The Role Of The Third Ecumenical Council In The Holy Orthodox Church

Throughout the history of The Holy Orthodox Church, there has always been disagreements. These disagreements ranged from certain teachings, doctoral issues, and even practices and customs. The way the Holy Church solved these serious issues, was by councils of bishops. These councils were known as Ecumenical Councils. An important council was the Third Ecumenical Council. They dealt with an issue that threatened an immense division with a dangerous heretical teaching. As a result, the Third Ecumenical Council declared Nestorianism a heresy and prevented a schism between members of the Orthodox Church.
To better understand the third ecumenical council, one must first understand what a ecumenical council is; and what issue that was facing
The decision of this council was that non-Jewish converts did not need to submit to all the Mosaic laws and customs (14). This council was one of the first to be called regarding church issues. Also during the early years of the holy orthodox church, there have been seven ecumenical councils that have been called to resolve church issues and try to prevent division. One of the councils that dealt with the issue of teaching and almost caused serious division was the third ecumenical council. Before this council was called by St. Theodosius II, there was a dangerous and heretical teaching that was being spread by a bishop named Nestorius in Constantinople. Nestorius was appointed to the see of Constantinople in the year 428 A.D. by emperor St Theodosius II (HB 111). Nestorius was originally a hieromonk from Antioch and was appointed because, the emperor did not want anyone from the Clergy in Constantinople to the Bishops see (ESOC 50 – 51). Ironically as bishop, Nestorius was known for being very brutal towards heretics like Arians. He even ordered a building that was used by the Arian, as a church, to
When word finally reached Alexandria and Rome, where the head hierarchs of those regions got word from their representatives of what Nestorius was preaching. Both St Cyril of Alexandria and St Clement of Rome condemned his teachings right away (55). St Cyril, whole occupied the see of Alexandria from 412 to 444 A.D... ( EC197) Many revered St Cyril of Alexandria as a distinguished and thoughtful theologian of his time (195). Like Nestorius, St Cyril was also known for being quiet harsh towards the heterodox in Alexandria (EC 194). Not long after he received word about what Nestorius was preaching,St Cyril in his annual letter in the year 428 A.D. announcing the date for Easter the following year, He also attacked Nestorius’s doctrine and teachings (EC 195). St Cyril also wrote and sent three famous letters to Nestorius in Constantinople regarding the wrongness of his teaching and also set forth in the letter the orthodox teaching about the God-Man Christ Jesus ( HECO 55). However, in St. Cyril’s third letter to Nestorius, he appended a set of propositions known as “The Twelve Chapters” which in detail talked about the Issues with Nestorius’s teaching’s that were very heretical (55). So, you can how upset many of the other Bishops and Hierarchs were that, one of their brothers was going against holy tradition and spreading heretical