The following chart lists the extant writings through A.D. 429 that describe the development of the Christological controversy which eventually led to the Council of Ephesus (June-July, 431).  The documents are listed in approximate chronological order so that the reader can follow the development. A narrative of these events is available here to lead you through the historical realities. In the chart we list the number assigned to each document in the Clavis patrum graecorum  (CPG), an English title or description of the work, and a list of available English translations. For each entry there is also a link to a subpage that contains more complete information about the document as well as the text and translation. We thank the ACO for allowing us to use adapted versions of their Greek and Latin texts. Please contact us if you have suggested improvements.

Date CPG Title Eng. Transl.
late 419 5240.08 Cyril, Festal Letter 8, for 420 FCC; FC118:137-154
late 428 5240.17 Cyril, Festal Letter 17, for 429 FCC; FC127: 58-73
  6028 Socrates, Historia Ecclesiastica, 7.32 FCC; NPNF2 2:170-171
Dec. 24, 428 5800/8630 Proclus, sermon on Mary FCC; Constas 137-147
early Jan. 429 5716/8631 Nestorius, Sermon 27, on Mary FCC
early 429 5940/8620 Eusebius of Doryleum, Protest [contestatio] FCC; CE #1
spring 429 5301/8621 Cyril (Letter 1), to the Egyptian monks FCC; McG 245-261; FC 76 13-33
mid 429 5665/8634 Nestorius, 1st Letter to Celestine FCC; CE #2
mid 429 5309/8622 Cyril (Letter 10), to his apocrisiarii FCC; CE #4; FC76: 55-59
summer 429 5302/8627 Cyril (Letter 2), 1st Letter to Nestorius FCC; CE #8; FC76: 34-36
summer 429 5666/5303 Nestorius, 1st Letter to Cyril (= Cyril, Letter 3) FCC; FC 76:37; CE 117-120
mid-late 429 5307/8624 Cyril (Letter 8), to his critics FCC; CE 112; FC76:-51-52
mid-late 429 5308/8623 Cyril (Letter 9), to a student of Nestorius FCC; FC76: 53-55
late 429 5667/8635 Nestorius, 2nd Letter to Celestine FCC; CE #3; DelCog

Back to Documents and Events Leading up to the Council of Ephesus (431)

Abbreviations

CE = The Council of Ephesus of 431 (Eng. trans. by Price/Graumann) (= TTH 72)

Constas = Constas, Nicholas. 2003. Proclus of Constantinople and the Cult of the Virgin in Late Antiquity: Homilies 1-5, Texts and Translations. Leiden ; Boston: Brill.

CPG = Clavis patrum graecorum (M. Geerard)

DelCog = M. DelCogliano, 2005:  https://www.ccel.org/ccel/pearse/morefathers/files/nestorius_two_letters_01.htm.

FC = Fathers of the Church (Cath. Univ. of America Press)

            76 – J.I. McEnery, Cyril of Alexandria. Letters 1-50 (1987)

            118 – P. Amidon, Cyril of Alexandria: Festal Letters 1-12 (2009)

            127 – P. Amidon, Cyril of Alexandria: Festal Letters 13-30 (2013)

FCC = Fourth Century Christianity  (links to other pages on this site)

McG = McGuckin, St. Cyril of Alexandria and the Christological Controversy (SVS Press, 2004).

NPNF2

Last edited by GLT 11/3/2021

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