THE CHURCHES OF THE EAST (NESTORIANS)

THE CHURCHES OF THE EAST (NESTORIANS)

 

 

1. The lost history of Asian churches (Samuel Moffett, The History of Asian Christianity)

 

* "The Story of Christianity in the West has often been told, but the history of Christianity in the

East is not as well known. The seed was the same: the good news of Jesus Christ for the whole

world (including both the West and the East)...." But it was sown by the different sowers; it was

planted in different soil; it grew with a different flavor, and it was gathered by different reapers."

(Moffett, Vol.1, xiii)

 

* Paul's mission to the gentiles moved the gospel still more descively west in the

histories, for there was a historian Luke, acompanying Paul. No such contemporary

historian recorded the gospel's eastward march, but there is no doubt that the gospel

did move east even while Paul was opening a beachhead in Europe at Philippi." (25)

 

* "Its earlest history, its first centers were Asian. Asian produced the first known church building,

the first New Testament translation, perhaps the first Christian king..., and even arguably the first

Christian state. Asian Chrsitian endured the greatest persecutions. They mounted global ventures in

mission expansion the West could not match until after the thirteenth century." (Moffett, xiii)

 

* Asian Christianity left the mysteries of the providence of God, from a Christian perspective.

But from that same perspective, history does not end with despair but with hope. "Who would

have dare to predict in 1500 that before another five hundred years had passed the Christians of

Asia, revived and renewed, would emerge from the shadows and begin again to outpace the West

in the growth of the church and in mission to the world?" (Moffett, 509)

 

 

2. The Christological debate: the Council of Chalcedon (252-257)

 

* The question on the Second Person of Trinity (The humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ) (252)

# Two Parties: "Antiochene," and "Alexandrine"

 

* The pre-stage of the debate: Apollinaris (253)

 

* Nestorius vs Cyril (253-5)

1) Political confrontation between the two parties (253)

2) The debate on "Mary" (254)

3) The confrontation and the Council of Ephesus (254-5)

4) The Council of Chalcedon (256-7)

5) The result and the further debates (257-8)

 

* "Nestorius is revealed as not so much "Nestorian" and more orthodox than his opponents."

"At no time did he denied the deity of Christ, as was charged against him." (Moffett, 176)

Luther concluded "there was nothing really heretical in the Nestorians."

 

 

3. The Dissent Churches of the East (261-262)

 

* Five ancient streams: Egyptian, Syrian, Persian, Indian, and Arabian

 

* The Persian churches after the Council of Chalcedon (261): The Nestorians

 

* Armenian, Ethiopian, and Syrian Churches (261-2): The Monophysites

 

 

4. The Arab Conquests (248-250)

 

* The rise of the Arabs (248-9)

 

* Mohammed and the birth of Islam (249)

 

* Islam kingdom (249)

 

* Influence to the Christian world, especially to the Eastern areas. (249-250)