Homilies and Hymns, Volume 2

The Monophysite controversy unleashed by the Council of Ephesus had already separated from the adherents of that council millions of Christians both in the Byzantine and the Persian Empires. In addition to this, in Constantinople itself, St. John Chrysostom had a strong following known as the Yaukhanaye Johanites, who at the time of the expulsion of their revered Patriarch had actually fired the Cathedral and the Senate house.

Thus, the peace and security of the Empire was now seriously threatened by the alienation of such a great number of its citizens. Hence, the logical expedient action was appeasing the followers of St. John Chrysostom and thus preventing them from joining forces with the millions who remained loyal to the Apostolic faith as maintained by St. Nestorius.

Indeed, this absolute obedience (or more truly, subservience) on the part of the Western Church to Imperial edicts is further witnessed by the fact that the Latin bishops during the fourth century at the Council of Rimini in Italy subscribed to Arianism a theology denying the full divinity of Christ (a doctrine declared heretical by the Council of Nicea), since this was now favored by the Emperor of the day.

And, furthermore, during the short-lived apostasy of Emperor Julian, the Western armies, says Gibbon, also apostasized following the example of the Emperor, while those in the Eastern part of the Empire remained loyal to their Christian faith.

NARSAI'S ACCOUNT OF THE COUNCIL OF EPHESUS

As we have already stated, Mingana has given as full an account of Mar Narsai and the history of the period as is possible in the circumstances. But in order to make it more facile for the reader to understand his reasoning, it is necessary to give a short account of his life and work and the period in which he lived.

Narsai was born about the year 420 A.D. in the village of Ain Dulbe, in the district of Nuhadra, diocese of Khdawai (Dohuk) near Mosul, Iraq. He studied and taught in the College of Urhai. When this school was closed by the order of Emperor Zeno the Isaurian in the year 457, Narsai, along with the professors and scholars, moved to the city of N’siwin (Nisibin) which was then under the Persian rule, and here established the university known by the name of that city, whose fame in succeeding centuries spread throughout the world.

The Christian Church within the Persian Empire had enjoyed considerable peace during the first three centuries of its history, and despite the opposition on the part of the Mazdean Zoroastrian priesthood, the Persian Emperors—being aware of the principles of the Messianic faith, namely, of obedience and loyalty to authority in all secular matters, and the peaceful nature of its adherents—were so well disposed towards the new faith that as early as the