Coptic Synaxarium (Coptic Orthodox Calendar)

12 Toot
(The Twelfth Day of the Blessed Month of Tute)

 

The Assembly of the Third Ecumenical Council at Ephesus to Judge Nestorius, Archbishop of Constantinople

On this day of the year 431 A.D., the Holy Council at Ephesus which was attended by 200 bishops, was convened. It was the third of the Ecumenical Councils. That was in the twentieth year of the reign of Theodosius II, son of Arcadius, son of Theodosius the Great.

    They assembled because of the heresy of Nestorius who was Archbishop of Constantinople. He believed that St. Mary did not give birth to the incarnated God, but only to a human being, and that afterwards the Son of God dwelt in him, not the dwelling of unity but just the dwelling of will, and therefore, Christ because of that reason, had two natures and two wills.

    So these fathers convened, debated with Nestorius, and proved to him that He, who was born of the Virgin, was the incarnated God, as the angel said, "The Lord is with you; that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:28-32) And according to the saying of Isaiah, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel," (Isaiah 7:14) and also, "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father." (Isaiah 9:6)

    St. Cyril, 24th Pope of Alexandria, explained to Nestorius that, "Natures cannot be separated after they have become one by their union. Therefore we say that the Incarnated Word of God has only One Nature." Nestorius would not turn from his teaching nor change his opinion. St. Cyril along with the whole Council rebuked him and threatened that they would excommunicate him, but he was adamant. Therefore, they excommunicated him and banished him from his chair. They confirmed that the Virgin St. Mary had given birth to the Incarnated God the Word, (Theotokos) or "The Mother of God". They drew up the Canons and laid down the Laws. These are the laws of the faithful till this day.

    If it is said that the Nestorians do not say that today, we reply by saying that it is because they have mingled with the Christians of the East, and that some of them have turned from their erroneous opinion.

We beseech our God and our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ to guide us in the path of salvation - to whom is the praise, glory, and worship now and ever. Amen.

Days of  the month of Thout: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30

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