Page 35 - History of Christianity I - Student Textbook

Study Section 7: Fall of Rome and death of Augustine 430

7.1 Connect

The Bible says that the world will know we are Christians by the love we demonstrate one for
another. But in most churches, there are some people who just don’t demonstrate love. They often
practice just the opposite and cause dissention in the church. As such, the world may look at your
church and see the fractions. They may say, “What makes you guys different than any other club or
organization? They have factions also!”

As we study church history, we will continue to see how Satan will attack the church through the spreading of
false doctrine, or raising to power a contentious leader who does not believe God’s Word. We will see the
faithful stand strong against criticism and persecution. The scenario repeats itself century after century. Let’s
see what happened to the church once the Roman Empire disintegrated. Let’s get started….

7.2 Objectives

1. The student should be able to identify the Nestorian error in reference to Christ and His deity.

2. The student will see how one person’s false doctrine (Arias) had such a profound effect on the life of
the church for centuries.

3. The student should be able to describe how various false doctrines entered the church and began to cause
the church to drift away from the creed of the apostles and the foundational doctrines of the church.

7.3 Controversy with Nestorius (c.431 – d. 451)

Nestorius was consecrated bishop of Constantinople on this date April 10th,
428. His elevation to this influential position had profound repercussions for
the church. A firm opponent of the Arian heresy, he was accused of falling
into a contrary error.

Arians taught that Christ was a created being. To refute this and other points,
Nestorius argued that the Godhead joined with the human rather as if a man entered a
tent or put on clothes. Instead of depicting Christ as one unified person, Nestorius saw
him as a conjunction of two natures so distinct as to be different persons who had
merged.

Nestorius refused to call Mary the "Mother of God." Her baby was very human, he said. Jesus' human acts and
sufferings were of his human nature, not his Godhead. To say Mary was Mother of God was to say God had once
been a few hours old. "God is not a baby two or three months old," he argued.

He never denied that Christ was divine. On the contrary, it was to protect Christ's divinity that he argued as he
did, lest it be lost in worship of the human child. The divine nature could not be born of a woman. Nestorius'
refusal to use the term "theotokus," Mother of God, led to a big argument. He pointed out that the apostles and
early church fathers never employed the word. But he could not resolve the issue so as to bring into focus the
Jesus we know from scripture who is completely and truly both God and man.

Cyril, the patriarch of Alexandria, condemned Nestorius' works by issuing twelve anathemas against him.
Nestorius responded in kind. The two men were harsh individuals and fierce antagonists. There was no chance of
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