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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.

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.

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. In 1997 the Assyrian Church halted anathemas of other churches in its liturgy. On the other hand, it has recognized [[Theodore of Mopsuestia]] as a [[saint]].