Council of Ephesus facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Council of Ephesus
Image in the church Notre-Dame de Fourvières, France. The priest standing right in the middle is Cyril of Alexandria. On the throne is the Virgin Mary and child Jesus.
Date	22 June – 31 July 431
Accepted by	Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodox Churches Anglican Communion Lutheranism Calvinism
Previous council	First Council of Constantinople
Next council	Council of Chalcedon (not accepted by Oriental Orthodox) Second Council of Ephesus (not accepted by Chalcedonian)
Convoked by	Emperor Theodosius II
President	Cyril of Alexandria
Attendance	200–250 (papal representatives arrived late)
Topics	Nestorianism, Theotokos, Pelagianism
Documents and statements	Confirmation of the original Nicene Creed, condemnations of heresies, declaration of Mary as "Theotokos", eight canons
Chronological list of ecumenical councils

The Council of Ephesus was a big meeting of Christian leaders, called "bishops," that happened in a city called Ephesus (which is now in Turkey). It took place in the year 431 AD. The meeting was called by the Roman Emperor Theodosius II. This was the third "ecumenical council," which means it was a worldwide gathering of church leaders. Their goal was to agree on important beliefs for the whole Christian church.

At this council, they confirmed the original Nicene Creed, which is a statement of Christian faith. They also said that the teachings of Nestorius, a church leader from Constantinople, were wrong. Nestorius believed that the Virgin Mary should be called Christotokos, meaning "Christ-bearer," but not Theotokos, meaning "God-bearer." The council decided that Mary should indeed be called Theotokos. The meeting lasted from June 22 to July 31, 431, at the Church of Mary in Ephesus.

Why the Council Happened

Nestorius had a special teaching, called Nestorianism. He believed that Jesus had two separate parts: a human part and a divine (God) part. Because of this, he thought Mary gave birth to the human part of Jesus, not the divine part. So, he said Mary should be called Christotokos (Christ-bearer) but not Theotokos (God-bearer). This idea caused a big disagreement with other church leaders, especially Cyril of Alexandria, who was a powerful church leader in Egypt.

Nestorius actually asked the Emperor to call this council. He hoped the council would agree with him and show that his beliefs were correct. But instead, the council decided that his teachings were wrong. They officially declared that Mary is Theotokos, the "Mother of God."

Cyril had already asked Pope Celestine I, the leader of the church in Rome, for his opinion. The Pope supported Cyril. He told Nestorius to change his views or he would be removed from the church. Nestorius then asked Emperor Theodosius II to call a council. He hoped that at this big meeting, he would be proven right and Cyril would be proven wrong.

About 250 bishops attended the council. The meetings were very tense, with lots of arguments. Cyril managed to get his way, and Nestorius was removed from his position. His teachings were officially declared wrong. This led to a big split in the church, known as the Nestorian Schism. Churches that supported Nestorius, especially in the Persian Empire, separated from the main Christian church. They became known as Nestorian Christianity, or the Church of the East.

Council History

Political Situation

There was a long-standing competition between the cities of Alexandria (where Cyril was from) and Constantinople (where Nestorius was from). This rivalry made the arguments between Cyril and Nestorius even more heated. However, the disagreement was not just about who was more powerful. It was also about very important ideas about Jesus. Cyril believed that how they understood Jesus was connected to how Christians lived their daily lives.

Even within Constantinople, people took sides. For example, the Emperor's sister, Pulcheria, supported the leaders from Rome and Alexandria. But the Emperor and his wife supported Nestorius.

Main Ideas Being Discussed

The main argument was about Nestorius's teachings. He had learned his ideas at a famous school in Antioch. He disagreed with the common title Theotokos ("Carrier of God") for the Virgin Mary. When he arrived in Constantinople, he found two groups of Christians who had different ideas about Jesus.

Nestorius believed that Jesus had two distinct natures: human and divine. He tried to find a middle ground. Some people strongly believed that God was born as a man in Jesus, and they insisted on calling Mary Theotokos. Others rejected this title because they believed God, being eternal, could not have been born. Nestorius suggested Christotokos ("Christ-bearer") instead, but neither side accepted this.

Nestorius was trying to answer a difficult question: How could Jesus, being human, not also be a sinner, since all humans are sinners? He taught that Mary gave birth to the human Jesus, but not to the divine part of Jesus (called the Logos), which existed before Mary and before time itself. Nestorius believed the divine Logos took the place of the human soul in Jesus. He argued that this made Jesus "more" human, not less, because the Logos was perfect. This is why he thought Mary should be called Christotokos and not Theotokos.

Nestorius also believed that the human and divine parts of Jesus could not truly mix. If they did, he thought Jesus could not be fully God and fully human at the same time. He believed God could not grow, suffer, or die, and that Jesus's divine power would make him unequal to humans.

Some people think Nestorius was a gentle person, but he was just as determined as Cyril. He was ready to use his power to get his way, just like other church leaders of that time.

Nestorius's opponents said that his ideas separated Jesus's divine and human parts too much. They said he was denying that Jesus was truly God who became human. Eusebius of Dorylaeum was the first to accuse Nestorius of teaching wrong ideas. But his strongest opponent was Cyril of Alexandria. Cyril argued that Nestorius's ideas split Jesus into two and denied that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine.

Cyril complained to Pope Celestine I, saying Nestorius was teaching wrong ideas. The Pope agreed and told Cyril to warn Nestorius to change his mind within ten days or be removed from the church. Before delivering this warning, Cyril held a meeting of Egyptian bishops who also condemned Nestorius. Cyril sent a letter to Nestorius, known as "The Third Epistle of Saint Cyril to Nestorius." This letter included "The Twelve Anathemas of Saint Cyril," which said that anyone who followed Nestorius's teachings would be removed from the church. For example, it said, "Anyone who dares to deny the Holy Virgin the title Theotokos is Anathema!" But Nestorius still refused to change his mind.

Other church leaders from Antioch, like John I of Antioch, tried to convince Nestorius to give in. They understood that the argument was about Jesus being a complete person, both God and human. They urged Nestorius to accept the title Theotokos for Mary.

For example, John of Antioch wrote to Nestorius, telling him not to be stubborn. He said, "Don't lose your head. Ten days! It will not take you twenty-four hours to give the needed answer.... You have the whole of the East against you, as well as Egypt." Despite this advice, Nestorius stuck to his beliefs.

Calling the Council

Council of Ephesus in 431, in the Basilica of Fourvière, Lyon

On November 19, Nestorius convinced Emperor Theodosius II to call a general council. Nestorius hoped this council would prove Cyril wrong and show that his own teachings were right. Theodosius ordered church leaders to gather in Ephesus. Ephesus was a special place for honoring Mary, and the title Theotokos was very popular there. The Emperor set the council to begin on June 7, 431.

The Emperor's order was a bit unclear, so different bishops understood it differently. For example, John I of Antioch had a very large church area, so it took a long time to gather his delegates. He chose only a few important bishops to travel with him to Ephesus because the journey was long and difficult.

Neither the Emperor nor his wife attended the council. Theodosius sent Count Candidian, a palace guard, to represent him. Candidian's job was to oversee the council and keep order in Ephesus. The Emperor told Candidian to stay neutral and not get involved in the religious discussions. It is thought that Candidian might have favored Nestorius from the beginning.

Gathering of Bishops

Pope Celestine sent three representatives from Rome: Arcadius, Projectus, and Philip. Cyril of Alexandria was chosen to lead the council. The Pope told his representatives not to join the discussions but to give judgment on them.

Bishops arrived in Ephesus over several weeks. While waiting, they had informal talks that often made their disagreements worse. Memnon, the local church leader of Ephesus, was already there with 52 bishops. Nestorius arrived first with his 16 bishops. He traveled with soldiers led by Count Candidian. These soldiers were there to support Candidian, but some people thought they were there to support Nestorius. Candidian ordered all monks and visitors to leave the city. He also told the bishops not to leave until the council was over. This was probably to stop them from going directly to the Emperor.

Memnon, the bishop of Ephesus, had strong support from the local people. This helped him balance the power of Candidian's soldiers. Since Rome had already decided against Nestorius, Memnon refused to share communion (a religious ceremony) with Nestorius. He even closed the churches in Ephesus to him.

Cyril arrived a few days before the council was supposed to start, bringing 50 bishops. There were very few bishops from the West (Europe), as the Pope's representatives didn't arrive until July. A group of 16 bishops from Palestine arrived five days late and sided with Cyril.

At this point, Cyril wanted to start the council. But Candidian told him to wait because the Roman and Antiochene groups had not arrived yet. Cyril agreed at first, knowing he couldn't legally start without the Emperor's official decree being read.

Many bishops were unsure whether to support Nestorius or Cyril. They didn't want Cyril, who was a party in the dispute, to lead the meeting. However, for various reasons, they started to side with Cyril.

John I of Antioch and his bishops were seriously delayed by floods and sickness. Some people rumored that John was purposely delaying his arrival to avoid a council that would likely condemn Nestorius.

First Meeting – June 22, 431

Two weeks after the council was supposed to start, John and most of his Syrian group (42 members) still hadn't arrived. So, Cyril officially opened the council on Monday, June 22. He placed the Gospels (holy books) in the center of the church, symbolizing Jesus's presence.

Nestorius refused to accept Cyril's authority to judge him. He thought starting the council before the Antiochene group arrived was a "flagrant injustice." The 68 bishops who opposed starting the council entered the church to protest. They came with Count Candidian, who declared the meeting illegal and demanded it stop. He urged Cyril to wait four more days for the Syrian group. However, Cyril cleverly got Candidian to read the Emperor's decree that called the council. The bishops then cheered, saying this showed their meeting was legal.

Arrival of the Antiochene Group

When John I of Antioch and his Syrian bishops finally reached Ephesus five days after the council began, they met with Candidian. He told them that Cyril had started the council without them and had already confirmed the Pope's decision to condemn Nestorius. John and the Syrian bishops were angry. They had traveled so far only to find Cyril's council had already acted. So, John and his bishops held their own meeting, with Candidian leading it. This meeting condemned Cyril for holding certain wrong beliefs and condemned Memnon for causing violence. The bishops at this meeting removed both Cyril and Memnon from their positions. At first, the Emperor agreed with John's meeting, but he later changed his mind.

Second Meeting – July 10, 431

The second meeting was held at Memnon's house. Philip, the Pope's representative, started by saying that the issue with Nestorius had already been decided by Pope Celestine. He said the Pope's letter, which had been read in the first meeting, proved this. He then read a second letter from Celestine. This letter encouraged the council and said the Pope's representatives had instructions to carry out what the Pope had decided. It also said Celestine was sure the council would agree. The bishops showed their approval by cheering for Celestine and Cyril. Projectus, another papal representative, said the Pope's letter told the council to put Celestine's decision into action. Firmus, a bishop from Cappadocia, replied that the Pope's decision had already been carried out in the first meeting. The meeting ended with the reading of the Pope's letter to the Emperor.

Third Meeting – July 11, 431

After reading what happened in the first meeting, the Pope's representatives said that all that was needed was for the council's condemnation of Nestorius to be formally read in their presence. Once this was done, the three representatives each confirmed the council's actions. They signed the records of all three meetings. The council sent a letter to Theodosius, saying that the condemnation of Nestorius was agreed upon by bishops from both the East (Ephesus) and the West (Rome). The bishops asked Theodosius to let them go home because many were suffering from being in Ephesus.

Fourth Meeting – July 16, 431

At the fourth meeting, Cyril and Memnon formally protested against John of Antioch for holding his own separate meeting. The council called for John to appear before them, but he refused to even receive the messengers.

Fifth Meeting – July 17, 431

The next day, the fifth meeting was held. John had put up signs in the city accusing Cyril's council of wrong beliefs. John was called again, for the third time, but he still ignored it. As a result, the council suspended and removed him and 34 bishops from his group from communion (a religious ceremony), but they did not completely remove them from their church positions. Some of John's group had already left him. In letters sent to the Emperor and the Pope, the council said it now had 210 bishops. The long letter to Celestine gave a full report of the council. It also mentioned that the Pope's decisions against another group (the Pelagians) had been read and confirmed.

Sixth Meeting – July 22, 431

In this meeting, the bishops approved Canon 7. This rule said that no one should change the statement of faith made by the First Council of Nicaea in 325. It specifically mentioned a statement by a priest named Charisius. According to Cyril's report to Celestine, Juvenal of Jerusalem tried to create his own church region from Antioch's territory, but he failed. He eventually succeeded 20 years later at the Council of Chalcedon.

Seventh Meeting – July 31, 431

In this final meeting, the council agreed with the bishops of Cyprus. They said that their church region had always been free from the control of Antioch. The council also passed five rules (canons) that condemned Nestorius and Caelestius and their followers as having wrong beliefs. A sixth rule said that anyone who did not accept the council's decisions would be removed from their church job or from the church itself.

Rules and Decisions

Cyril of Alexandria

Eight rules, called canons, were passed:

• Canons 1–5 said that Nestorius and Caelestius and their followers had wrong beliefs.
• Canon 6 stated that anyone who did not accept the Council's decisions would be removed from their church job or from the church.
• Canon 7 said that no one should change the statement of faith made by the First Council of Nicaea (325). It specifically mentioned a statement by the priest Charisius.
• Canon 8 said that the Bishop of Antioch should not interfere with the Church in Cyprus. It also generally stated that no bishop should "control any province that has not always been under his or his predecessors' authority... so that the rules of the Fathers are not broken."

The Council said that Nestorius's teaching was wrong. It decided that Jesus was one person, not two separate ones. However, Jesus has both a human nature and a divine (God) nature. They also declared that the Virgin Mary should be called Theotokos, which is a Greek word meaning "God-bearer" (the one who gave birth to God).

The Council stated that it was "unlawful for any man to bring forward, or to write, or to compose a different Faith as a rival to that established by the holy Fathers assembled with the Holy Ghost in Nicæa." It quoted the Nicene Creed as it was adopted by the First Council of Nicaea in 325.

Confirming the Council's Decisions

Cyril's council had many more bishops than John of Antioch's council (almost four times as many). They also had the agreement of the Pope's representatives and the support of the people of Ephesus.

However, Count Candidian and his soldiers supported Nestorius, as did another count named Irenaeus. The Emperor had always strongly supported Nestorius, but he was a bit confused by the reports from Cyril's council. Cyril's group had trouble sending messages to the Emperor because Nestorius's supporters blocked them. Finally, a messenger dressed as a beggar managed to get a letter to Constantinople by hiding it in a hollow cane.

Even though Emperor Theodosius had been a strong supporter of Nestorius, he seemed to change his mind after hearing from Cyril's council. He made the unusual decision to agree with the removals ordered by *both* councils. So, he declared that Cyril, Memnon, and John were all removed from their positions. Memnon and Cyril were kept under strict watch. But despite all the efforts of John's group, the representatives from Cyril's council, along with the Pope's representative Philip, convinced the Emperor to accept Cyril's council as the true one. Nestorius, seeing what was happening, asked to retire to his old monastery. The council ended in early October, and Cyril returned to Alexandria on October 30, with much celebration. Pope Celestine had died on July 27, but his successor, Sixtus III, confirmed the council's decisions.

What Happened Next

Christological spectrum during the 5th–7th centuries showing the views of The Church of the East (light blue), Miaphysite (light red) and the western churches i.e. Eastern Orthodox and Catholic (light purple)

These events caused a major split between the groups that supported different versions of the council. It took difficult talks to fix this split. The groups that supported John of Antioch eventually agreed with the condemnation of Nestorius. After more discussions, they accepted the decisions of Cyril's council. However, the split would open again during the debates leading up to the Council of Chalcedon.

Persia had a Christian community that was often treated badly by the main religion there, Zoroastrianism. The Zoroastrians accused Christians of being loyal to the Roman Empire. In 424, the Persian Church declared itself independent from the Byzantine and all other churches to avoid these accusations. After the Nestorian Schism, the Persian Church increasingly sided with the Nestorians. This was encouraged by the Zoroastrian rulers. The Persian Church became more Nestorian in its beliefs over the next decades. This made the divide between Christianity in Persia and in the Roman Empire even wider. In 486, a church leader in Nisibis, Barsauma of Nisibis, publicly accepted Nestorius's teacher, Theodore of Mopsuestia, as an important spiritual leader. In 489, a school in Mesopotamia was closed by the Byzantine Emperor Zeno because of its Nestorian teachings. The school then moved to Nisibis, becoming the School of Nisibis. This led to many Nestorians moving to Persia. The Persian church leader Mar Babai I (497–502) further strengthened the church's acceptance of Nestorianism.

Coming Together Again

In 1994, the Common Christological Declaration between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East helped to resolve a disagreement between these two churches that had lasted since the Council of Ephesus. They agreed on their understanding of Jesus's divinity and humanity. They also recognized that both their ways of describing Mary were valid. The Assyrian Church called her "the Mother of Christ our God and Saviour," and the Catholic Church called her "the Mother of God" and "the Mother of Christ."

See also

• Marian devotions
• Second Council of Nicaea (787), the last of the 7 ecumenical councils; it confirmed a three-level way of worship that applies to God, the Virgin Mary, and then to other saints.