Nestorius: Archbishop of Constantinople

In this video, we cover the life of Nestorius a Christian theologian and the Archbishop of Constantinople from April 428 to August 431.

Nestorius is one of those ancient historical characters who has gotten a bad rub from history. Though a dedicated Christian theologian, history remembers him as a heretic who founded a school of belief called Nestorianism which stated that there was a clear distinction between the divinity and the humanity of Jesus. The reality was that he was neither of those things. Let’s take a look at the Nestorius story and find out just what he was.

Nestorius was born in either 381 or 386 in the city of Germanica, which was part of the Roman Empire. As a young man, he trained as a priest in Antioch, subsequently serving as a priest in the monastery to St. Euprepius of Verona. He developed a reputation as a powerful and effective giver of sermons.

In 428, while in his late 40s, Nestorius was appointed the Archbishop of Constantinople, the former capital city of the Roman Empire. At the time, the city was a prize that both Alexandria and Antioch were vying with each other to gain control of. So when Nestorius received his appointment of Antioch, becoming the patriarch of the city, it was inevitable that the Alexandrians would look for opportunities to discredit him.

Credits:
Illustration - Sara Paldanova
Script - Steve Theunissen
Voice Actor - James Fowler
Video Editor - Julia Nazario