09-03-2004, 03:12 AM
The part of the Nestoian heresy that we Eastern Orthodox find most heretical is the division of Christ's humanity and divinity into two seperate entities each responsable for their own seperate actions. Narsai the Great explains the action of Jesus of Nazareth by dividing the human actions (crying, hunger, death (which is a process and not a end-point...ie it is a passage; therefore it is not death but falling asleep to awaken)) and the divine actions (turning water into wine, raising the dead, etc).
So whats the big deal?
Well us Orthodox belive that God the Son became in the flesh (incarnate) in order to recapitulate the fallen creation into a divine order (the true "natural" order after all). In English, man fell away from God and has no ability on his own to perfect himself so that he can become a "partaker of the divine nature" once again as was Adam. Unless, God becomes man, lives as a man, endures this world totally and thereby offers back a spotless MATERIAL sacrifice. HOWEVER, the divine LOGOS/MELTA is still the SON of GOD and the Man is still man but with one person and one action. That which the divine feels and does is also done to the human and felt by the human and visa-versa. If not then God has not reached down into humanity to pull it back up to divinity. And only in the divine state can perfection be found; only the perfect can dwell with God, much less touch his body and blood to their lips. In short, no perfect GOD-Man then no salvation. As said St Clement ofAlexandria "God became man so that man can become god"(little g intentional). We become through grace what God is by nature.
So the Nestorian dogma of Christ causes God to be seperated from man and therefore the Orthodox idea of the LOGOS having made us partakers of the divine nature is lost in Nestorian duality.
Furthermore, the Theotokos is not a honoring of St. Mary as much as it is an assurance of the proper understanding of Christ's nature. Since if Christ is both perfect man and perfect GOD in one divine unity on the level of PARSOPON/PARSOPA then see did truely give birth to God the Word (hence THEOTOKOS-birthgiver to God and not mearly Christ)
ps THEOTOKOS is the most theologically perfect tearm for Christ's Mother as it encompasses the entirety of her identity rather that only that which is birhtgiver to the humanity of Christ but to both GOD and man in one Christ. Hence God endured complete humanity from womb to tomb to resurrection.
His most sinful servant,
Ephraim (crismated name) (Ashur-secular name)
So whats the big deal?
Well us Orthodox belive that God the Son became in the flesh (incarnate) in order to recapitulate the fallen creation into a divine order (the true "natural" order after all). In English, man fell away from God and has no ability on his own to perfect himself so that he can become a "partaker of the divine nature" once again as was Adam. Unless, God becomes man, lives as a man, endures this world totally and thereby offers back a spotless MATERIAL sacrifice. HOWEVER, the divine LOGOS/MELTA is still the SON of GOD and the Man is still man but with one person and one action. That which the divine feels and does is also done to the human and felt by the human and visa-versa. If not then God has not reached down into humanity to pull it back up to divinity. And only in the divine state can perfection be found; only the perfect can dwell with God, much less touch his body and blood to their lips. In short, no perfect GOD-Man then no salvation. As said St Clement ofAlexandria "God became man so that man can become god"(little g intentional). We become through grace what God is by nature.
So the Nestorian dogma of Christ causes God to be seperated from man and therefore the Orthodox idea of the LOGOS having made us partakers of the divine nature is lost in Nestorian duality.
Furthermore, the Theotokos is not a honoring of St. Mary as much as it is an assurance of the proper understanding of Christ's nature. Since if Christ is both perfect man and perfect GOD in one divine unity on the level of PARSOPON/PARSOPA then see did truely give birth to God the Word (hence THEOTOKOS-birthgiver to God and not mearly Christ)
ps THEOTOKOS is the most theologically perfect tearm for Christ's Mother as it encompasses the entirety of her identity rather that only that which is birhtgiver to the humanity of Christ but to both GOD and man in one Christ. Hence God endured complete humanity from womb to tomb to resurrection.
His most sinful servant,
Ephraim (crismated name) (Ashur-secular name)