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 bap- tism 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 Con- stantinople in the year 429.

In one of his first sermons after his promotion, he publicly declared his intention to make war upon here- ties; 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 assist 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 per- secute all who were not of his opinion; yet the majori- ty of the people approved of this discourse, and encour- aged him to execute his purpose. Accordingly, five days after his consecration, he attempted to demolish the church in which the Arians secretly held their as- semblies; and he succeeded so far in his design, that these people, growing desperate, set it on fire them- selves, and consumed with it some of the neighbouring houses. This fire excited great commotion in the city, and Nestorius was ever afterwards called an in- cendiary.

From the Arians he turned his persecution against the Novatians, but was stopped in his career by the in- terposition 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 Ca- tholic practice, many of these people were murdered by his agents both at Miletum and Sardis.—One can- not be sorry that such a relentless persecutor should him- self be afterwards condemned as a heretic, for holding an opinion which no man who speaks or thinks with philosophical 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 re- vived the error of Paulus Samotrenus 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 com- ply, they procured his condemnation in the council of Ephesus, which deprived him of his see. He then re- tired 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 suffer- ed to remain long, but was compelled to go from place to place, till, being in one of his journeys 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 ap- pears that he rejected the errors of Ebion, Paulus Sa- motrenus, 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.