First Council of Ephesus

Pelagius believed that all humans are born with what is essentially a clean slate that has not yet been tainted by the sins of the world. Every human is born with the same purity and morals as Adam and Eve when they were first created by God. Everyone can freely choose God by the exercise of free will and rationality, while God 's grace is thought only to be an aid in the journey down a righteous path. Despite this, Pelagianism fails to understand one key aspect of human…

As early as late first or early second century, the very first depiction of Mary has been recovered. The location of these ancient images of Mary are along the walls of the Catacomb of Priscilla in Rome, Italy (Dictionary: Marian Art). Mary, in early Christian art, was illustrated in three…

mutually united in Christ and since the holy Virgin brought forth corporeally God for this reason we should also call her Mother of God. The Council of Ephesus, which was held in 431, was crucial in affirming the truth of the title “Mother of God.” People had been calling Mary that for quite some time, but it was not dogmatically defined until the Council of Ephesus. In denouncing Nestorianism, the bishops affirmed the unity of the divine and human natures of Christ. Given that one cannot…

He has profoundly impacted the development and expression of Christianity through his Epistles, his outstanding missionary journeys, his actions at the Council of Jerusalem, and his cunning, zealous personality, allowing for massive growth and expansion of Christianity. Paul’s sacrifices and apostolic inquisition paved the way for the early Christian church to flourish and become one of the most powerful…

controlled the law. Saul did not believe in Jesus as the Messiah and thought all these messages about him was rubbish so in his early life, he was a persecutor of the church and also a persecutor of Christians. He was involved in the stoning of the first Christian martyr, St Stephen. According to Acts 8:3, he would ravage churches, intrude into the homes of believers and put both men and women Christians into prison. It wasn’t…

and authority, it is highly likely that the term was used as “to assume authority.” Many of historical documents during and after Paul’s time, such as John Chrysotom (In Joannen AD 386-407), Hesychius of Alexandria (the 5th-century lexicographer), Council of Chalcedon (AD 451), and much more, used the term αὐθεντεῖν as “assuming authority” instead of “exercising authority.” Furthermore, Leontinus Hierosolymitanus, Contra Nestorianos 4.49 (PG 86:1720D), writes “we will not assume authority…

Introduction: Augustine was one of the most formidable minds that Christendom has ever witnessed. He is considered one of the giants of the faith; his writings so skilfully composed to leave even secular scholars to marvel at his genius. Yet, for the first three decades of his life, Augustine sought to live his life in the most pleasurable manner his bright mind could construct. Despite this, Augustine after his conversion, spent nearly half a century dealing with controversies against…

This paper is an evaluation of the Christian concept of the Trinity. We will first define the term and examine Scriptural support, then review the initial historical development of the Trinity including heretical errors. We will switch to discussing the post-Schism adoption, further evolution and new heresies relating to the Trinity during that period. And finally, the paper will close with a personal appraisal and application. Trinity Terminology and Scriptural Support To begin, let’s define…

Sacksteder in her thesis “The Cult of Mary: The Role of the Virgin during the Italian Renaissance” states that the Roman Catholic Church exercised their spiritual authority in proclaiming Mary’s identity as “Theotokos, Mother of God” at the Council of Ephesus in the fifth century.” Despite the controversial premise of her immaculate conception, and the written religious and secular texts about her life, as debated between the worldwide religions, the sacred treatment…