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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
- Paul of Samosata (200-275 AD)
- Pre-Nicaea
- Patriarch of Antioch
- 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
- 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
St Cyril & Nestorius
- Visiting Bishop (student of the School in Antioch) gives a sermon (in the presence of Nestorius) cautioning the use of the word Theotokos.
- The people of Antioch write to St Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria.
- In those days, Alexandria has primacy in the East...
- There are conflicts & rivalry with Constantinople
- Alexandria deposed patriarch of Constantinople 7 times (Athanasius: 3 times?, Timothy deposed Macedonius, Theophilus deposed St John Chrysostom, Cyril deposes Nestorius, Dioscorus will depose Flavian
- Cyril's First Letter to Nestorius
- Nestorius' First Letter to Cyril
- Cyril's Second Letter to Nestorius
Relevant Context from the Council of Ephesus
Home Synod of Constantinople (448 AD)
Second Council at Ephesus (449 AD)
Death of Emperor Theodosius
