Cyril’s 5 Tomes Against Nestorius
Historical Background
The Nestorian controversy had its roots in the differing Christologies of Antioch and Alexandria. Antioch emphasized the humanity of Jesus, Alexandria the divinity. Both schools defended the doctrine of Nicaea, but their differing methods resulted in a rift between the two sees. This disagreement came to a head at the consecration of Nestorius as bishop of Constantinople in 428. He began to attack the term Theotokos, saying that Mary could only be called Christotokos, since the divine nature was not born. When Cyril of Alexandria learned of this, he began writing and arguing extensively against Nestorius. The Five Books Against the Blasphemy of Nestorius were the greatest of these works, written in early 430.
Notes about the translation
Cyril refers to Nestorius sometimes in second person, sometimes in third person. Usually the referent is clear from context, but clarification has been added in some cases when a sudden change in person is unclear. Any direct quotes from Nestorius’ works are in italics.
Theotokos and related words are transliterated and italicized. This title of Mary is a main point of contention for Nestorius and is addressed mainly in Tome 1. The main topic of the Tomes is the union of natures in Christ, which Cyril defines as a union κατὰ ὑπόστασις and accuses Nestorius of thinking of it as a συνάφεια. Ὑπόστασις has been translated as ‘subsistence,’ by which Cyril means a being which subsists in itself. He uses ὑπόστασις interchangeably with πρόσωπον (person) but prefers ὑπόστασις. Cyril writes that the union results in one ὑπόστασις in Christ. He accuses Nestorius of teaching a συνάφεια, which has been translated ‘connection.’ This word implies two different beings side-by-side, moving in synchrony but nevertheless distinct. This is Cyril’s main argument against Nestorius, that he teaches not one but two Christs, one man and one divine.
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Last updated 5/15/2025 by JSW
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