Editing Council of Ephesus (section)

===Theological context===
{{See also|Nestorianism}}

Contention over Nestorius' teachings, which he developed during his studies at the [[School of Antioch]], largely revolved around his rejection of the long-used title ''[[Theotokos]]'' ("Carrier of God") for the [[Virgin Mary]]. Shortly after his arrival in Constantinople, Nestorius became involved in the disputes of two theological factions, which differed in their [[Christology]].

McGuckin ascribes Nestorius' importance to his being the representative of the Antiochene tradition and characterizes him as a "consistent, if none too clear, exponent of the longstanding Antiochene dogmatic tradition." Nestorius was greatly surprised that what he had always taught in Antioch without any controversy whatsoever should prove to be so objectionable to the Christians of Constantinople. Nestorius emphasized the [[Dyophysitism|dual natures]] of [[Christ]], trying to find a middle ground between those who emphasized the fact that in Christ God had been born as a man, and who insisted on calling the Virgin Mary ''[[Theotokos]]'' ([[Greek language|Greek]]: Θεοτόκος, "God-bearer"), and those that rejected that title because God as an eternal being could not have been born. Nestorius suggested the title ''Christotokos'' (''Χριστοτόκος'', "Christ-bearer"), but this proposal did not gain acceptance on either side.

Nestorius tried to answer a question considered unsolved: "How can Jesus Christ, being part man, not be partially a sinner as well, since man is by definition a sinner since the Fall?" To solve that he taught that [[Mary, the mother of Jesus]] gave birth to the incarnate Christ, not the divine [[Jesus Christ the Logos|Logos]] who existed before Mary and indeed before time itself. The Logos occupied the part of the human soul (the part of man that was stained by the Fall). But wouldn't the absence of a human soul make Jesus less human? Nestorius rejected this proposition, answering that, because the human soul was based on the archetype of the Logos, only to become polluted by the Fall, Jesus was "more" human for having the Logos and not "less".{{Citation needed|reason=this is what Apollinaris believed|date=December 2023}} Consequently, Nestorius argued that the Virgin Mary should be called ''Christotokos'', Greek for "Carrier of Christ", and not only ''[[Theotokos]]'', Greek for "Carrier of God".

Nestorius believed that no union between the human and divine was possible. If such a union of human and divine occurred, Nestorius believed that Christ could not truly be [[Consubstantiality|consubstantial]] with God and consubstantial with us because he would grow, mature, suffer and die (which Nestorius argued God cannot do) and also would possess the power of God that would separate him from being equal to humans.{{Citation needed|reason=where does McGuckin note this?|date=December 2023}}

According to McGuckin, several mid-twentieth-century accounts have tended to "romanticise" Nestorius; in opposition to this view, he asserts that Nestorius was no less dogmatic and uncompromising than Cyril, and that he was clearly just as prepared to use his political and canonical powers as Cyril or any of the other hierarchs of the period.<ref>McGuckin, p. 21</ref>

Nestorius's opponents charged him with detaching Christ's divinity and humanity into two persons existing in one body, thereby denying the reality of the [[Incarnation (Christianity)|Incarnation]]. [[Eusebius of Dorylaeum|Eusebius, a layman who later became the bishop of the neighbouring Dorylaeum]] was the first to accuse Nestorius of heresy, but his most forceful opponent was Patriarch [[Cyril of Alexandria]]. Cyril argued that Nestorius's two-nature formula necessarily leads to two Sons.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McENERNEY |first=John I. |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt32b26n?turn_away=true |title=Letters 1–50 (The Fathers of the Church, Volume 76) |date=1987 |publisher=Catholic University of America Press |isbn=978-0-8132-0076-7 |pages=186-189 |chapter=44 To Eulogius, a priest |doi=10.2307/j.ctt32b26n.50}}</ref>

Cyril appealed to [[Pope Celestine I|Pope Celestine I of Rome]], charging Nestorius with [[heresy]]. The Pope agreed and gave Cyril his authority to serve a notice to Nestorius to recant his views within ten days or else be [[excommunicated]]. Before acting on the Pope's commission, Cyril convened a synod of Egyptian bishops which condemned Nestorius as well. Cyril then sent four [[suffragan bishops]] to deliver both the Pope's commission as well as the synodal letter of the Egyptian bishops. Cyril sent a letter to Nestorius known as "The Third Epistle of Saint Cyril to Nestorius." This epistle drew heavily on the established Patristic Constitutions and contained the most famous article of Alexandrian Orthodoxy: "The Twelve Anathemas of Saint Cyril." In these [[anathema]]s, Cyril excommunicated anyone who followed the teachings of Nestorius. For example, "Anyone who dares to deny the Holy Virgin the title ''[[Theotokos]]'' is Anathema!" Nestorius however, still would not repent.
McGuckin points out that other representatives of the Antiochene tradition such as [[John I of Antioch|John of Antioch]], [[Theodoret]] and [[Andrew of Samosata]] were able to recognize "the point of the argument for Christ's integrity" and concede the "ill-advised nature of Nestorius' immoveability."<ref>McGuckin, pp. 22–23</ref> Concerned at the potential for a negative result at a council, they urged Nestorius to yield and accept the use of the title ''Theotokos'' when referring to the Virgin Mary.<ref name="Kelly">{{cite book |title=The ecumenical councils of the Catholic Church: a history |first=Joseph |last=Kelly |publisher=Liturgical Press |year=2009 |isbn=9780814657034 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pg35WfMdM-QC&q=%22Council+of+Ephesus%22+Candidian&pg=PT74}}</ref>

For example, John of Antioch wrote to Nestorius urging him to submit to the Pope's judgment and cease stirring up controversy over a word that he disliked (Theotokos) but which could be interpreted as having an orthodox meaning especially in light of the fact that many saints and doctors of the church had sanctioned the word by using it themselves. John wrote to Nestorius, "Don't lose your head. Ten days! It will not take you twenty-four hours to give the needed answer.... Ask advice of men you can trust. Ask them to tell you the facts, not just what they think will please you.... You have the whole of the East against you, as well as Egypt." Despite this advice from his colleagues, Nestorius persisted in maintaining the rightness of his position.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}