Nestorius

Nestorius ( gr Νεστόριος, * after 381 in Germanicia, Kahramanmaras today; † about 451) was Patriarch of Constantinople 428-431 Opel. With his assertion that Mary Christ- and not Theotokos was, he became the founder of Nestorianism and the Nestorian controversy broke out. After the Council of Ephesus, he was deprived of his office. He died in exile in Upper Egypt.

Life

Nestorius, who had made ​​a name as a great preacher in Antioch, was used by Emperor Theodosius II 428 as bishop of Constantinople Opel. Nestorius preached against the emerging cult of Mary. His teaching by, who continued to Theodore of Mopsuestia, has Christ not only divine, but also a human nature. For this reason, Mary is not be described as Mother of God ( Theotokos ) but as Christ- ( Christotokos ).

As Antiochene Patriarch and because of his teaching against the germinating cult of Mary, he was the patriarch Cyril of Alexandria ( 412-444 ) an eyesore. The way it inflamed dispute between the two patriarchs is one of many that have been passed around the nature of Christ.

Nestorius represented the Antiochian school. Accordingly, he taught that Christ possesses two people - a divine and a human, so that Christ is both man and God, and not any mix. Cyril of Alexandria saw in this doctrine a violation of the Trinity of God, and attacked Nestorius then sharply. Cyril succeeded in the course of the controversy, Pope Celestine I to win for his position, since he was interested in a weakening of the Patriarchate of Constantinople Opel. The Pope as Patriarch of Rome was still passu with the other four patriarchs, who resided in Constantinople Opel, Jerusalem, Alexandria and Antioch.

431 the Council of Ephesus was convened. Ephesus was not elected by Cyril random; it was the former center of the cult of Diana and had become the center of the cult of Mary under Christian influence. Cyril not only knew how to win the Pope for himself, but also the people of Ephesus. The Council declared with Cyril of Alexandria against Nestorius:

"If anyone does not confess that the Emmanuel (Christ) in truth is God and that therefore the Holy Virgin is Theotokos - because she gave birth in the flesh originating from God incarnate Logos, as he was out. "

The following councils declared and confirmed this doctrine. Nestorius, who was under these circumstances at a loss, was deposed by the council and condemned as heretics.

Two Ecumenical Councils, that of Ephesus 431, and Chalcedon of 451, dealt with the topic. Both councils were against Nestorianism. However, participated in the Council of Ephesus only anti - Nestorians and the Council of Chalcedon was not recognized by the Eastern Churches and the Nestorians. Ultimately, the Emperor put firmly on the confession of Chalcedon.

After drawing up the compromise formula at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, a first Orthodox church split from: The " Nestorians " was 484 at the Sassanid Empire to the confession of the Church of the East. The Nestorian Church spread far to the east of, the Silk Road reached Nestorians to India ( Thomas Christians ), Tibet, the Uyghur in Central Asia and even to the then Chinese capital Chang'an ( today's Xi'an ). Impressive proof of this is the 1625 excavated stela of Sianfu, was evidenced by the inscription of the spread of the Eastern Church:

"There was a bishop in Syria called Alopen [ ... ] He rode through thick and thin and came in the ninth year of Cheng- Kuan in Chang'an to. [ ... ] The Emperor received him as a guest in the palace. The Holy Bible was translated in the imperial library and tested their theory of the emperor himself. Since the emperor fully realized that she was right and true, he ordered expressly to spread. "

But only the developments in Syria and Egypt play a role for the West. As a result, they parted miaphysitischen churches and the Church of the East from the Chalcedonian imperial church.

Although Nestorius ' teaching in the compromise formulation of 433 - two natures of Christ, not sharply separated or mixed - took into account, he was banished by the Emperor Theodosius II 435 to Upper Egypt.

Strictly speaking neither represented Nestorius nor the often referred to as Nestorian Church of the East the doctrine which was condemned as Nestorianism.

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