Course:Carey HIST501/Project 1/Nestorianism

Biographical information of key leader(s) of the heresy/controversy

•Nestorius was born in c. 386 at Germanicia, Province of Syria, Roman Empire (now Kahramanmaras, Turkey)

•His parents were of Persian origin

•He schooled at Antioch (in modern Turkey)

•He was tutored by Theodore (Bishop of Mopsuestia)

•He was a monk at St. Euprepius

•He was ascetic, orthodox, and eloquent after his ordination as priest

•He was nominated as bishop of Constantinople in 428 by Theodosius II

•He taught that Christ’s divinity is independent of his humanity

•And that only the human Jesus was in Mary’s womb

•He was exiled to his monastery for four years consequently

•In exile, he wrote the “Book of Heraclides of Damascus”

•He died in c. 451 in Panopolis

Time frame when the heresy “flourished”

•A teaching originated in the Antioch school (Asia Minor and Syria) by Diodorus and Theodore

•Christological doctrine advanced by Nestorius in the 5th century

•Opposed the Arian controversy

•Affirmed the divine Word at Christ’s incarnation as making Christ complete man

•Denied Christ’s divinity

•Debunked Mary as “ Mother of God” (Theotokos)

•Represented Christ as God-inspired man, not God-made-man

•One of the major Christological heresies in the church

Opponents to the heresy/controversy and/or church council which dealt with the heresy/controversy

•The Chalcedon Council in 451 CE condemned the teaching of Nestorius as heretical

•The Second Council of Ephesus in 431 CE also debunked his teaching of Mary as not the mother of God and his Christological doctrine

•This led to the Nestorian schism

•Churches in support of Nestorius broke from the rest of the Christian church

Impact of the heresy/controversy to the Christian Church

•Reaffirmed by patriarch Babai, rendering the church Nestorian

•Barsumas of Persia acknowledged Theodore bishop of Mopsuestia as chief Nestorian  in February 486

•Original Nestorians were termed Assyrians

•Nestorians formed the ancient Church of the East

•Nestorians formed the Assyrian church and the Persian church

•Nestorians reunited with Rome in 1551 and were termed the Chaldeans

•Nestorian Christians spread to the Mongol realm, reaching the Great Khan

•Nestorian churches appeared in Arabia, India, Tibet, Malabar, Turkostan, Cyprus

•Nestorians built monasteries in the key cities of China

•Nestorianism was active in Asia in the twelfth century

•It became a state religion of Kidans during the reign of Elyui Dashi

•Many Nestorian churches still exist this day but with low spirituality

•Nestorianism has led to diverse theosophysitic beliefs and new church societies such as New Age metaphysical system of theosophy

•Representatives of the Eastern Church (Nestorians) introduced Christianity into China

•In China, the Nestorian religion is called Jingjiao

•The Nestorians intermarried with other Syriac-speaking people and spread their faith to Japan, Turkestan, etc.

•It was a widespread religion in the empire of Genghis Khan, and the Yuan Dynasty

•The discovery of the Nestorian Stele in 1625 confirmed Christianity as part of China’s past

Nestorianism: Impact of Heresy in other parts of the World

•The Arab culture was formed by Nestorian scholars

•Nestorians dominated Egypt

•Nestorian community flourished in China from 7th -10th century

•Nestorians converted the Tartar tribes in Central Asia

•Nestorian communities lingered in Iraq Nestorians live in present day Iraq, Syria, and Iran

References

Chapman, John. “Nestorius and Nestorianism” and “Cyril of Alexandria, St.” The Catholic   Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton, 1914.

Cross F. L. and Livingstone E. A., eds. “Nestorius.” The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian   Church. Oxford: Oxford Publishing, 1997.

Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria. “Anathamas” and “Exposition.” Documents of the Christian Church.   Selected and Edited by Henry Bettenson. London: Oxford University Press, 1967.

Dowley, Tim, ed. Eerdman’s Handbook to the History of Christianity. Berkhamsted, Herts: Lion   Publishing, 1977.

Kelly, J. N. D. “Nestorius.” Encyclopedia Britannica, July 31, 2019. https://www.Britannica.com/biography/Nestorius.