from whom the sect of Nestorian Christians derive their name, was born in Germanica a city of Syria. He received his education at Antioch, where he was likewise baptized; and soon after his baptism he withdrew himself to a monastery in the suburbs of that city. Upon his being admitted to the order of priesthood, he quickly acquired so great reputation by the eloquence of his preaching, and the regularity of his life, that by the emperor Theodosius he was deemed a fit person to fill the second see in the Christian church, and was accordingly consecrated bishop of Constantinople in the year 429.

In one of his first sermons after his promotion, he publicly declared his intention to make war upon heretics; and with that intolerant spirit which has so often disgraced the preachers of the mild religion of Jesus, he called upon the emperor to free the earth from heretics, promising to give him heaven as a reward for his zeal. To this spiritual motive he added one, that, though carnal, he possibly judged of equal force: "Join with me (said he) in war against them, and I will afflict you against the Persians." Although the wiser and better part of his audience were amazed to see a man, before he had tasted (as the historian expresses himself) the water of his city, declare that he would persecute all who were not of his opinion; yet the majority of the people approved of this discourse, and encouraged him to execute his purpose. Accordingly, five days after his consecration, he attempted to demolish the church in which the Arians secretly held their assemblies; and he succeeded so far in his design, that these people, growing desperate, set it on fire themselves, and consumed with it some of the neighbouring houses. This fire excited great commotions in the city, and Nestorius was ever afterwards called an incendiary.

From the Arians he turned his persecution against the Novatians, but was stopped in his career by the interposition of the emperor. He then let loose his fury upon those Christians of Asia, Lydia, and Caria, who celebrated the feast of Easter upon the 14th day of the moon; and for this unimportant deviation from the Catholic practice, many of those people were murdered by his agents both at Miletum and at Sardis. One cannot be sorry that such a relentless persecutor should himself be afterwards condemned as an heretic, for holding an opinion which no man who speaks or thinks with philosophic accuracy will now venture to controvert. This obnoxious tenet, which produced a schism in the church, and was condemned by a general council, was nothing more than that "the Virgin Mary cannot with propriety be called the mother of God." The people being accustomed to hear this expression, were much inflamed against their bishop, imagining that he had revived the error of Paulus Samosatenus and Photinus, who taught that Jesus Christ was a mere man. The monks declared openly against him, and, with some of the most considerable men in Constantinople, separated themselves from his communion. Several bishops wrote to him earnest persuasions to acknowledge that Mary was the mother of God; and when he would not comply, they procured his condemnation in the council of Ephesus, which deprived him of his see. He then retired to his ancient monastery at Antioch, whence he was taken four years afterwards by the emperor's order, and banished in 435 to Tarsus. That city being taken and destroyed by the barbarians, he was removed to Panopolis, a city of Thebais; where he was not suffered to remain long, but was compelled to go from place to place, till, being in one of his journey's mortally bruised by a fall, death relieved him from the fury of his persecutors.

If we examine such of his writings as remain, we shall find that he was very unjustly condemned. It appears that he rejected the errors of Eutyches, Paulus Semestrius, and Photinus; that he maintained in express terms, that the divine Word was united to the human nature in Jesus Christ in the most strict and intimate sense possible; that these two natures, in this state of union, make but one Christ and one person; that the properties of the Divine and human natures may both be attributed to this person; and that Jesus Christ may be said to have been born of a virgin, to have suffered and died; but he never would admit that God could be said to have been born, to have suffered, or to have died.

When we consider that every person partakes of the substance of his mother, and that it is this which constitutes the parental and filial relation between them, it is indeed surprising that the expression "Mother of God" should ever have been admitted into the Christian church, or that any man who understands the meaning of the words should condemn Nestorius for not having used them.