Disputes on Christ: Nestorius and Cyril

[brianingram]

The dispute between the Nestorian Church known today as the Assyrian Church of the East, was ended by the Common Christological Declaration between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East which was signed on November 11, 1994, by Pope John Paul II and Patriarch Dinkha IV. Part of it reads "The Word of God, second Person of the Holy Trinity, became incarnate by the power of the Holy Spirit in assuming from the holy Virgin Mary a body animated by a rational soul, with which he was indissolubly united from the moment of his conception. Therefore our Lord Jesus Christ is true God and true man, perfect in his divinity and perfect in his humanity, consubstantial with the Father and consubstantial with us in all things but sin."

[andrewsuryali]

I think it bears mentioning that at one point in history (between the 10th and 13th centuries AD) the Nestorian Church actually grew to become the largest Christian denomination on Earth, stretching all the way from Syria to what is now the modern Chinese province of Guangdong and winning converts throughout the Turko-Mongol cultural sphere. Many members of Genghis Khan's family in his lifetime were Nestorian Christians. Even his former boss was.

One major reason for this was the focus on simplifying the explanations for the Mysteries of the Christian faith started by Nestorius (Christology was not the only place the Nestorians did this). However, this itself led to theological fragmentation within the church, which forced them to themselves push for theological clarity, which in turn is probably why the teachings of the modern Assyrian Church of the East is now closer to Chalcedonian Christianity.

[steveb]

Dr Reeves, thank you for this awesome set of resources on church history. I especially admire your efforts to add some playful tones and light-hearted asides to what could be dense subject matter. Love the graphics and art work as well.

A brother in Christ.

[maxcurare]

really thank you for your excellent job. I am actually studying the history of the Church in a theological scool and having three children of small age it is almost impossible to read. But with your work even if I cannot concentrate 100% I still leran a lot. please keep on doing this excellent job

[BackToOrthodoxy]

Thank you for this channel! I have been sharing it with friends. Love this

[historybuffva]

Thanks Dr. Reeves for keeping the main issue on the main issue...without the Jesus of the Bible, fully God and fully man, there can be no salvation for fallen creatures.

[AssyrianEasternOrthodox]

Eastern Orthodoxy believe in hypostatic union. Meaning, the combination of divine and human natures in the single person of Christ. Christ was 100% God and 100% Man in the single person of Christ.

Nestorianism believes that Christ was 2 person 100% God and 100% Man.

[starboy]

Dr. Reeves. Love the videos. After watching a few of these I'm wondering if the following could characterize the Christological position of the 3 groups or at least how they were perceived initially. Nestorian -> Two physis. Oriental Orthodox -> One physis. Orthodox/Catholic/Protestant - > Two physis, one hypostasis.

[timarmstrong]

A practical ministry question - In your lectures you talk negatively (at 7:30) about the Sunday school portrayal of Jesus as 100% God + 100% Man = 100%, and that this is a bad explanation, which I get (although I confess I have used it before). As a person who works with kids from elementary up through High School I was wondering if you can share a more appropriate analogy? Or would you simply emphasize the mystery aspect of the incarnation and not try to use an oversimplified analogy?

I am very much enjoying this series and the Lewis and Tolkien series. Thanks so much!

[amjedabdeljelil]

Can someone tell me where the Jewish teaching was, when Arius was fighting his position, that God is one and he ( God) doesn't share with anyone? and that God is the creator and everything else is creation. The Jewish teaching the essence and the first message from God to his creation. And how come Noah, Ibrahim, David, Jacob, Moses..etc never heard that God is actually 3 in 1. Did Arius ever used these argument? Thank you.

[petrusveritas]

Dear Dr. Reeves

Thank you for your lectures.

I tried before to find an email to contact you directly but was not successful.

I have been researching connecting the puzzles and have few questions regarding the development of Nestorians though the Middle East.

Do you believe the Nestorians's Theology end up developing amongst the Saracens what we know nowadays to be Islam?

I have more facts regarding this points but rather have your opinion first to continue my research. I'm kind of stuck at the moment regarding my research.

There is few people on the internet pointing few things but lacks academic background.

Thank you Sir
Kind Regards

Peter
London - 🇬🇧

[robertrecchia]

Ryan, do you find it curious that the term spirit with a capital "S" referring to the Holy Spirit is listed 166 times in the King James & 333 times in the New King James. One could get the impression that the New King James "translators" had a secondary agenda other than creating a more modern version of the King James Bible. Isaiah 11:2 is just one of numerous examples where the word spirt with a small "s" is later capitalized in the NKJ for no other reason than to push a trinitarian doctrine in complete violation of textual context. The Trinity on "steroids" to coin your term.

[ElasticGiraffe]

Physis means nature, not person. Was that a mistake? In Greek the word we translate as "person" is hypostasis. Chalcedonian christology is dyophysite, two natures affirmed in a hypostatic union.

Nestorius was an heir of Theodore's problematic "Two Sons" christology, but he was also painfully bad at defending his position, anal retentive about language, and constantly alienating his allies. Theodoret of Cyrrhus is a great example, but the emperor as well. Though Cyril might have been a scoundrel, he was a brilliantly articulate theologian and a savvy politician. He knew exactly which strings to pull to take Nestorius out.

It's such a tragic story, regardless of which patriarch had the more correct theology. Theodore's posthumous condemnation at II Constantinople just added extreme insult to an already extreme injury.

[dariuswilkins]

Question: if God's reciprocation for original sin is the curse of dying, and Christ was sinless, then how could He have died? Or did He not die and was simply taken by up to heaven by God, as was the virgin mary according to Catholicism?

[janwoG]

The person of Jesus has two natures the Divine and the human in a hypostatic union. Before dying on the cross this union break down as one can interpret from his expressing Eloi Eoli Lama Sabachthani in order Jesus able to die. The Divine abandoned Jesus because the Divine as Absolute cannot die. But this breaking of the hypostasis is the absolute sacrifice which saved us. At the resurrection, this hypostasis has been restored for ever.

[jenna]

3:00 Constantinople needs the second "T." It seems to me that an awful lot of people did (and do) an awful lot of talking about Yahshua and YHVH and not enough time being discipled by Them. When you get all bound up in the Western way of thinking about this, you get lost. And when you start fighting about stuff that's not even in Scripture to start with, then you're already off the rails.

[thothheartmaat]

doesn't everyone say I? I and I... why would anyone think Jesus is the one and only god? isn't it possible he was inspired by the early monastics and people like the hare Krishnas? he began speaking and no one understood what he was talking about? can't anyone come to the same understanding Jesus supposedly did? If one studies all the religions then don't they gain a whole understanding? aren't we all divine? isn't everything divine? learn some Hinduism.. Christians just seem like ignorant and persecutory people... so quick to judge and so short to learn. are you the judge god or are you a disciple? do you know everything or nothing? aren't we all supposed to have the holy spirit? why don't we just teach about the dangers of constantly persecuting each other? which is what Jesus was saying.. it's right there in the book if anyone cares to actually read it. there's so much politicking and talking about Jesus or the church or the people who believe in Jesus or worshipping Jesus. how about the actual message of Jesus that he supposedly delivered..

[pxengine]

It seems that the "heretics" like Arius, Marcion, and Nestorius, had
logical, reasonable answers to questions that people posed; but the
Church establishment's line was always: "It's a mystery, we can't give
you an answer, you're just going to have to take our word for it."

[akbarmuslim]

look up iconoclasm in the Byzantine Roman Empire the true seat of Christianity ...

[kelsinrolle]

all the people are black in these art work. hmmmm, very fishy