persons, yet possessing both a human and divine nature. The Virgin Mary was to be called Theotokos , a Greek word that means "God-bearer" (the one who gave birth to God). The Council declared it "unlawful for any man to bring forward, or to write, or to compose a different (ἑτέραν) Faith as a rival to that established by the holy Fathers assembled with

7568-421: Was popular. The Emperor and his wife supported Nestorius, but Pope Celestine supported Cyril. Cyril took charge of the First Council of Ephesus in 431, opening debate before the long-overdue contingent of Eastern bishops from Antioch arrived. The council deposed Nestorius and declared him a heretic . In Nestorius' own words, When the followers of Cyril saw the vehemence of the emperor... they roused up

7656-455: Was president of the council. Celestine had directed the papal legates not to take part in the discussions, but to give judgment on them. Bishops arrived in Ephesus over a period of several weeks. While waiting for the other bishops to arrive, they engaged in informal discussions characterized as tending to "exasperate rather than heal their differences". The metropolitan of Ephesus, Memnon ,

7744-423: Was that the council's condemnation of Nestorius be formally read in their presence. When this had been done, the three legates each confirmed the council's actions, signing the Acts of all three sessions. The council sent a letter to Theodosius indicating that the condemnation of Nestorius had been agreed upon not only by the bishops of the East meeting in Ephesus but also of the bishops of the West who had convened at

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