St Cyril of Alexandria Against Nestorius (Part 1 of 2)

Translated by P. E. Pusey

St Cyril of Alexandria Resources Online and in Print

This Part: 115 Pages

Page 22

The name 'Anthropotocos' must have been a fiction of his own, in order to make room for his own term Christotocos, as an intermediate term. No one would give the name as a descriptive name, however they may have held our Lord to be a mere man; and Nestorius speaks of those, who called the Blessed Virgin Anthropotocos, as in the Church.

However, in his own Patriarchate, for three years Nestorius had his own way. S. Cyril names that period in his full letter of explanation to Acacius of Beroea, who must have been cognizant of the accuracy of the statement.

'[105] But when we all waited for Nestorius, while he spent a period of three years in blaspheming, and we and your holiness and the whole Council with us tried to bring him back from them, and to those doctrines which appertain to rightness and truth.'

Peter, the notary, rehearsed the same in the first session of the Council. '[106] Not many days having elapsed' [after his consecration]. S. Cyril in his letter to S. Celestine says,

['][107] During the past I have kept silence and have written absolutely nothing either to your Religiousness, or any of our Fellow-ministers, about him who is now at Constantinople and ruleth the Church, believing that hastiness in these things is not without blame.'

Within Constantinople, Nestorius, twice apparently, gave occasion to a great expression of popular feeling by utterances which he sanctioned, absolutely denying the doctrine of the Incarnation. The first was by Anastasius, a priest [108] whom he had brought from Antioch, whom 'he held in great honour, and employed as a counsellor; a fiery lover of Nestorius and his Jewish dogmas.' He burst out in a sermon openly, '[109] let no one call Mary theotocos: for Mary was human; but it is impossible that one human should bear God.' This the people could ill-endure. Nestorius supported it with vehemence.

The other statement which reached S. Cyril, and which he mentioned to some at Constantinople, who blamed him for his letter to the monks [110], was by Dorotheus Bishop of Marcianopolis, who said openly, 'Anathema, if any call the holy Mary, Theotocos.'

This went much further than the former. It pronounced Anathema (as S. Cyril saw) upon all who held what all held and expressed, upon the whole Catholic Church. Nestorius at once received him to Communion.

Nestorius supported the denial of the Theotocos. In his first Sermon he says, that he had been asked whether the Blessed Virgin was to be called 'Anthropotocos or Theotocos.' He appealed to his hearers,

105. [l] Synod, n. 56.  

106. [m] Conc. Eph. Act. i. init.

107. [n] Ep. 9. ad Celestin. p. 36.  

108. ° Socr. vii. 32.

109. [p] Evagr. i. 2. 

110. [q] Ep. 6. p. 30.  

Previous Page / First / Next Page of St Cyril - Against Nestorius

St Cyril of Alexandria Home Page / Works ||| More Church Fathers

Elpenor's Free Greek Lessons

Reference address : https://www.elpenor.org/cyril-alexandria/against-nestorius.asp?pg=22