Nestorianism

Nestorianism was a doctrine set forth by fifth-century bishop of Constantinople Nestorius which stated that there were two separate persons—human and divine—in the incarnate Christ as opposed to the orthodox teaching that Christ was a divine person who assumed a human nature.

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Wall painting from a Nestorian Temple in the ancient ruined city of Khocho (Gaochang), Taklamakan Desert, China (A.D. 683–770)

After Nestorius’ views were condemned in 431 by the Council of Ephesus, supporters of his theology formed a center of resistance at the famed theological school in Edessa. The school was closed in 489 by imperial order and a small remnant of Nestorians migrated to Persia (Iran). In 637, following the Arab conquest of Persia, the Nestorians were recognized as a religious community and their scholars became influential in the formation of Arab culture. Today most of their members, usually referred to as Assyrian Christians, live in Iraq, Syria, and Iran.

Sources

Elizabeth Clare Prophet, The Lost Years of Jesus: Documentary Evidence of Jesus’ 17-Year Journey to the East, chapter 4.