The Council of Ephesus Deposes Nestorius

Not long afterward an order from the emperor directed the bishops everywhere to assemble at Ephesus. So immediately after the festival of Easter, Nestorius went to Ephesus, escorted by a great crowd of his supporters, and found many of the bishops already there. Cyril, bishop of Alexandria, was delayed and did not arrive until near Pentecost. Five days after Pentecost, Juvenal, bishop of Jerusalem, arrived. While John of Antioch was still absent, those who had now gathered took up the question. Cyril of Alexandria opened a sharp skirmish of words, meaning to frighten Nestorius, for he strongly disliked him. When many had declared that Christ was God, Nestorius said: “I cannot call him God who was two and three months old. So I am clear of your blood, and from now on I will come among you no more.” With these words he left the assembly, and afterward held meetings with the other bishops who shared his views. [a]

So those present split into two factions. The party that supported Cyril formed itself into a council and summoned Nestorius, but he refused to meet them and put them off until John of Antioch should arrive. Cyril’s party therefore went on to examine the public sermons Nestorius had preached on the point in dispute. After reading them over again and again, they decided that they contained open blasphemy against the Son of God, and they deposed him. When this was done, the party of Nestorius formed another council of its own, and there deposed Cyril himself, and with him Memnon, bishop of Ephesus. Not long after these events John, bishop of Antioch, arrived. When he was told what had happened, he condemned Cyril without reserve as the author of all this confusion, for having rushed so hastily into deposing Nestorius. At this Cyril joined with Juvenal to take revenge on John, and they deposed him too.

When matters had reached this state of confusion, Nestorius saw that the quarrel that had been raised was heading toward the destruction of communion. In bitter regret he called Mary Theotokos, and cried out: “Let Mary be called Theotokos, if you will, and let all disputing stop.” But though he took back what he had said, no notice was taken of it. His deposition was not revoked, and he was banished to the Oasis, where he still remains. Such was the end of this synod. These things were done on the twenty-eighth of June, in the consulship of Bassus and Antiochus. When John had returned to his own see, he gathered a number of bishops and deposed Cyril, who had also returned to his see. But soon afterward they set aside their enmity, accepted each other as friends, and restored each other to their bishops’ chairs.

After the deposition of Nestorius, however, a great agitation spread through the churches of Constantinople. The people were divided over what we have already called his unfortunate remarks, and the clergy with one voice anathematized him. For this is the sentence we Christians are accustomed to pass on those who have put forward blasphemous teachings: we set up their impiety to be publicly exposed, as it were on a pillar, for everyone to curse.