Editing Nestorius (section)

{{Short description|Archbishop of Constantinople, c. 428–431}}
{{About|Archbishop of Constantinople|other notable people called Nestor|Nestor (given name)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox saint
| name         = Nestorius of Constantinople
| titles       = [[List of ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople|Archbishop of Constantinople]]
| image        = Nestorius Hooghe 1688.png
| alt          = Image of Nestorius
| caption      = Portrait by [[Romeyn de Hooghe]], 1688
| ordination   = 
| consecration = 
| birth_name   = 
| birth_date   = {{circa|386}}
| birth_place  = [[Kahramanmaraş#History|Germanicia]], [[Roman Syria|Province of Syria, Roman Empire]] (now [[Kahramanmaraş]], Turkey)
| death_date   = {{circa|451}} (aged 64 or 65)
| death_place  = Great Oasis of Hibis ([[Kharga Oasis|al-Khargah]]), [[Roman Egypt|Egypt]]
| issues       = [[Christology]], [[Theotokos]]
| feast_day    = Feast of the three Greek Doctors (5th Friday of [[Epiphany season#East Syriac Rite|Denha]] along with [[Theodore of Mopsuestia]] and [[Diodorus of Tarsus]])
| venerated_in = {{UBL| [[Church of the East]]}}
}}

'''Nestorius of Constantinople''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|n|ɛ|s|ˈ|t|ɔr|i|ə|s}}; {{langx|grc|Νεστόριος}}; {{circa|386|451}}) was an early [[Christianity|Christian]] [[prelate]] who served as [[list of ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople|Archbishop of Constantinople]] from 10 April 428 to 11 July 431. A [[Christian theologian]] from the [[Catechetical School of Antioch]], several of his teachings in the fields of [[Christology]] and [[Mariology]] were seen as controversial, heretical and caused major disputes. 
In 431, he was condemned and deposed from his [[Episcopal see|see]] by the [[Council of Ephesus]], presided over by his archrival [[Cyril of Alexandria]],{{sfn|Seleznyov|2010|pp=165–190}} but the counter-council led by [[John I of Antioch]] vindicated him and deposed Cyril in return. Nestorius refrained from attending both of these councils and instead sought retirement from the [[Byzantine Emperor]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://gedsh.bethmardutho.org/Nestorius |title=Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage |first=George A. |last=Bevan |chapter=Nestorius}}</ref> 

Nestorius himself used the title Theotokos and did not advocate for its ban. His teachings included cautious usage of ''[[Theotokos]]'' ("God-Bearer"), used for [[Mary, mother of Jesus]], in order that Christ's human and divine natures not be confused, as he believed Christ was born according to his humanity and not his divinity, which indicated his preference for the concept of the [[prosopic union]] of two natures (divine and human) of Christ, over the concept of a [[hypostatic union]]. He proposed instead the title of ''[[Christotokos]]'' ("Christ-bearer"). This brought him into conflict with Cyril of Alexandria and other prominent [[Miaphysitism|miaphysite]] churchmen of the time, who accused him of heresy.{{sfn|Meyendorff|1989|p=}}

{{blockquote|If the babe and the Lord of the babe are one and the same person, the suspected phrase "inhabitant of the babe" must be simply intended as a safeguard against identification of the Word with the flesh. So Mary is Theotokos – because the Word was united to the temple ... which is in nature consubstantial with the holy Virgin ... It is in virtue of this union that the holy Virgin is called Theotokos |Nestorius of Constantinople |Sermon XVIII<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bethune-Baker |first=James |title=Nestorius and His Teaching |page=85}}</ref>}}

Nestorius sought to defend himself at the [[Council of Ephesus]] in 431, but instead found himself formally condemned for heresy by a majority of the bishops and was subsequently removed from his [[episcopal see|see]]. On his own request, he retired to his former monastery, in or near Antioch. In 435, [[Theodosius II]] sent him into exile in [[Upper Egypt]], where he lived on until about 451, strenuously defending his views. His last major defender within the [[Roman Empire]], [[Theodoret]] of Cyrrhus, finally agreed to [[anathema|anathematize]] him in 451 during the [[Council of Chalcedon]]. 

From then on, he had no defenders within the empire, but the [[Church of the East]] in the [[Sasanian Empire|Persian Empire]] never accepted his condemnation. That led later Western Christians to give the name ''Nestorian Church'' to the Church of the East where his teachings were deemed orthodox and in line with its own teachings. Nestorius is revered as among three "Greek Teachers" (in addition to [[Diodorus of Tarsus]] and [[Theodore of Mopsuestia]]) of the Church of the East and its descendants, including the Chaldean Catholic Church and the Ancient Church of the East, and they celebrate their feast day in February. The East Syriac [[Holy Qurbana|Eucharistic Service]], which is known to be among the oldest in the world, incorporates prayers attributed to Nestorius himself. 

The discovery, translation and publication of his ''Bazaar of Heracleides'' at the beginning of the 20th century have led to a reassessment of his theology in Western scholarship. It is now argued by some scholars and clergy that his ideas are compatible with later Chalcedonian theology and/or his condemnation at [[Council of Ephesus|Ephesus]] was  misplaced, but the orthodoxy of his formulation of the doctrine of Christ is still controversial.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Center for the Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts, BYU |first= |url=https://archive.org/details/DriverHodgson1925TheBazaarOfHeracleides |title=The Bazaar Of Heracleides |publisher=Nestorius of Constantinople |location=Egypt, found in Hakkari |language=English}}</ref>