Nestorian Schism

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The Nestorian Schism was the split between the Orthodox Church and churches affiliated with Nestorian doctrine in the 5th century. The schism rose out of a Christological dispute, the key figures in which were Cyril of Alexandria and Nestorius. Nestorius and his doctrine, which emphasized the distinctness between Christ's human and divine natures, were condemned at the First Council of Ephesus in 431 and the Council of Chalcedon. Afterward churches affiliated with Nestorius' teachings broke with the Orthodox church, thereby establishing Nestorianism as a distinct Christian sect. Nestorian doctrine was gradually adopted by the Church of the East, the Christian church of Sassanid Persia, which was thereafter often known as the Nestorian Church.

History

The doctrine of Nestorianism is associated with Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople 428 – 431. Prior to becoming Patriarch Nestorius had been a student of Theodore of Mopsuestia at the School of Antioch. Nestorius argued that Christ's human and divine natures were distinct, and was therefore against using the title Theotokos (Mother of God) for the Virgin Mary, instead preferring to call her Christotokos (Mother of Christ). Cyril of Alexandria considered Nestorius' doctrine to be contrary to Orthodox teaching, and encouraged measures to condemn it. Finally Nestorius and his doctrine were condemned at the First Council of Ephesus in 431, and the finding was reiterated at the Council of Chalcedon in 451.

Afterward churches aligned with Nestorius, centered around the School of Edessa, broke with the Orthodox Church, becoming an independent sect. Anathemized in the Roman Empire, they relocated to Sassanid Persia, where they were welcomed by Persian Christians who had already declared independence of Constantinople in an attempt to cast off accusations of foreign allegiance. The School of Edessa relocated to the Persian city of Nisibis (see School of Nisibis), thereafter a center of Nestorianism. In 484 the Sassanids executed the pro-Byzantine Catholicos Babowai and replaced him with the Nestorian Bishop of Nisibis Barsauma, effectively ending links between Persian Christianity and the Roman Empire. Thereafter Nestorianism spread widely through Asia, gaining a presence in India, Central Asia, the Mongol territories, and China. The medieval Nestorian movement survives in the Assyrian Church of the East, practiced most widely in Iran, Iraq, and Syria.

References

• O'Leary, De Lacy (2002). "Nestorian Schism". The Syriac Church and Fathers. Gorgias Press. ISBN 9781931956055. 

This Eastern Orthodox Christianity-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: 5th-century Christianity Assyrian Church of the East Christianity in Iran Christianity in Iraq Eastern Christianity Schisms in Christianity Nestorianism Christian terms Eastern Orthodoxy stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат? Advanced Computing Environment Animerica Look at other dictionaries: Nestorian — or Nestorians can refer to: Nestorianism, a Christological doctrine developed by Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, condemned as heresy by the Council of Ephesus in 431 The Nestorian controversy, part of the Christological controversies of… …   Wikipedia Schism (religion) — A schism (pronounced /ˈskɪzəm/ or /ˈsɪzəm/), from Greek σχίσμα, skhísma (from σχίζω, skhízō, to tear, to split ), is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization or movement religious denomination. The word is most frequently… …   Wikipedia Nestorian — Nestorianism, n. /ne stawr ee euhn, stohr /, n. one of a sect of followers of Nestorius who denied the hypostatic union and were represented as maintaining the existence of two distinct persons in Christ. [1400 50; late ME < LL Nestorianus. See… …   Universalium Eastern Schism — • From the time of Diotrephes (III John 1:9 10) there have been continual schisms, of which the greater number were in the East Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Eastern Schism     The Eastern Schism …   Catholic encyclopedia Narsai (Nestorian Patriarch) — Narsai was Patriarch of the Church of the East during a period of schism from 524 to 537. Unlike his opponent Elishaʿ, who is included in the traditional list of patriarchs of the Church of the East, Narsai, has traditionally been considered an… …   Wikipedia Church of the East — For other uses, see Church of the East (disambiguation). Nestorian Church redirects here. For other uses, see Nestorian (disambiguation). Nestorian priests in a procession on Palm Sunday, in a 7th or 8th century wall painting from a Nestorian… …   Wikipedia Nestorianism — For the church sometimes known as the Nestorian Church, see Church of the East. Nestorianism is a Christological doctrine advanced by Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople from 428–431. The doctrine, which was informed by Nestorius s studies… …   Wikipedia Christianity in the 5th century —   Spread of Christianity to AD 325 …   Wikipedia History of the Eastern Orthodox Church — The Eastern Orthodox Churches trace their roots back to the Apostles and Jesus Christ. Eastern Orthodoxy reached its golden age during the high point of the Byzantine Empire, and then continued to flourish in Russia after the Fall of… …   Wikipedia Assyrian Church of the East — Assyrian Christian redirects here. For other uses, see Assyrian (disambiguation). Assyrian Church of the East Emblem of the Assyrian Church of the East Founder Traces origins to Saints Thomas, Bartholomew, Thaddeus (Addai) …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”