431–431 · Ephesus
Council of Ephesus
Why this council matters
Ephesus concerns the identity of Jesus before it concerns Marian devotion. Calling Mary Mother of God protects the confession that her son is the one divine Son who truly became human; it does not say she is the origin of his divinity.
The council must be studied through its letters, judgments and reception, not reduced to a slogan about two competing individuals. Cyril’s letters help readers see how Christ’s humanity and the unity of his person were argued from Scripture and inherited faith.
Read and investigate
Read Cyril’s second letter to Nestorius and his third letter. These are related primary documents, not the complete acts of the council.
Controversies
Disputes about the unity of Christ and the title Theotokos.
Decrees
Received Cyril’s teaching on the unity of Christ and rejected Nestorius’s position.
Definitions
Mary is Mother of God because the one born of her is the divine Son incarnate.