Nestorian

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A follower of the fifth-century patriarch Nestorius, or a member of the Church of the East ; relating to the teachings or church traditions associated with Nestorius
2. Someone who adheres to the doctrines of Nestorius, including members of the ancient Assyrian church ; pertaining to Nestorius or the beliefs that bear his name
3. A believer in the Christological views of Nestorius, or an adherent of the Church of the East ; of or characteristic of Nestorius or his theological doctrines

Etymology: Nestorian takes its name from Nestor, a Syrian-born churchman, though the connection is less direct than the word's shape suggests. Nestorius was Patriarch of Constantinople from 428 to 431, and his teaching on how the human and divine natures of Christ related was condemned at the Council of Ephesus in 431. His followers, who spread the Church of the East across Persia and as far as China, came to be called Nestorians, often by opponents, and many of them rejected the label. The adjective, formed by adding the suffix "-ian" to the name, was used for the people, churches and beliefs connected with him. The term has a second life in English as a noun for a member of the Assyrian Church of the East and its related communities, and as an adjective for the theology or the churches themselves. In most modern usage it refers to the ancient church's heritage rather than to Nestorius's own views, which he never accepted were heretical.