It’s Always Personal: Church Fathers, Nestorianism, and the Christian Life

A lecture with Q&A given by visiting Davenant Hall Teaching Fellow, Dr. Matt Hoskins. In the fifth century, the Church decisively rejected Nestorianism―the teaching that Jesus Christ is comprised of two persons hitched together, one human and one divine. This rejection was shared by Church Fathers writing across the Mediterranean in different languages, such as John Cassian in Latin, Shenoute of Atripe in Coptic, and Mark the Monk in Greek. Far from being a dry doctrinal dispute, the rejection of Nestorianism was vital for the preservation of the Gospel. In this lecture, Dr. Matthew Hoskin demonstrates how, despite their diverse tongues and contexts, Latin, Coptic, and Greek authors were united in their rejection of Nestorianism through a shared concern for its negative impact on spiritual life. All knew that only a true union of God and man in the person of Christ can bring good news and spiritual fruit to the personal lives of Christians. Dr Matthew Hoskin (PhD, University of Edinburgh) teaches ancient and medieval Christian history for Davenant Hall. His research focusses on manuscripts, monks, popes, canon law, and councils, which all feature in his book The Manuscripts of Leo the Great’s Letters (2022), and he blogs about the historic faith at Classically Christian. He lives on Superior’s northern shore in Thunder Bay, Ontario, with his wife and sons.