Nestorius believed that Mary was the mother of Christ and that Christ had two natures, perfect God and perfect man, united with each other but not mingled. He rejected pictures and statues representing Christ, Mary or the saints. Upon this basis he was anathematized in the council of Ephesus in 431 A.D. In the council his friends were absent and Nestorius refused to attend as his enemy Cyril presided at the council and had power to rule it. Nestorius then united himself with the Syrian church whose doctrines agreed with his own. He soon became a prominent leader among this sect and the name Nestorians was given to the sect by enemies. Many learned men in the Syrian church of to-day are not willing to be called by this name. Not because they reject any of Nestorius's doctrine but because they say it is not right for a nation to be called after the name of a stranger. But most uneducated people glory in being called Nestorians. The true origin of the Nestorians was in the old Assyrian nation. The Assyrians were descendants of Arphaxad the son of Shem.
THEIR PLACE.
They originally dwelt in or near the cradle of mankind, in eastern Mesopotamia, Assyria and Syria. At times their empire extended nearly to Babylon and Nineveh and the great empire of Assyria was established.
LANGUAGE.
All Assyrian scholars believe or suppose that the original language spoken before the confusion of tongues was Assyrian, while some other scholars believe it was the Hebrew language. It is believed that in time it will be generally agreed that Assyrian was the original language. It is evident that Abraham was a descendant of Aber, grandson of Arphaxad, third son of Shem. The Assyrian language was spoken in purity until the time of Abraham. When he left his parents by command of God to dwell in Canaan and Egypt it is an inevitable truth that Abraham spoke the language of his Assyrian parents. But when he dwelt in Canaan and Egypt his speech became mixed with words of those languages. The Old Testament was written by this confused language of Assyria and Egypt which was called holy language. Therefore we see names in the Old Testament both of Assyrian and the mixed language of Abraham.
CHAPTER II.
THEIR HISTORY.
St. Thomas and St. Bartholomew from the twelve apostles, and the St. Eddi and St. Maree from the seventy apostles have been called the apostles of Assyria. Their first patriarch was St. Maree whose residence was in Ktispon on the river Tigris which was for a long time capital of the Sassanites dynasty. St. Maree expired in A.D. 82. After his death his disciples went to Jerusalem and chose Abriz as their patriarch. He served from A.D. 90 to 107. After Abriz from A.D. 130 to 132, Abraham, a relative of the apostle James, became their patriarch. His successor was James, a just man, and a relative of the Virgin Mary, mother of our Lord. Akhad Abowoy became their patriarch from 205 to 220. During this period there was a severe war between the Romans and Persians. The latter then ruled over Persia, Assyria and Babylonia. The patriarch of Jerusalem, a subject of Rome, advised the Assyrians who were under the Parthians to elect a patriarch who was a subject of the Parthians. The Parthians ruled over Persia from 220 B.C. until 226 A.D. In all the changes of government the Assyrians have kept in office a succession of patriarchs even to the present time. The residence of their first Patriarch was in Ktispon and since that time at various places as Baghdad, Babel, Nineveh, Mosoel and for a long time at Elkosh, the town of the prophet Nahum. He now resides in Kurdiston mountain in the village of Kudshanoos. His home is located on a hill surrounded by much beautiful scenery. The church in which Marshimon administers is called St. Ruben, a building made of granite.
