j Nestorius. This one w.is Cyril, bishop of Alexandria, who had jireviously exhibited a violent jicrsecuting spirit against pagans, Jews, and heretics. He took the field, moved by interests both personal and doctrinal, and used every means to ovcrtlirow his rival in Coi<-
! stantinople, as his like-minded uncle and predecessor, Theophilus, liad overthrown the noble Chrysostom in the Origenistic strife. The theological controversy was at tlie same time a contest of the two patriarchates. In personal character Cyril stands far below Nestorius, but he excelled him in knowledge of the world, shrewd- ness, theological learning, and acuteiicss, and bad the show of greater veneration for Christ and for Mary on
i his side ; and in his opposition to the abstract separation
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of the divine and human he was in the right, though he himself pressed to the verge of the opposite error of mixing or confusing the two natures in Christ. (Comp. in particular his assertion of an 'ivtucriQ ^vcik!) in the third of his Anathematismi against Nestorius ; Hefele [Conciliengesch. ii, 155], however, understands by this not a fVojfftf tig jJiiav ipvmv, but only a real union in one being, one existence.) Cyril, as if to blind the eyes of his antagonists, opened the controversy by mild and apparently suave measures. He simply wrote to Nes- torius remonstrating against the views of the Constan- tinopolitan patriarch. Cyril published two letters ad- dressed to Egyptian monks, in which he assailed the opinions of Nestorius, without, however, alluding to or once mentioning his name. The appearance of these writings excited no light sensation in the East, and gave great offence to Nestorius, against whom they were so plainly levelled. Cyril followed this up by a solemn protest, and finally launched out by vehement and bitter denunciations of Nestorius and his doctrine, declaring the latter at variance with the very essence of Christianity. An epistolary altercation now took place between the two patriarchs, which continued for some time, with considerable bitterness on both sides. To bring about Nestorius's removal from the patriarchate, Cyril addressed the emperor, the empress Eudocia, and the emperor's sister Pulcheria, who took a lively inter- est in Church affairs ; and when these efforts failed to bring about the much desired result, he finally deter- mined to rouse the pope against Nestorius, and therefore caused the sermons of that patriarch to be translated and sent to Home, and at the same time urged his holi- ness to take summary measures for the vindication of pure doctrine. Celestine, moved by orthodox instinct, and flattered by the appeal to his authority, summoned a synod to meet at Rome, and with their sanction de- cided that the clergy excommunicated by Nestorius should be restored to the fellowship of the Church ; and, further, that if within ten days after receiving the sen- tence pronounced at Kome, Nestorius should not give a written recantation of his errors, he should be forthwith deposed from his office as patriarch and excommuni- cated, "ab universalis ccclesite catliolicaj communione dejectus." Cyril having thus foinid at last the oppor- tunity of humbling his rival, took it upon himself to execute the sentence of the Eoman synod. Summoning a synod of Egyptian bishops at Alexandria, Cyril de- spatched a letter, A.D. 430, in the name of the synod to Nestorius, in which, conformably to the sentence pro- nounced at Rome, he called upon him to recant, and concluded with twelve anathemas against his presumed errors, thus formaU}-^ setting forward the Egyptian creed in opposition to the Antiochian system, as expressed by Theodore of Mopsuestia. The controversy now com- pletely altered its aspect, being converted from a per- sonal into a doctrinal dispute. By orders of John, pa- triarch of Antioch, a refutation of the Egyptian anath- emas was published by Theodoret, bishop of Cyros, a town on the Euphrates; and this refutation, which was written with great severity, called forth an equally vio- lent reply from the pen of Cyril. Nestorius, on his part, treated the deputies sent from Celestine and Cyril with the utmost contempt, and answered the anathemas of Cyril by sending twelve counter anathemas, in which he accused his opponents of the heresv of Apollinaris (q.v.).
The controversy had now become so general and critical that it was thought to be absolutely necessarj' to summon a general council, and therefore the em- peror, Theodosius II, in connection with his Western colleague, Valentinian III, issued a proclamation to all the metropolitans of his empire to meet in oecumenical council at Ephesus about Pentecost of the following year. Cyril and Nestorius arrived at Ephesus at the ap- pointed time, tlie former authorized temporarily to repre- sent the pope, Celestine, and accompanied by a great number of Egyptian bishops, who came to act as his