Editing Council of Ephesus (section)

===Convocation===
[[File:Christian council of Ephèsus in 431.jpg|thumb|Council of Ephesus in 431, in the Basilica of Fourvière, [[Lyon]]]]
On 19 November, Nestorius, anticipating the ultimatum which was about to be delivered, convinced Emperor [[Theodosius II]] to summon a general council through which Nestorius hoped to convict Cyril of heresy and thereby vindicate his own teachings. Theodosius issued a Sacra calling for the metropolitan bishops to assemble in the city of Ephesus, which was a special seat for the veneration of Mary, where the ''theotokos'' formula was popular. Each bishop was to bring only his more eminent suffragans. The date set by the Emperor for the opening of the council was Pentecost (7 June) 431.<ref>McGuckin, pp. 53–54</ref>

McGuckin notes that the vagueness of the Sacra resulted in wide variations of interpretation by different bishops. In particular, the vastness of John of Antioch's ecclesiastical territory required a lengthy period to notify and gather his delegates. Because the overland trip from Antioch to Ephesus was long and arduous, John composed his delegation of his metropolitan bishops who were restricted to bring no more than two suffragans each. By doing so, he minimized the number who would have to travel to Ephesus.
Neither of the emperors attended the council. Theodosius appointed Count Candidian as the head of the imperial palace guard to represent him, to supervise the proceedings of the Council, and to keep good order in the city of Ephesus. Despite Nestorius' agenda of prosecuting Cyril, Theodosius intended for the council to focus strictly on the christological controversy. He thus gave Candidianus strict directions to remain neutral and not to interfere in the theological proceedings. It is generally assumed that Candidian initially maintained his neutrality as instructed by the emperor and only gradually became more biased towards Nestorius. McGuckin, however, suggests that Candidian may have favored Nestorius from the start.<ref>McGuckin, p. 53</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Saint Cyril of Alexandria and the Council of Ephesus|url=http://www.lacopts.org/articles/saint-cyril-of-alexandria-and-the-council-of-ephesus |access-date=2011-09-25}}</ref>