Nestorius

Nestorius (Greek: Νεστόριος; c. 386 – c. 451) was Archbishop of Constantinople from 10 April 428 to 22 June 431. His views, which are now called Nestorianism, were popular in the East.

Nestorius objected to the popular custom of calling the Mary, the mother of Jesus, "Theotokos", meaning the "mother of God". Nestorius believed that Jesus has two natures: one human and one divine. That belief, now called Nestorianism, was different from that of Cyril of Alexandria, who considered Jesus to be both human and divine at once. Nestorius called Cyril a heretic.

At the Council of Ephesus, Nestorius wanted Cyril charged with heresy. Most of the bishops who agreed with Nestorius came from the East and did not arrive at the meeting before the decision was made. Most of the bishops at the meeting agreed with Cyril. Nestorius was removed from his position as archbishop and sent into exile in Egypt.

In the East, the churches still supported Nestorius and did not accept his removal. As a result, they set up their own group of churches, known as the Assyrian Church of the East, in Persia.