person. They use in their liturgy the Creed of Nicæa-Constantinople, with verbal changes of no importance,[1] and understand it all (save the one point how the Son of God became man) as we do. This one point has been explained at some length already (pp. 82–86). They believe that there are in Christ two natures (kyâne), two hypostases (ḳnume) and one prosopon (parṣufâ) of union. They reject the Council of Ephesus, declare that they stand for the teaching of Nestorius, count him among their saints (p. 84), and always refuse to our Lady her title Theotókos. They anathematize Cyril of Alexandria and those who agree with him. Therein lies their heresy.[2] Further, they seem to be involved in something like the Iconoclast heresy. They have no holy pictures in their churches or houses, and they abhor the idea of a holy picture.[3] This seems to be a fairly modern development, perhaps under Moslem influence. There are in Uniate Churches around Mosul paintings of saints and angels, made by native artists long before the union.[4] But all Nestorians have a profound veneration for the Cross. They put crosses (not crucifixes) in their churches, on their monuments and documents, and treat these crosses with enormous respect.[5] They admit the Deuterocanonical books of Scripture,[6] grace, freewill, the value of good works.[7] They pray much for the dead and give alms for them; though they are
- ↑ Brightman: Eastern Liturgies, 270–271; Wigram: The Assyrian Church, 290–293.
- ↑ Their service on the feast of the "Greek Doctors" (the fifth Friday after Epiphany) contains these anathemas: "Woe and woe again to all who say that God died … who say that Mary is the mother of God … who do not confess in Christ two natures, two persons (hypostases), and one parsopa of filiation. Woe and woe again to the wicked Cyril and Severus" (Badger: op. cit. ii. 80). Plainly these people cannot be acquitted of heresy. Mâr Ḥnânyeshu‘ is now prepared to drop the anathemas (Kurds and Christians, p. 189).
- ↑ Mr. Ainsworth tells the story of a crucifix shown to the Patriarch by a Catholic missionary. The Patriarch was filled with horror, cried out: "Oh the infidels! the blasphemers!" and said it could only be the work of Jews, who wished to mock Christ's agony (Travels and Researches in Asia Minor, ii. p. 249).
- ↑ A. d'Avril: La Chaldée chrétienne, p. 14.
- ↑ Badger: op. cit. 132–136.
- ↑ Badger: op. cit. ii. 82–88.
- ↑ Ib. 98–110. No Eastern Church has any trace of Calvinism. If anything, they err in the direction of semi-Pelagianism. See Orth. Eastern Church, pp. 252–253.
