Beginning of the Council of Ephesus

Date: June 22, 431 • Location: Istanbul, Turkey

The Council of Ephesus, the third ecumenical council, begins, dealing with Nestorianism.

The Council of Ephesus was a council of Christian bishops convened in Ephesus in AD 431 by the Roman emperor Theodosius II. This third ecumenical council, an effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom, confirmed the original Nicene Creed, and condemned the teachings of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, who preferred that the Virgin Mary be called Christotokos, "Christ-bearer" over Theotokos, "God-bearer"; in contrast to Cyril of Alexandria who deemed that Theotokos is enough on its own. It met from 22 June to 31 July 431 at the Church of Mary in Ephesus in Anatolia.