Nestorian schism
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The Nestorian schism (431) was a split between the
Sassanid Persia, which affiliated with Nestorius, and those that later became the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The schism rose out of a Christological dispute, notably involving Cyril (Patriarch of Alexandria) and Nestorius (Patriarch of Constantinople
).
The
state church of the Roman Empire, which caused the Church of the East
, the Christian church of Sassanid Persia, to become known as the Nestorian Church, as it took the side of Nestorius.
History
The doctrine of
Christ bearer"). Cyril of Alexandria
considered the doctrine contrary to Orthodox teaching and encouraged measures against it.
Finally, Nestorius and his doctrine were condemned at the
First Council of Ephesus in 431, which was reiterated at the Council of Chalcedon
in 451.
Afterward, churches aligned with Nestorius were centred on the
Sassanid Empire
, where they were welcomed by Persian Christians, who had already declared independence from Constantinople in an attempt to cast off accusations of foreign allegiance.
The School of Edessa relocated to the
Nisibis. The School of Nisibis thereafter became a centre of Nestorianism. In 484, the Sassanids executed the pro-Byzantine Catholicos Babowai and enabled the Nestorian bishop of Nisibis, Barsauma
, to increase his influence over the bishops of the region. That effectively ended links between Persian Christianity and the Roman Empire.
Thereafter, Nestorianism spread widely through Asia, gaining a presence in India, Central Asia, the Mongol territories, and China. The medieval Nestorian movement survives in the Assyrian Church of the East, most widely in Iraq, Syria and Iran.
References
- ISBN 978-1-931956-05-5.