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Nestorianism

Nestorianism

9.9
A Christian belief that Jesus is both God and a human with two separate natures
  • noun
  • /nɛsˈtɔːriənɪzəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : nestorianismo
  • Nestorianism, one branch of early Christianity, became prevalent in China as early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.).

Examples

  • Nestorianism teaches that Christ exists as both the Son of God and the man Jesus, while emphasizing the distinction between these two natures.

  • Many early Christian debates centered around Nestorianism, which argued against the concept of a fully divine Christ.

  • The teachings of Nestorianism highlight the separation between Christ's divine and human natures.

Synonyms

Nestorian belief
vsNestorianism
  • Specialized
9.9

A Christian teaching that says Jesus has two separate natures, human and divine

is the formal term used to name the same set of doctrines

Surface Forms

Nestorianism singular
Nestorianisms plural

Morphology

Nestorianism = Nestorian (semi-transparent) = Nestorius + ian + ism

The derivation from the adjective 'Nestorian' plus the productive suffix '-ism' (denoting a doctrine or system) is regular and predictable.

Etymology

Nestorianism comes from the name Nestorius and the ending -ism meaning 'belief'. Nestorius was a bishop in the fifth century who said Jesus had two separate natures, 'Son of God' and 'man', so Nestorianism is the name for that religious belief.