Nestorius

NESTORIUS : UNDERSTANDING INCARNATION
PROF. M. M. NINAN
Theotokos, Christotokos and Anthropotokos
Nestorian ideas were originally confined to the writings of Diodore, Theodore of Mopsuestia and
their close followers in Antioch. However, in 428, Emperor Theodore II called the Antiochian
Priest-monk Nestorius, known for his zeal to defend the faith against heretics of the time, to come
to Constantinople. Nestorius was made the Arch Bishop of Constantinople. Nestorius ( in Greek:
Νεστόριος; c. 386 – 450) remained Archbishop of Constantinople (now Istanbul) from 10 April 428
to August 431, when Emperor Theodosius II confirmed his condemnation by the Council of
Ephesus on 22 June 431 AD.
Nestorius, brought with him the Priest Anastasius. In a series of homilies in Constantinople,
Anastasius denied the existence of one Theandric Person (The dual God-man of incarnation) in
Jesus Christ, teaching in Him a division of persons, one Divine and the other human and attacked
the use of the term Theotokos, using instead the term Anthropotokos. Even though Jesus was both
fully God and fully man, in the incarnation he remained within the norms of a human, without
exercising his Divinity any time in his life. This was quite controversial, since the
Constantinopolitan faithful were accustomed to using the term Theotokos for the Virgin Mary. To
defend Anastasius, Nestorius also did a series of homilies, preaching the teachings of Theodore of
Mopsuestia, though using the term Christotokos instead of Anthropotokos.
Constantinopolitan theologians rose up against the teachings of Nestorius and accused him of
preaching the heresy of Paul of Samosata.
Nestorius as the Patriarch of Constantinople called for a council at Constantinople in AD
429 and condemned those who disagreed with him.
This has generated immediate opposition from the opponents of the view. The champion of this
Theotokos theology was one Cyril of Alexandria ( Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας; c. 376 – 444. Cyril is an
Anglicanized version of Coorilos) who was the Patriarch of Alexandria 412 to 444 AD
Cyril of Alexandria, belonged to the Alexandrian school. We should remember that there were no
official stand in this regard at that point. Several people suggested several solutions. Cyril
suggested one in opposition to Nestorius which was directed to emphasize Jesus’ divinity and in so
doing justify the Mother of God title for Mary.
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