The Making of Nestorius

Early Ideas about the Son of God
- Some referred to the Son as one intimately related in dependence on the eternal God
- Some to God himself in his relation to the world of nature
- Some to a man like us who had the spirit of God working pre-eminently in him
- Some to a perfect creature whom God brought into being before everyone else
Nestorius' Ancestry
- Nestorius is a disciple of Theodore of Mopsuestia
- Theodore is a disciple of Diodorus of Tarsus
- Diodorus is a disciple of Lucian of Antioch
- Lucian is a disciple of Paul of Samosata
- Paul of Samosata's ideas developed from the gnostic ideas of Artemon and Theodotus of Byzantium

Gnosticism

Basic Ideas
- Hidden, uncorrupted supreme being and a flawed demiurge responsible for creating the material reality.
- Material existence is evil
- Salvation is direct knowledge of the supreme divinity which is attained by mystical insight
- Jesus
  - Some say Jesus is became incarnate to bring gnosis (spiritual knowledge) to the earth
  - Some say Jesus was a mere human who attained enlightenment through gnosis and taught his disciples to do the same
  - Some say Jesus was divine but did not have a physical body
  - The incarnation comes into question because why would God, who is good, take material flesh, which is evil?
  - The baptism of Christ is a pivotal moment when the divine spirit descended upon the human Jesus of Nazareth (i.e. Jesus received the Christ in the form of a dove)
  - Before the crucifixion, the divine spirit detached from the human Jesus, leaving him to suffer on the cross
Origins
- "These diverse Gnostic groups generally emphasized personal spiritual knowledge (gnosis) above the authority, traditions, and proto-orthodox teachings of organized religious institutions." (Hans Jonas, The Gnostic Religion 1958, p. 334)
- There is no single "origin" of Gnosticism as a school of thought... rather it is the influence of Greek Philosophy (especially Plato), Jewish Apocalyptic writings, Eastern religions (like Zoroastrianism), etc.
- Greek Philosophy
  - Distinction between spiritual and material world; material is inferior
  - Gnosticism took this to an extreme by saying matter is evil
- Eastern Religions
  - Dualism: Cosmic struggle between light and darkness, good and evil
  - Gnosticism took this to an extreme
- Interpreting Hebrew Scripture in Light of Those Ideas
  - Genesis: The creator is oppressive (for creating a fallen world), Eden is a prison of ignorance (no-gnosis), serpent is a liberator
Similarities to Modern Day
- Radical answers to the "Problem of Evil and Suffering"
- "Spiritual but not religious"
- "Against organized religion" - "Organized religion is oppressive"
- Hidden Knowledge
  - Nowadays on the internet everyone is trying to reveal the "hidden knowledge"
- Sola Scriptura
  - Interpreting the Scripture in light of my own knowledge or ideas, as opposed to the traditional sense
  - Rejecting the traditional understanding in favor of my own personal understanding
These ideas are the result of putting personal knowledge above authority, traditions, teachings, discipleship, etc.
- Clear that the devil is working because this is the result of pride

Paul of Samosata (200 - 275 AD)

Patriarch of Antioch (pre-Nicaea)
Possibly the earliest origin of dyophysitism
Taught that Jesus was adopted to be God's son in the baptism - the Holy Spirit came on Him and then the Father said "Today you are My Son" - adopting Him
According to Eusebius of Caesarea's Ecclesiastical History Book V, Paul adopted the gnostic ideas of Artemon and Theodotus of Byzantium. Here, he is quoting from an anonymous writer who is called in modern times "Little Labyrinth" by scholars
- "For [the Artemonites] say that all the early teachers and the apostles received and taught what they now declare, and that the truth of the Gospel was preserved until the times of Victor, who was the thirteenth bishop of Rome from Peter, but that from his successor, Zephyrinus, the truth had been corrupted." (V.28:3)
  - Victor I is the one who declared Theodotus' beliefs of Dynamic Monarchianism (Adoptionism) as heretical
  - They considered that the truth of the Gospel was corrupted after Victor I
- "And what they say might be plausible, if first of all the Divine Scriptures did not contradict them. And there are writings of certain brethren older than the times of Victor, which they wrote in behalf of the truth against the heathen, and against the heresies which existed in their day. I refer to Justin and Miltiades and Tatian and Clement and many others, in all of whose works Christ is spoken of as God. For who does not know the works of Irenæus and of Melito and of others which teach that Christ is God and man? And how many psalms and hymns, written by the faithful brethren from the beginning, celebrate Christ the Word of God, speaking of him as Divine. How then since the opinion held by the Church has been preached for so many years, can its preaching have been delayed as they affirm, until the times of Victor? And how is it that they are not ashamed to speak thus falsely of Victor, knowing well that he cut off from communion Theodotus, the cobbler, the leader and father of this God-denying apostasy, and the first to declare that Christ is mere man? For if Victor agreed with their opinions, as their slander affirms, how came he to cast out Theodotus, the inventor of this heresy?" (V.28:4-6)
  - The Scriptures contradict the ideas
  - Writings of certain brethren before Victor I contradict the ideas
    - Justin the Martyr
    - Miltiades
    - Tatian
    - Clement of Rome
    - Irenaeus
    - Melito of Sardis
    - Psalms and Hymns of the Christian Church
  - Victor, himself, disagreed with them and excommunicated Theodotus!
- "They have treated the Divine Scriptures recklessly and without fear. They have set aside the rule of ancient faith; and Christ they have not known. They do not endeavor to learn what the Divine Scriptures declare, but strive laboriously after any form of syllogism which may be devised to sustain their impiety. And if any one brings before them a passage of Divine Scripture, they see whether a conjunctive or disjunctive form of syllogism can be made from it. And as being of the earth and speaking of the earth, and as ignorant of him who comes from above, they forsake the holy writings of God to devote themselves to geometry. Euclid is laboriously measured by some of them; and Aristotle and Theophrastus are admired; and Galen, perhaps, by some is even worshipped. But that those who use the arts of unbelievers for their heretical opinions and adulterate the simple faith of the Divine Scriptures by the craft of the godless, are far from the faith, what need is there to say? Therefore they have laid their hands boldly upon the Divine Scriptures, alleging that they have corrected them." (V.28:13-15)
  - They subordinate Scripture to Philosophy. It is not wrong that they study Philosophy, but they subject the Scripture to it! They devise syllogisms and then re-interpret the Scripture through them!

Beginnings of Arianism

Lucian of Antioch (240-312 AD)
- Priest
- Nephew of Paul of Samosata
- Teacher of Arius, Diodorus of Tarsus, Eusebius of Nicomedia
Arius (256-336 AD)
- Priest in Alexandria
- Main heretic of the Council of Nicaea
Diodorus of Tarsus (?-390AD)
- Bishop
- Supporter of the Council of Nicaea
- One of the 150 at Constantinople who opposes Apollinaris
- Friend of St Basil, St Meletius of Antioch - they are all united against Arianism.
- Like Paul of Samosata, Jesus and the Logos are uniting - but it's at conception, not at the baptism. It is not God becoming Man, but rather God adopting the man.
- Gregory writes 8 statements/anathemas towards Diodorus (not-named). Word Theotokos is used in one. St Cyril's 12 anathemas will later be based on these.
- Teachings, taken to an extreme, lead to Nestorianism
- Started a school in Antioch
  - Theodore of Mopsuestia
  - St John Chrysostom
Apollinaris (?-382 AD)
- Bishop of Laodicea
- Opponent of Arianism
- In his eagerness to emphasize the divinity of Jesus, he denies the existence of a rational human soul in Christ. He believes that Christ is fully human but instead of a soul, it's the Divinity. His Divinity united with His Body (not with His Humanity).
Eusebius of Nicomedia (?-341 AD)
- Arian Priest & Bishop
- One of the 318 at Nicaea - it is said he "signed by hand, but not by heart" against Arianism
- Exiled St Athanasius
- Baptized Constantine the Great on his deathbed
Theodore of Mopsuestia (350-428 AD)
- Bishop of Mopsuestia
- The teacher of Nestorius, Theodoret of Cyrus, Ibas of Edessa, John of Antioch, Domnus II of Antioch
- Was the most popular student of the School of Antioch - even as a contemporary of John Chrysostom
- Teaching: There is One Person in Christ, in Two Natures
  - In order for humanity to have salvation, God needs to restore Adam. How? By putting Adam on and leaping back into Paradise
  - If He merely unites Himself to a man, then He does not become man. He only saves Jesus of Nazareth. How am I saved? How are you saved?
  - St Cyril says that what is described here is no more than what happens in the Prophets... "The Spirit of the Lord came upon me."
Nestorius of Constantinople (386-451 AD)
- Patriarch of Constantinople
Theodoret of Cyrus (393-458 AD)
- Bishop of Cyrus
- Successor of Theodore of Mopsuestia
Ibas of Edessa (?-457 AD)
- Bishop of Edessa
- Edessa is the Syriac See of the Church bridging the Church of the East with the Church of Antioch
John I of Antioch
Domnus II of Antioch
- Nephew of John I of Antioch
- Student of Theodore of Mopsuestia and friend of Theodoret of Cyrus

Revision #4
Created 2026-05-29 22:00:34 UTC by Morcous Wahba
Updated 2026-05-30 13:31:08 UTC by Morcous Wahba