This week in Christian history: ‘Bible Answer Man’ becomes Orthodox, Nestorius made a bishop

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, April 04, 2021

Controversial early church bishop consecrated – April 10, 428

A seventeenth century image of fifth century bishop Nestorius (386-451), who was labeled a heretic for his teachings on the nature of Jesus Christ. | Public Domain

This week marks the anniversary of when Patriarch Nestorius, an early church leader who would later be declared a heretic, was consecrated bishop of Constantinople.

Originally a monk and chosen by Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II to fill the position, Nestorius only held the office for a few years before being labeled a heretic and exiled to Egypt.

A key issue with Nestorianism was its assessment of the nature of Jesus Christ, claiming that His human nature and His divine nature were actually two different persons.

“According to Nestorius, Jesus is the union of two persons—a human person and a divine person,” explained Ligonier Ministries.

“Nestorius believed the union was not such that we could say the humanity of Jesus actually belongs to the Son of God. Instead, it belongs only to the human person.”

“The errors of Nestorianism become evident when we reflect on the atonement. If Christ is two persons, who died on the cross? … A human person who has a human nature can save no one but himself. A divine person who has a human nature can save all those whom He has chosen to save. Because the divine person is infinite, the merit of His suffering according to His human nature can be applied to many people.”