Council of Ephese in AD 431(Council of Ephesus)
Location: Ephese
Year: AD 431.
Organized by: Emperor Theodosius II
Attendees: 200-250 bishops
Summary: Condemned Nestorius and Caelestius and their followers as heretics. Repudiated Pelagianism, proclaimed the Virgin Mary as the Theotokos ("Birth-giver to God", "God-bearer", "Mother of God"), and reaffirmed the Nicene Creed.
| Topics | Arguments | Decided |
| Was Jesus Christ one person (hypostasis) or two separate persons? | Nestorius argues that there are two distinct hypostases in the Incarnate Christ, the one Divine and the other human. | Jesus was one person, yet possessing both a human and divine nature. Condemned Nestorius and his followers as heretics. |
| Is sin an inevitable result of fallen human nature? | No. Pelagius and Caelestius argue that sin is not an inevitable result of fallen human nature, but instead comes about by free choice and bad habits; through repeated sinning a person could corrupt their own nature and enslave themselves to sin. In addition, the original sin did not taint human nature because God could not command believers to do the impossible, and therefore it must be possible to satisfy all divine commandments. They also taught that it was unjust to punish one person for the sins of another; therefore, infants are born blameless. Pelagius and Caelestius accepted no excuse for sinful behavior and taught that all Christians, regardless of their station in life, should live unimpeachable, sinless lives. | Condemned Pelagius and Caelestius and their followers as heretics. |
| Do humans have the free will to achieve human perfection without divine grace? | Each human retains absolute freedom of action and full responsibility for all actions. Limitation on free will, including necessity, compulsion, or limitations of nature is not acceptable. Teaching a strong position on free will is the best motivation for individuals to reform their conduct. | Condemned Pelagius and Caelestius and their followers as heretics. |
| Are infants blameless? | Pelagius and Caelestius argue that infants are blameless. | Condemned Pelagius and Caelestius and their followers as heretics. |
| The issue of sin | Pelagius and Caelestius argue that sin comes about by free choice. | Condemned Pelagius and Caelestius and their followers as heretics. |
| The issue of forgiveness for sin | Pelagius and Caelestius argue that forgiveness for sin is given to those who sincerely repent and merit it. | Condemned Pelagius and Caelestius and their followers as heretics. |
| Is sinlessness possible? | Pelagius and Caelestius argue that sinlessness is theoretically possible, although unusual. | Condemned Pelagius and Caelestius and their followers as heretics. |
| The issue of salvation | Pelagius and Caelestius argue that humans will be judged for their choices. | Condemned Pelagius and Caelestius and their followers as heretics. |
| The issue of predestination | Pelagius and Caelestius reject predestination. | Condemned Pelagius and Caelestius and their followers as heretics. |
Notes
The Council of Ephasus was called to debate the precise nature of Jesus. Again, there were two main competing belief systems:
From the city of Alexandria, scholars developed the Alexandrian school of thought which:
- Promoted the allegorical interpretation of the Bible - that it contained hidden meanings.
- Emphasized the divinity of Christ.
- Recognized that Jesus had both a human and divine nature, tightly united.
Within the city of Antioch, Nestorius and other scholars developed the Aniochene school which:
- Rejected an allegorical interpretation of the Bible.
- Emphasized the humanity of Jesus.
- Saw the two natures of Jesus as being loosely connected.
The council excommunicated Nestorian and declared his beliefs (Nestorianism) to be heresy. The Virgin Mary's status was elevated from the mother of Jesus to "theotokos", the mother of God.
Also see: