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Church of the East

"Nestorian Church" redirects here. For the church in Cyprus, see Nestorian Church (Famagusta).
For other uses, see Church of the East (disambiguation).

Church of the East
ܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ‎
East Syriac ceramic epitaph with Syriac and Uyghur writing.
TypeEastern Christian
OrientationSyriac Christianity[1]
TheologyEast Syriac theology
PolityEpiscopal
HeadCatholicos-Patriarch of the East
RegionMiddle East, Central Asia, Far East, India[2]
LiturgyEast Syriac Rite
(Liturgy of Addai and Mari)
HeadquartersSeleucia-Ctesiphon (410–775)[3]
Baghdad (775–1317)[4]
Rabban Hormizd Monastery, Alqosh[5]
FounderJesus Christ (by sacred tradition)
Thomas the Apostle
OriginApostolic Age, by its tradition
Edessa,[6][7]
Mesopotamia[1][note 1]
Branched fromNicene Christianity
SeparationsIts schism of 1552 divided it originally into two patriarchates, and later four, but by 1830 it returned to two, one of which is now the Chaldean Catholic Church, while the other sect split further in 1968 into the Assyrian Church of the East and the Ancient Church of the East.
Other name(s)Nestorian Church, Persian Church, East Syrian Church, Chaldean Church, Assyrian Church, Babylonian Church[12]
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The Church of the East (Classical Syriac: ܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ ʿĒḏtā d-Maḏenḥā) or the East Syriac Church,[13] also called the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon,[14] the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church[12][15][16] or the Nestorian Church,[note 2] is one of three major branches of Nicene Eastern Christianity that arose from the Christological controversies in the 5th century and the 6th century, alongside that of Miaphysitism (which came to be known as the Oriental Orthodox Churches) and the Chalcedonian Church (from which Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism would arise).

Having its origins in Mesopotamia during the time of the Parthian Empire, the Church of the East developed its own unique form of Christian theology and liturgy. During the early modern period, a series of schisms gave rise to rival patriarchates, sometimes two, sometimes three.[17] In the latter half of the 20th century, the traditionalist patriarchate of the church underwent a split into two rival patriarchates, namely the Assyrian Church of the East and the Ancient Church of the East, which continue to follow the traditional theology and liturgy of the mother church. The Chaldean Catholic Church based in Iraq and the Syro-Malabar Church in India are two Eastern Catholic churches which also claim the heritage of the Church of the East. [2]

  1. ^ a b Wilken, Robert Louis (2013). "Syriac-Speaking Christians: The Church of the East". The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. pp. 222–228. ISBN 978-0-300-11884-1. JSTOR j.ctt32bd7m.28. LCCN 2012021755. S2CID 160590164.
  2. ^ a b Baum & Winkler 2003, p. 2.
  3. ^ Stewart 1928, p. 15.
  4. ^ Vine, Aubrey R. (1937). The Nestorian Churches. London: Independent Press. p. 104.
  5. ^ Amir Harrak. "Patriarchal Funerary Inscriptions in the Monastery of Rabban Hormizd". Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies. Archived from the original on 2010-06-17. Retrieved 2009-11-15..
  6. ^ Meyendorff 1989, p. 287-289.
  7. ^ Broadhead, Edwin K. (2010). Jewish Ways of Following Jesus: Redrawing the Religious Map of Antiquity. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck. p. 123. ISBN 9783161503047.
  8. ^ Brock 2006, p. 8.
  9. ^ Brock 2006, p. 11.
  10. ^ Lange 2012, pp. 477–9.
  11. ^ Payne 2015, p. 13.
  12. ^ a b Paul, J.; Pallath, P. (1996). Pope John Paul II and the Catholic Church in India. Mar Thoma Yogam publications. Centre for Indian Christian Archaeological Research. p. 5. Retrieved 2022-06-17. Authors are using different names to designate the same Church : the Church of Seleucia - Ctesiphon, the Church of the East, the Babylonian Church, the Assyrian Church, or the Persian Church.
  13. ^ Baum & Winkler 2003, p. 3,4.
  14. ^ Orientalia Christiana Analecta. Pont. institutum studiorum orientalium. 1971. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-06-17. The Church of Seleucia - Ctesiphon was called the East Syrian Church or the Church of the East .
  15. ^ Fiey 1994, p. 97-107.
  16. ^ Baum & Winkler 2003, p. 4.
  17. ^ Baum & Winkler 2003, p. 112-123.


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