Nestorius
Saint Nestorius | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Constantinople | |
| Born | c. 386 Germanicia, Syria (now Kahramanmaraş, Turkey) |
| Died | c. 451 Great Oasis of Hibis (al-Khargah), Egypt |
| Venerated in | Assyrian Church of the East |
| Feast | October 25 |
| Controversy | Stigmatization as a heretic |
Nestorius (Greek: Νεστόριος; c. 386 – c. 451) was Archbishop of Constantinople from 10 April 428 to 22 June 431. His views were popular in the East.
History
[change | change source]Nestorius objected to the popular custom of calling the Mary, the mother of Jesus, "Theotokos", meaning the "mother of God". Nestorius believed that Jesus had two natures: one human and one divine. That belief, now called Nestorianism, was different from that of Cyril of Alexandria, who considered Jesus to be both man and god at once. Nestorius called Cyril a heretic.
At the Council of Ephesus, Nestorius wanted Cyril charged with heresy. Most of the bishops who agreed with Nestorius came from the East and did not arrive at the council meeting before the decision was made. Most of the bishops who were at the meeting agreed with Cyril, and Nestorius was removed from his position as archbishop and sent into exile in Egypt.
In the East, the churches still supported Nestorius and did not accept his removal. As a result, they set up their own group of churches, known as the Assyrian Church of the East, in Persia.