The Council of Ephesus was an important church council held in Ephesus in 431 AD. It addressed several key theological issues related to Christology and affirmed important doctrines about the nature of Christ. Here is an overview of what transpired at this pivotal council:
Background Leading up to the Council
In the early 5th century, a theological debate arose about how to understand the relationship between the divine and human natures of Jesus Christ. A priest named Nestorius, who was the Patriarch of Constantinople, emphasized the distinction between Christ’s human and divine natures to such an extent that he seemed to be suggesting that Christ was two separate persons – one fully human and one fully divine. This view became known as Nestorianism.
Many church leaders believed that Nestorius’ teaching undermined the unity of Christ’s person. In 430 AD, Nestorius’ opponents persuaded the Roman Emperor Theodosius II to call an ecumenical council to resolve this Christological controversy. The Council of Ephesus convened in 431 AD with around 200 bishops in attendance.
Cyril’s Role in Opposing Nestorius
One of the main opponents of Nestorius at the Council of Ephesus was Cyril, the Patriarch of Alexandria. Prior to the council, Cyril had written extensively against Nestorius, arguing that Christ was a single person with two natures united together. He emphasized that Mary was not just the mother of Jesus the human, but the Mother of God (Theotokos in Greek) since Jesus was one person fully God and fully human.
As the council commenced, Nestorius repeatedly refused to affirm the Theotokos title for Mary. Cyril presented a judgment on Nestorius, known as the 12 Anathemas, which outlined 12 major errors in Nestorius’ teaching. Nestorius refused to recant his views, so the council officially condemned his teachings as heretical.
Affirming Christ as Fully God and Fully Man
The Council of Ephesus formally rejected Nestorianism and affirmed several key teachings about Christ’s nature:
– Jesus Christ is one person, fully God and fully man, with two natures united without separation or division.
– The virgin Mary is rightly called the Mother of God (Theotokos) since she gave birth to Jesus who is God incarnate in human flesh.
– Jesus Christ’s divine and human natures are in perfect union in one divine personhood. Jesus is of the same substance with the Father according to his divinity and of the same substance with us according to his humanity.
– Christ’s humanity and divinity are united in one hypostasis (individual existence) and are not separate. The properties of each nature belong to the one person of Jesus.
The Council declared anyone who separated Christ’s natures or divided Him into two persons to be outside of orthodox Christian teaching.
Affirming Mary as Theotokos (Mother of God)
In addition to condemning Nestorianism, the Council of Ephesus also formally approved the use of the title Theotokos (God-bearer) for Mary. This term recognized that Mary gave birth to a son who was fully divine (one of the persons of the Trinity) as well as fully human.
The council saw acknowledging Mary as Theotokos as important for preserving the doctrine of the Incarnation. The eternal Son of God took on human flesh and was born as Jesus Christ through Mary. So while Mary was biologically only the mother of Christ’s humanity, she gave birth to the eternal divine Son who took on humanity. Calling her Theotokos underscores that her son Jesus is inseparable in His divinity and humanity.
Aftermath and Reception
While the Council of Ephesus upheld orthodox Christology, it was not without controversy. The council proceeded despite the absence of Nestorius’ supporters and was criticized for being unbalanced. Nestorius was removed from his position and exiled. His followers formed the Church of the East and were labelled Nestorians.
However, the Oriental Orthodox churches rejected some of Cyril’s anathemas and believed his wording leaned too far toward confusing or blending Christ’s human and divine natures into one new combined nature. Despite these disagreements, the Council of Ephesus was widely embraced and became the third ecumenical council of the Christian church. Its doctrinal decisions set the boundaries for all future Christological debate.
By affirming truths about Christ’s hypostatic union and Mary as Theotokos, the Council of Ephesus served an important role in defending orthodox beliefs about the nature and identity of Jesus Christ and His mother Mary which the church has maintained as foundational doctrines to the present day. Its impact continues to be felt across Eastern and Western Christian traditions.
Key Quotes from the Council
Here are some key quotes from documents that came out of the Council of Ephesus:
“Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sovereign of all, is one of the holy Trinity, incarnate, perfect in Godhead and perfect in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood…recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence.”
“We preserve the faith unchanged from beginning to end in the same form in which we received it. We reject as foreign and alien, and contrary to scripture and tradition anything superadded or interpolated, as also the doctrine falsely so called of Nestorius.”
“If anyone does not confess that the Emmanuel is truly God, and therefore that the holy Virgin is the Mother of God (for she bore in a fleshly manner the Word of God made flesh), let him be anathema!”
“Our Lord Jesus Christ is to be confessed as being one [person] in two natures, and anyone who divides or splits up the natures, introduces a quaternity [of persons] into them by speaking of [a distinction between the two persons].”
Bible Passages Referenced Regarding Christ’s Nature
While the council did not extensively quote Scripture in its official documents, the biblical basis for its conclusions can be seen in verses that speak of Jesus Christ as fully God and fully man:
– John 1:14 – “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
– Philippians 2:5-8 – “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
– Colossians 2:9 – “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.”
– 1 Timothy 3:16 – “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”
These and other verses affirm that Jesus Christ is uniquely both God and man – the divine Son of God who took on human existence for our salvation. The Council upheld this biblical testimony about Christ’s two natures united hypostatically.