First Council of Ephesus

This article covers the Ecumenical council of 431. For other councils by this name, see Council of Ephesus.
First Council of Ephesus
Date 431
Accepted by Roman Catholics, Old Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, Oriental Orthodox, Lutherans
Previous council First Council of Constantinople
Next council Council of Chalcedon
Convoked by Emperor Theodosius II
Presided by Cyril of Alexandria
Attendance 200-250 (papal representatives arrived late)
Topics of discussion Nestorianism, Theotokos, Pelagianism
Documents and statements Nicene Creed confirmed, condemnations of heresies, declaration of "Theotokos"
Chronological list of Ecumenical councils

The First Council of Ephesus was the third ecumenical council of the early Christian Church, held in 431 at the Church of Mary in Ephesus, Asia Minor. The council was called amid a dispute over the teachings of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople. Nestorius' doctrine, Nestorianism, which emphasized the disunity between Christ's human and divine natures, had brought him into conflict with other church leaders, most notably Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria. Nestorius himself had requested the council, hoping to prove his orthodoxy, but in the end his teachings were condemned as heresy.

Nestorius' dispute with Cyril had led the latter to seek validation from Pope Celestine I, who authorized Cyril to request that Nestorius recant his position or face excommunication. Nestorius pleaded with Roman Emperor Theodosius II to call a council in which all grievances could be aired, hoping that he would be vindicated and Cyril condemned. In the end, however, he was decisively outplayed by Cyril and removed from his see, and his teachings were officially anathematized. This precipitated the Nestorian Schism, in which churches supportive of Nestorius were severed from the rest of Christendom. Nestorius himself retired to a monastery, always asserting his orthodoxy, while a number of his supporters relocated to Persia. There they affiliated with the local Christian community, known as the Church of the East, thereafter often known as the Nestorian Church. In modern times, the Assyrian Church of the East, a descendant of the Church of the East, still rejects the findings of the Council.

On top of the dealings with Nestorius, the Council also condemned Caelestius and Pelagianism. The Council created severe tensions between Cyril and Theodosius.

Contents

History

Contention over Nestorius' teachings, which he developed during his studies at the School of Antioch, largely revolved around his rejection of the long-used title Theotokos ("Mother of God") for the Virgin Mary. His enemy, Cyril of Alexandria, appealed to Pope Celestine I, charging Nestorius with heresy. The Pope agreed and gave Cyril his authority to serve a notice to Nestorius to recant his views or else be excommunicated. Before the summons arrived, Nestorius convinced the Emperor Theodosius II to hold a general council, a platform to argue their opposing views. Approximately 250 bishops were present. The proceedings were conducted in a heated atmosphere of confrontation and recriminations. It is believed to have been the Third Ecumenical Council by the Oriental Orthodox, the Eastern Orthodox, the Roman Catholics, and a number of other Western Christian groups. The council's rejection of Nestorius precipitated the Nestorian Schism, in which a number of churches broke with the Orthodox Church and became what was later known as the Church of the East. It is still rejected by the heirs to the Nestorian movement in the Assyrian Church of the East.

Nestorianism emphasized the dual natures of Christ. Patriarch Nestorius tried to answer a question considered unsolved: "How can Jesus Christ, being part man, not be partially a sinner as well, since man is by definition a sinner since the Fall". To solve that he taught that Mary, the mother of Jesus gave birth to the incarnate Christ, not the divine Logos who existed before Mary and indeed before time itself. The Logos occupied the part of the human soul (the part of man that was stained by the Fall). But wouldn't the absence of a human soul make Jesus less human? No, Nestorius answered because the human soul was based on the archetype of the Logos only to become polluted by the Fall, therefore Jesus was "more" human for having the Logos and not "less". Consequently, Mary should be called Christotokos, Greek for the "birth giver of Christ" and not Theotokos, Greek for the "birth giver of God". Cyril argued that Nestorianism split Jesus in half and denied that he was both human and divine. This was essentially a Christological controversy.

Although the Nestorian bishops had not yet arrived at the council, at the urging of its president, Cyril of Alexandria, the Council denounced Nestorius' teaching as erroneous and decreed that Jesus was one person, not two separate people: complete God and complete man, with a rational soul and body. The Virgin Mary was to be called Theotokos because she bore and gave birth to God as a man.

Major christological schisms and related early councils

When John of Antioch and the other pro-Nestorius bishops finally reached Ephesus, they assembled their own Council, condemned Cyril for heresy and declared him deposed. Again, the emperor concurred but eventually changed his mind again.

The events created a major schism between the followers of the different versions of the council, which was only mended by difficult negotiations about a union between the pro-Cyril and pro-John factions. The pro-John factions acquiesced in the condemnation of Nestorius and, after additional clarifications, accepted the decisions of Cyril's council. However, the rift would open again during the debates leading up to the Council of Chalcedon.

Canons and declarations

Cyril of Alexandria

Cyril's Council of Ephesus declared it "unlawful for any man to bring forward, or to write, or to compose a different (ἑτέραν) Faith as a rival to that established by the holy Fathers assembled with the Holy Ghost in Nicæa".[1] It did not specify whether it meant the Nicene Creed as adopted by the First Council of Nicaea in 325, or as added to and modified by the First Council of Constantinople in 381.

In addition to its condemnation of Nestorianism, it also condemned Pelagianism.[2] Eight canons[3] were passed:

References

  1. ↑ Canon VII
  2. ↑ Excursus on Canon IV
  3. ↑ The Canons of the Two Hundred Holy and Blessed Fathers Who Met at Ephesus
  4. ↑ Canon VIII

Sources

External links

Ecumenical councils — (See also First seven Ecumenical Councils)
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Other Protestants have various views. · Oriental Orthodoxy accept the first three councils and the Assyrian Church of the East the first two.