The Syrian Orthodox Church

By H.H. MOR IGNATIUS YACOUB III (1980+)

MISUNDERSTANDINGS BETWEEN ITS SCHOLARS

Towards the end of the 4th century and the beginning of the 5th Diodore bishop of Tarsus and Theodore bishop of Mopsuestia turned from this orthodox teaching. In explaining this point, Dr. John Gieseler says : "But in the east they were now accustomed to distinguish the two natures, and the expressions used concerning them, with greater care; and the two most eminent men of the Antiochene school Diodore bishop of Tarsus, and Theodore bishop of Mopsuestia, confirmed the accuracy of this distinction by their writings which were still highly esteemed in the whole east, while in Egypt the formula of Athanasius respecting a Divine nature made flesh was maintained. On the other hand, Ambrose and Augustine in the west endeavoured, after the example of the two Gregorys, to avoid the two rocks of this doctrine, viz, the division into two persons, and the mistaking of two natures". Not only that, but Theodore and other professors and graduates of the Antiochene school gave also no importance to Theotokos or God-bearer, particularly Nestorius who developed these teachings.

Nestorius was first a priest in the Church of Antioch. In April 10, 428, he was consecrated as Patriarch of Constantinople. We can collect from the reliable sources available that he denied both the incarnation and redemption. He maintained that the Word of God did not descend to the womb of Virgin mary, and the Virgin brought forth only the man Jesus Christ who became God by Grace and her virginity ceased when she gave birth to this man. He said that it is unlawful, therefore, to call Virgin Mary "Theotokos", when she was in reality the moth of Christ. When this man became thirty years old, he added, the Word of God descended upon him and made him his temple, and at the time of the sufferings and crucifixion he was separated from him. Hence the crucified was merely a man.

In defending this strange teaching, Nestorius maintained two persons and two natures for Christ, and spoke of Christ to be two Christs, one of them the Son of God and the other the son of man. For this purpose he distinguished the two natures and distinguished some of His words and deeds as divine and some as human; whereas in reality the two sets of words and deeds are expressions of the one Person Himself. He said: "the Word of God is God and Lord of Christ", "and God the Word was acting in the man Jesus" "and the power of the Unique Son of God was attached to him", "and Christ had power to make miracles by the Grace of the Holy Spirit". "and it is lawful to worship the man who was taken to heaven with God", "and the body of Christ heals and gives life, not because he is the Word of God but because God the Word is dwelling in him."

We cannot believe that a patriarch descending from an ancient Christian lineage could declare such a strange teaching and thus could shake the very foundation of Christian faith. For this reason I am compelled to reconsider the origin of Nestorius. Formerly I considered him a Syrian by nationality and language, but after a thorough study of his biography and teachings, I changed my mind. I understood that his parents migrated to Syria from some part of Persia. Heaven knows whether they were not newly converted from Judaism into Christianity, since the teaching of Nestorius was favoring the Jews. This is confirmed by St. Cyril of Alexandria in his remarkable speech delivered in the third Ecumenical Council in 431. He says:

The Council of Ephesus condemned this teaching, surnamed Nestorius as "Second Judas", confirmed the Orthodox Doctrine that was prevailing in the Church from the very beginning, called the Virgin Mary, "Theotokos", declared that Christ the incarnate God has, after the union of Godhead and Manhood, one Person and one Nature, and the Person who was crucified and who dies was the incarnate Word of God. St. Cyril of Alexandria, in his book TRUE BELIEF IN THE MANHOOD OF OUR LORD SAYS:

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