Nestorius received open support from John of Antioch and most of the
bishops of Syria.
Nestorius’ obstinacy raised the controversy to boiling point. In response,
the eastern Emperor, Theodosius II, called for an ecumenical council,
which was approved by Pope Celestine. The council was summoned to
meet in Ephesus on June 22, 431, and was to assemble in the Church of the
Theotokos, near the place where the Virgin Mary actually lived with St.
John. St. Cyril presided over the Council of Ephesus as vicegerent of the
Pope (“filling the place of the most holy and blessed Archbishop of the
Roman Church, Celestine”), which in its first session attended by about 160
bishops (by the end of the day there were 198), condemned, deposed and
excommunicated Nestorius. Mary was indeed the Mother of God, as Jesus
Christ was one divine Person with two natures, human and divine. A
mother is a mother of a person, not simply of a nature. Being mother of a
divine person, Mary was entitled to be called Theotokos, or God-bearer.
The entire proceedings of the first session were concluded in the one day. It
was night when St. Cyril opened the doors of the church to announce the
Council’s decision to the waiting crowd. Hearing the words “Maria
Theotokos” from St. Cyril’s lips, the crowd erupted with joyful shouts of
“Theotokos!, Theotokos!” The people of Ephesus then formed torchlight
processions and escorted the bishops in triumph to their lodgings. For the
remainder of the night the city was brightly illuminated. A notification
addressed to “the new Judas” was sent by the Council to Nestorius; he
refused to receive it so it was attached to his door.
Arriving with 34 bishops five days after the close of the first session, John
of Antioch called together those bishops friendly to Nestorius and declared
the actions taken against him null and void, and excommunicated St. Cyril
and the bishop of Ephesus, Memnon. Further sessions on July 10, 16, 31
and September 11 re-affirmed the decision of June 22, especially after one
of the Papal Legates, the priest Philip, declared it to be valid and good in
law: “This is a just judgment. To Celestine the new Paul!” Theodosius
considered deposing St. Cyril, Nestorius and Memnon together in order to
bring peace, but was prevailed upon by his sister Pulcheria to ratify the
Council and banish only Nestorius to Antioch. Later, Nestorius was
banished again to Egypt for continuing to spread his errors. Pope
Celestine’s successor, St. Sixtus III, confirmed the Council’s decrees.
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