Changes

These ideas were further developed by [[Theodore of Mopsuestia]] (3??c.350-429), a scholar in the Antochian tradition. Theodore taught that the human and Divine natures of Christ were so completely separate that there was only contact between them, but no union of any kind. In developing his ideas, Theodore wrote that the Man Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary completely naturally and with all faults of men, and that God the Logos (Word), having foreknown the Man's triumph over sin, chose to redeem the human race through Him by becoming united with Him by Grace from the time of His conception. Because of His triumph over sin, the Man Jesus was made worthy of being called Son of God at the time of the Theophany. Then, after His complete triumph over sin during His passion, He was united even more closely with the Divine Logos, becoming God's tool for the salvation of mankind.

Constantinopolitan theologians [[theologian]]s rose up against the teachings of Nestorius and accused him of preaching the heresy of [[Paul of Samosata]] (see [[Antitrinitarianism]]). Nestorius then called a council at Constantinople in 429 and condemned those who disagreed with him.

To put an end to the dispute, Emperor Theodore II called a council at Ephesus, which was to convene on the day of [[Pentecost]], 431. This became known as the [[Third Ecumenical Council]]. St Cyril of Alexandria arrived with 40 Egyptian bishops; the other churches were represented by Yuvenali of Jerusalem with Palestinian bishops, Thermos of [[Caesarea ]] in Cappadocia, and Flavian of Thessaloniki. Nestorius arrived with his bishops and two governement officials-Candidian and Ireneaus, representing the Emperor. Memnon of Ephesus hosted the Council. The only representatives not there were [[John of Antioch]] and the Syrian bishops and the legates of Pope Celestine of Rome.

The Emperor finally sided with the Orthodox position. To get the Fathers to agree, he called on deputies to be sent to [[Chalcedon ]] from both councils. The deputies, which included the Papal legates and Bishop Yuvenali of Jerusalem on one side and Theodoret and John of Antioch on the other arrived, but could not agree. While the Syrian bishops agreed in principle to the condemnation of Nestorius, they rejected the anathemas of St Cyril, calling them heretical. The Emperor then ordered all bishops to return to their cathedras, and ordered the [[deposition ]] of Nestorius.

John of Antioch ordered the destruction of the Edessa theological school, which spread Nestorian ideas. [[Ibo of Edessa]] and other theologians who accused St Cyril of unorthodoxy were exiled. At the same time, St Cyril wrote a refutation of Theodore of Mopsuestia. However, this refutation, too, was not accepted by all. Theodoret defended Theodore of Mopsuestia. Meanwhile, Ibo became bishop of Edessa, and spread Nestorian ideas. In his famous letter to Marius the Persian, Ivo of Edessa condemned Nestorius for refusing to use the term ''[[Theotokos]]'' but also condemned St Cyril for preaching [[Apollinarianism]]. In 489, the Edessa school was again destroyed, and Nestorian theologians fled to Persia were where they finally broke with the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. In 499, at a council in Seleucia, the [[Third Ecumenical Council]] was condemned and the Nestorians formally split from the Church. They formed the Chaldean or [[Assyrian Church of the East|Assyrian Church]], which governs itself with its own Patriarch. Nestorians also have a community in India, called the [[Thomites]].

== Nestorian Communities Today communities today ==

The Assyrian Church of the East is a Nestorian body with jurisdiction in Iraq and Eastern Iran. It is sometimes referred to as the ''Assyrian Orthodox Church'', not to be confused with the [[Church of Antioch (Syriac)|Syriac Orthodox Church]], a Non-Chalcedonian body, the [[Chaldean Catholic Church]], a [[Uniate]] an Eastern Catholic body, or the Orthodox [[Church of Antioch]], an Orthodox local church.

The schism between the Assyrian Church and the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church began at the Council of Seleucia in 410, where Mesopotamian Christians declared their independence from the Patriarch of [[Antioch]]. The split solidified after the condemnation of Nestorius at the [[Third Ecumenical Council]] and the destruction of the theological school at Edessa. There were other issues at play in the schism - the Assyrians resided in the Persian Empire and did not want to be seen as siding with the Roman Emperor. There was also a large influx of Nestorian Christians into Persia fleeing Roman persecution.

In the 15th century, the church decreed that the title of Patriarch could pass only to relatives of then-patriarch Mar Shimun IV. This upset many in the church's hierarchy, and in 1552 a rival Patriarch, Mar Yohanan Soulaqa VIII was elected. This rival Patriarch met with the Pope and entered into communion with the Roman Catholic Church. The Assyrian Church now had two rival leaders, a hereditary patriarch in Alqosh (in modern-day northern Iraq), and a Papal-appointed patriarch in Diyarbakir (in modern-day eastern Turkey). This situation lasted until 1662 when the Patriarch in Diyarbakir, Mar Shimun XIII Denha, broke communion with Rome, and moved his seat to the village of Qochanis in the Turkish mountains. The Vatican responded by appointing a new patriarch to Diyarbakir to govern the Assyrians who stayed loyal to the Holy See. This became known as the [[Chaldean Catholic Church]], a [[uniate]] an Eastern Catholic body. In 1804 the hereditary line of Patriarchs in Alqosh died out, and that church's hierarchy decided to accept the authority of the Chaldean patriarchs.

* Primate: Mar Dinkha IV, [[Catholicos ]] and Patriarch of Babylon (Qochanis)

'''===Christology'''===Usually, the Assyrian Church of the East denies that it teaches [[Nestorianism]]. On November 11, 1994 Mar Dinkha IV and Pope John Paul II signed a "Common Christological Declaration" which affirmed that Catholics and Assyrians share a union in their understanding of the Son of God. [http://www.cnewacanada.ca/ecc-bodypg-ca.aspx?eccpageID=1&IndexView=toc] In 1997 the Assyrian Church halted anathemas of other handchurches in its liturgy. Nevertheless, it the Assyrian Church of the East has recognized [[Theodore of Mopsuestia]] as a [[saint]], whose Christology was condemned repeatedly as Nestorian by the Orthodox Church.

In their refusal to venerate the [[Virgin Mary]], modern Evangelical Protestants deny the use of the term [[Theotokos]]. In defending this, many Evangelical Protestants argue that the Virgin Mary could not have given birth to God but only to the man Jesus. They thus again separate in the Theandric Godman God-man Jesus a human and a Divine person and teach Nestorianism.

The error of this thinking lies in the failure to understand the intricacies of Christology and the doctrine of Incarnation. A proper understanding of the [[Virgin Mary]] is required for a proper understanding of [[Jesus Christ]]. If Mary is not Theotokos, then Christ is not GodmanGod-man. Likewise, if Christ is GodmanGod-man, then Mary is Theotokos. If Mary is not Ever-Virgin, then Christ did not become God Incarnate. If Christ became God Incarnate, then Mary is Ever-Virgin. If Mary is not the Queen Mother, then Christ is not King; if Christ is King, then Mary is Queen Mother.

*Talberg, D. N., ''И�?тори�? Хри�?тиан�?кой История Христианской Церкви (A History of the Christian Church)'', Moscow, Russia: St Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Institute.