, from whom the sect of the Nestorians derive their name, was born
, from whom the sect of the Nestorians
derive their name, was born in Germanica, a city of Syria,
in the fifth century. He was educated and baptized at
Antioch, and soon after the latter ceremony withdrew himself to a monastery in the suburbs of that city. When he
had received the order of priesthood, and began to preach,
he acquired so much celebrity by his eloquence and unspotted life, that in the year 429 the emperor Theodosius
appointed him to the bishopric of Constantinople, at that
time the second see in the Christian church. He had not
been long in this office before he began to manifest an
extraordinary zeal for the extirpation of heretics, and not
above five days after his consecration, attempted to demolish the church in which the Arians secretly held their
assemblies. In this attempt he succeeded so far, that the
Brians, grown desperate, set fire to the church themselves,
and with it burnt some adjoining houses. This fire excited great commotions in the city, and Nestorius was ever
afterwards called an incendiary. From the Arians he
turned against the Novatians, but was interrupted in this
attack by the emperor. He then began to persecute those
Christians of Asia, Lydia, and Caria, who celebrated the
feast of Easter upon the 14th day of the moon; and for
this unimportant deviation from the catholic practice, many
of these people were murdered by his agents at Miletum
and at Sardis. The time, however, was now come when
he was to suffer by a similar spirit, for holding the opinion
that “the virgin Mary cannot with propriety be called the
mother of God.
” The people being accustomed to hear
this expression, were much inflamed against their bishop,
as if his meaning had been that Jesus was a mere man.
For this he was condemned in the council of Ephesus,
deprived of his see, banished to Tarsus in the year 435,
whence he led a wandering life, until death, in the year 439,
released him from farther persecution. He appears to have
been unjustly condemned, as he maintained in express
terms, that the Word was united to the human nature in
Jesus Christ in the most strict and intimate sense possible;
that these two natures, in this state of union, make but one
Christ, and one person; that the properties of the Divine
and human natures may both be attributed to this person;
and that Jesus Christ may be said to have been born of a
virgin, to have suffered and died: but he never would
admit that God could be said to have been born, to have
suffered, or to have died. He was not, however, heard in
his own defence, nor allowed to explain his doctrine. The
zealous Cyril of Alexandria (see Cyril) was one of his
greatest enemies, and Barsumas, bishop of Nisibis^ one of
the chief promoters of his doctrines, and the co-founder of
the sect. In the tenth century the Nestorians in Chaldsea,
whence they are sometimes called Chaldaeans, extended
their spiritual conquest beyond mount Imaus, and introduced the Christian religion into Tartary, properly so
called, and especially into that country called Karit, and
bordering on the northern part of China. The prince f
that country, whom the Nestorians converted to the Christian faith, assumed, according to the vulgar tradition, the
name of John, after his baptism, to which he added the
surname of Presbyter, from a principle of modesty; whence
it is said, his successors were each of them called Prester
John, until the time of Jenghis Khan. But Mosheim
observes, that the famous Prester John did not begin to
reign in that part of Asia before the conclusion of the
eleventh century. The Nestorians formed so considerable
a body of Christians, that the missionaries of Rome were
industrious in their endeavours to reduce them under the
papal yoke. Innocent IV. in 1246, and Nicolas IV. in
1278, used their utmost efforts for this purpose, but without success. Till the time of pope Julius III. the Nestorians acknowledged but one patriarch, who resided first
at Bagdat, and afterwards at Mousul; but a division arising
among them in 1551, the patriarchate became divided, at
least for a time, and a new patriarch was consecrated by
that pope, whose successors fixed their residence in the
city of Ormus, in the mountainous part of Persia, where
they still continue distinguished by the name of Simeon;
and so far down as the seventeenth century, these patriarchs persevered in their communion with the church of
Rome, but seem at present to have withdrawn themselves
from it. The great Nestorian pontiffs, who form the opposite party, and look with a hostile eye on this little patriarch, have, since 1559, been distinguished by the general denomination of Elias, and reside constantly in the
city of Mousul. Their spiritual dominion is very extensive,
takes in a great part of Asia, and comprehends also within
its circuit the Arabian Nestorians, and also the Christians
of St. Thomas, who dwell along the coast of Malabar. It
is observed, to the honour of the Nestorians, that of all
the Christian societies established in the East, they have
been the most careful and successful in avoiding a multitude of superstitious opinions and practices that have infected the Greek and Latin churches* About the middle
of the seventeenth century the Romish missionaries gained
over to their communion a small number of Nestorians,
whom they formed into a congregation or church, the patriarchs or bishops of which reside in the city of Amida,
or Diarbekir, and all assume the denomination of Joseph.
Nevertheless, the Nestorians in general persevere, to our
own times, in their refusal to enter into the communion of
the Romish church, notwithstanding the earnest entreaties
and alluring offers that have been made by the pope’s
legate to conquer their inflexible constancy.