Ephesus Day Tour – Virgin Mary Church
Ephesus day tour – The Church of Mary (or Marienkirche) not only counts among the most significant of the historical monuments at Ephesus, it is also visited by thousands of tourists and pilgrims annually. This church was the site of the Third Ecumenical Council, convened by Emperor Theodosius II at Ephesus in 431 A.D. The Council was held to resolve a theological debate between two schools of thought about the nature of Christ and of His mother, Mary.
One school, led by Nestorius, the Bishop of Constantinople, advocated that Christ was born human and became God, and that His mother should be called merely “Christ-bearer” or Christotokos (Χριστοτόκος). The more popular view, however, was that Jesus was the Son of God, was born God and, therefore, Mary was deserving of the honor of being called the Mother of God, (Θεοτόκος) or “Theotokos.” “Ephesus day tour”
This view was led by Cyrill, Bishop of Alexandria, which united two natures – human and divine – in Christ. Approximately 250 bishops journeyed to Ephesus from all over and took part in a heated debate over the divine nature of Jesus at birth. In the end, the Council concluded that Jesus was God; born God and Mary was rightly called “Mother of God.” Nestorius was denounced and excommunicated from the Church for his heresy. A torchlight parade exited the church proclaiming Mary as “Theotokos” and it is from this place that today Christians pray; “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners.”
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