Nestorianism is a
Christological doctrine that emphasizes the disunion between the human and divine natures of
Jesus. It was advanced by
Nestorius (386–450),
Patriarch of Constantinople from 428–431, influenced by Nestorius' studies under
Theodore of Mopsuestia at the
School of Antioch. Nestorius's teachings brought him into conflict with other prominent church leaders, most notably
Cyril of Alexandria, who criticized especially his rejection of the title
Theotokos ("Bringer forth of God") for the
Virgin Mary. Nestorius and his teachings were eventually condemned as
heretical at the
First Council of Ephesus in 431 and the
Council of Chalcedon in 451, leading to the
Nestorian Schism, in which churches supporting Nestorius broke with the rest of the Christian Church. Following that, many of Nestorius's supporters relocated to the
Sasanian Empire, where they affiliated with the local Christian community, known as the
Church of the East. Over the next decades the Church of the East became increasingly Nestorian in doctrine, leading to it becoming known alternately as the Nestorian Church.