Contra Nestorianos

Contra Nestorianos is a theological work written around 430 CE by Mark the Hermit. This text refutes the Nestorian doctrine, which posited that Jesus Christ was divine and human but denied the union of these natures in one person. Mark argued, based on scripture and early Christian creeds, that Christ's humanity and divinity were indivisibly united, a union necessary for the salvation of humanity.1

Nestorius, the bishop of Constantinople, was at the center of this controversy. His views, which emphasized Christ's full humanity to a degree that opponents believed divided him into two persons, led to his condemnation at the Second Council of Ephesus in 431 CE. While Nestorius denied teaching heresy, his rhetoric and theological disputes contributed to his downfall. Mark the Hermit's work aligns with orthodox Christology, emphasizing the singular person of Christ with both divine and human natures.21