Nestorianism

Nestorianism is a Christological doctrine named after Nestorius. Nestorius was excommunicated in 431 at the Council of Ephesus, its teaching and its followers were convicted in this council and another 553 on the second Council of Constantinople Opel.

Content of teaching

In the Christological discussions of the fifth century Nestorianism takes the opposite position to Monophysitism.

Defines the Nestorians mainly from the anathemas of Cyril of Alexandria and of the Council of Ephesus. According to Cyril, the main point of Nestorianism in teaching, that there were in Jesus Christ a person with a divine nature and a person with a human nature. Each associated attribute and every action of the incarnate Christ could be assigned to one of these people. Both people are merely connected by the bond of love.

However, neither Nestorius himself still as his supporters accused representatives of the Antiochian school have these things actually taught. Rather, they have, albeit sometimes put in unhappy formulations positions finally come to fruition in the Council of Chalcedon 451. The problem was that Nestorius the use of the attribute Theotokos ( Mother of God ), an attribute of pagan goddesses, has in relation to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, rejected. It would be better to speak of a Christ- or Menschengebärerin.

Also often referred to by the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church as Nestorian Assyrian Church of the East has never represented the alleged teachings, so that one can speak of Nestorianism only as a heresiological construct, not from a historical movement. The Monophysite churches have the Nestorianismusvorwurf on Chalzedonensier, ie Orthodox and Catholics, extended.

Spread

Nestorius was Patriarch of Constantinople until 431 Opel, the doctrine advocated by him was condemned at the Council of Ephesus 431.

Many of his followers eventually migrated from the Sassanid Empire, where it already at this time a relatively large number of Christians were ( even if they never formed the majority ). Important information includes the so-called Chronicle of Seert. The church itself Formative in Persia was often referred to as Nestorian church - they had but little in common with Nestorius and should therefore better than East Syrian Church and are called Assyrian Church of the East. However, it was the Roman imperial church from now on hostile, so that the enemy with the Roman Empire Persian kings henceforth the Persian Christians faced much benevolent, even if it occasionally came to assault. Because the old centers Konstantin Opel, Alexandria and Antioch were not available, Edessa, now Urfa ( Şanlıurfa or ) " Nestorian " in the southeast of Turkey, center. Seat of the Catholicos was Ctesiphon. Despite some disability could be on the Silk Road, whose arm led by Edessa, a missionary activities unfold (John de Plano Carpini ). The dealers took not only goods but also their religion, their belief with to the east. Christian communities arose among the Turkic peoples in Central Asia and Xinjiang (Chinese People's Republic ). Partly also entire nations were Christian. 779 a monument was erected in western China, which by the introduction of the big " shining religion of Ta - Ch'in ( the land of the Jews ) " reported. Traces of these missionary activities were ( documented in the 9th century ) in Japan and discovered on Sumatra.

In the heyday of this church in the 13th century was soon followed by the almost complete destruction by Timur Lenk ( Tamerlane respectively ) in the 14th century. The Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci came in the 16th century in China remains of Christianity. As one the above stele 1625 Sianfu (now Xian西安) found they had so the explanation why Matteo Ricci could find Christian elements in his missionary activity. But at the same time rebutted this find the accusation of the Chinese, the missionaries would bring something very new, very strange in the Middle Kingdom. The stele proved that the Christian faith had taken root in China a long time ago.

In the Mongolian capital Karakorum in 1250 was a Nestorian church. It can therefore be assumed that the Nestorian Christianity in the Mongol Empire until around 1250 was a common faith.

Others

James Hilton discusses the propagation of Nestorianism in Central Asia in the novel Lost Horizon.

In the film Ulzhan - The Forgotten Light by Volker Schlöndorff in 2007, the Nestorians are mentioned. The woman asks Ulzhan in the second half of the film the French Charles what he was looking at the mountain Khan Tengri, afterwards he says: " I'm looking for the treasure of the Nestorians " and carries out the corresponding relationships from.