Misconceptions About The Teachings Of The Council Of Ephesus

An Ecumenical Council is when the entire Church, convened by the Pope and composed of bishops, gathers in an assembly to address certain concerns of the Universal Church. The council’s purpose is to correct any misconceptions in the church, teachings or scripture, so that the church’s teachings and doctrine continue to carry out the same message that Jesus Christ intended when he entrusted his apostles with his church on earth. During the Council of Ephesus there had been several controversies about the teachings of the church that were addressed such as the Nestorian heresy, and the reaffirmation of the Nicene Creed, that of which ultimately were discussed and successfully resolved.

Ephesus was a city located near the west coast of Asia
Nestorius’s was teaching that there were two separate persons in Christ, one human, and one divine; this also included his refusal of Mary as the Theotokos “God -Bearer.” He was quickly confronted for teachings of heresy by Cyril, the Patriarch of Alexandria who had appealed to the Pope at the time, Clementine I, and had been given the power to give notice to Nestorius that he had ten days to rethink his beliefs or be excommunicated from the church. Pope Clementine gave Cyril the power to be the first agent to speak against Nestorianism. Later, Cyril called the first session of this council in 431 A.D. Almost 200 bishops arrived, Nestorius however declared that he would not arrive until all the bishops were present. After the third time Nestorius was called upon he did not respond to the council, refusing to recognize Cyril as a judge of the council. Cyril however, knew that all he had to do to start the council in place was to get one of the bishops of the council to read Theodosius II, Eastern Roman emperor’s, call to convocation. Cyril then was able to trick one of the opposing bishops into read Theodosius’s convocation, which then gave the counsel no choice but to recognize its legality. The council condemned Nestorius for his teachings, “Our lord Jesus Christ, who has been blasphemed by him, has determined through this most holy synod that the same Nestorius should be stripped of his
When John and the Eastern bishops finally arrived, they were outraged to find that the council had begun without them and already concluded in their decision. Aside from this, they convened their own council immediately, condemning and excommunicating Cyril and others. This led to some confusion and conflict. In conclusion both Rome and Constantinople approved of Cyril’s council. In addition to this, the Council disproved the heresy of Pelagianism; the heresy that claims that God made human beings free to choose between good and evil and that sin is a voluntary act committed against God’s