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On the Incarnation of the Lord: Against Nestorius by John Cassian
Near the end of his writing career, Cassian the monk was commissioned by the future Pope Leo the Great to reply to the Christological positions of Nestorius. Nestorius saw in Christ two subjects, that of the Word and that of the man Jesus. Cassian’s foray into ecclesiastical controversy yields a cannonade of arguments from the Scriptures and the early Fathers, bombarding the Nestorian position with an impassioned rendition of the general Christological views of East and West. Unsurprisingly, for one such as Cassian who was so concerned with Christian sanctity, it places special emphasis on the difference between the personal divinity of Christ and the indwelling of the Word in the saints—for the personal divinity of Christ is what indeed makes it possible for Christ to be said to dwell within those saints who tread the heights of union with God. What Cassian lacks in the precision of an Athanasius or a Maximus the Confessor, he makes up for in the verve of his argumentation. (Ex Fontibus Co.)
- GenresTheology
Paperback
First published January 1, 430
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About the author
John Cassian
110 books26 followersSaint John Cassian was a monk and theologian. Born in the region of Scythia Minor (today's Romania and Bulgaria). As a member of wealthy family he received a good classical education (he was bilingual, knew Latin and Greek). Died in Marseille in 435. Celebrated in both the Western and Eastern Churches for his mystical writings. Cassian is noted for bringing the ideas and practices of Egyptian monasticism to the early medieval West. Influenced St. Benedict, who included many of Cassian's principles into his monastic rule.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 29, 2024
Good, though I did not finish it before Christmas!
January 21, 2021
John Cassian was a monk and theologian who lived during the waning days of the Roman Empire. As a young man, he traveled from his homeland near modern day Bulgaria and Romania with a friend. They settled in Palestine as monks and lived in Bethlehem for some 25 years. After that, they traveled to Egypt to visit monks and hermits living in the remote desert wastes. He later traveled to Southern France, to Marseilles in Provence, and established a monastery there where he served as its abbot.
Cassian was instrumental in spreading the idea of monasticism to Europe from Africa and Palestine. The monks of Cassian’s day copied the Bible, built libraries, sent out missionaries, and in a very significant way, carried Western civilization through the collapse of Rome and the end of the ancient world, into the Middle Ages.
Cassian's book “On the Incarnation against the Heretic Nestorius” was written at the request of Pope Leo in order to combat the Nestorian heresy at the eve of the third ecumenical council.
Nestorius was an abbot of a monastery in Asia Minor, who was elevated to bishop of Constantinople in 428. He famously caused a ruckus throughout Christendom and inadvertently began a new heresy by asserting that Christ’s human and divine natures were separate and distinct from one another. Why did he insist on this? Well, he was really bothered by monks in his area referring to Mary as “Theotokos,” which means “God-bearer,” that is “one who gave birth to God.” Nestorius thought that it was wrong to say that “God” was born of Mary. After all, as he himself questioned, “How could Mary give birth to that which is older than herself?”
Nestorius famously said, “Let no one call Mary Theotokos, for Mary was only a human being and it is impossible that God should be born of a human being.” Rather, the bishop preferred the term “Christotokos,” or “Christ bearer.” That means that Mary gave birth to the human part of Christ, not the divine part. He also preferred the term “conjunction” rather than unity in describing the relation of the two natures of Christ. For him, the two natures were “like two boards glued together,” separate yet joined together in Christ. Therefore, the Word did not die on the cross, just the human half did. The virgin did not birth the Son of God, but only the Son of Man.
It may sound logical, but it’s not. What Nestorius’ teaching led to was essentially two different Christs: the human one and the divine one. In his effort to protect the distinction of the two natures, he fell into heresy and taught a very dangerous thing.
The theme of John Cassian’s book is the unity of Christ. The human and divine natures of Christ are perfectly unified in His person without separation or confusion. There is not a “human Christ” and a “Divine Christ.” The Word, made flesh, was born, ministered, even died on the cross. We don’t say that Christ’s “human part” died, nor do we say that Christ’s “divinity” died. That would be to split Christ apart. Rather, the Person, unified, whole, perfect, who is Son of God AND Son of Man died on the cross and rose again, and, if we follow the Bible’s language, it’s correct to say that Jesus IS King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Christ IS the rock that followed the Israelites. Cassian says, “All of these titles are virtues of God, and the variety of names does not diminish the strength of his power. Whatever is said of him, he is one person in all of them; and whatever diversity you see in the types of name given him, there is only one majestic power in them all.”
The monk and abbot is at pains to prove in this book that it is correct to attribute the actions of the human or divine nature to the whole Person of Christ. Christ is a Man, yes; He is “of Nazareth,” yes, but it is also right to confess He is the Son of God and Word of the Father. It is therefore appropriate and accurate to say that God was born of Mary or that the Word perished on the Cross. The Word received the ability to be born and to die from the human flesh; but the human flesh is not something separate from the Son; it is united with the Son.
John Cassian writes with barrages of Old Testament and New Testament passages, separated by commentary and also, jabs at the heretic Nestorius. But throughout the book the common refrain is that the same Word who is the Author of life is the Word made flesh in the virgin who is the Word crucified on the cross. Cassian writes, “All things that are said of God are said of Christ, for such is the unity between Christ and God that no one could possibly say, while speaking of Christ, that Christ is not God, nor while speaking of God that God is not Christ. Both natures are united in Him, through the mystery of that sacred and majestic nativity, so that whatever there is of both man and God should all be made God.”
Along with Leo's famous "Tome," this is one of the most fascinating and complete defenses of the Son's Incarnation from the early 5th century. Along with Athanasius's "On the Incarnation," it's one I'll return to at a future Advent.
Cassian was instrumental in spreading the idea of monasticism to Europe from Africa and Palestine. The monks of Cassian’s day copied the Bible, built libraries, sent out missionaries, and in a very significant way, carried Western civilization through the collapse of Rome and the end of the ancient world, into the Middle Ages.
Cassian's book “On the Incarnation against the Heretic Nestorius” was written at the request of Pope Leo in order to combat the Nestorian heresy at the eve of the third ecumenical council.
Nestorius was an abbot of a monastery in Asia Minor, who was elevated to bishop of Constantinople in 428. He famously caused a ruckus throughout Christendom and inadvertently began a new heresy by asserting that Christ’s human and divine natures were separate and distinct from one another. Why did he insist on this? Well, he was really bothered by monks in his area referring to Mary as “Theotokos,” which means “God-bearer,” that is “one who gave birth to God.” Nestorius thought that it was wrong to say that “God” was born of Mary. After all, as he himself questioned, “How could Mary give birth to that which is older than herself?”
Nestorius famously said, “Let no one call Mary Theotokos, for Mary was only a human being and it is impossible that God should be born of a human being.” Rather, the bishop preferred the term “Christotokos,” or “Christ bearer.” That means that Mary gave birth to the human part of Christ, not the divine part. He also preferred the term “conjunction” rather than unity in describing the relation of the two natures of Christ. For him, the two natures were “like two boards glued together,” separate yet joined together in Christ. Therefore, the Word did not die on the cross, just the human half did. The virgin did not birth the Son of God, but only the Son of Man.
It may sound logical, but it’s not. What Nestorius’ teaching led to was essentially two different Christs: the human one and the divine one. In his effort to protect the distinction of the two natures, he fell into heresy and taught a very dangerous thing.
The theme of John Cassian’s book is the unity of Christ. The human and divine natures of Christ are perfectly unified in His person without separation or confusion. There is not a “human Christ” and a “Divine Christ.” The Word, made flesh, was born, ministered, even died on the cross. We don’t say that Christ’s “human part” died, nor do we say that Christ’s “divinity” died. That would be to split Christ apart. Rather, the Person, unified, whole, perfect, who is Son of God AND Son of Man died on the cross and rose again, and, if we follow the Bible’s language, it’s correct to say that Jesus IS King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Christ IS the rock that followed the Israelites. Cassian says, “All of these titles are virtues of God, and the variety of names does not diminish the strength of his power. Whatever is said of him, he is one person in all of them; and whatever diversity you see in the types of name given him, there is only one majestic power in them all.”
The monk and abbot is at pains to prove in this book that it is correct to attribute the actions of the human or divine nature to the whole Person of Christ. Christ is a Man, yes; He is “of Nazareth,” yes, but it is also right to confess He is the Son of God and Word of the Father. It is therefore appropriate and accurate to say that God was born of Mary or that the Word perished on the Cross. The Word received the ability to be born and to die from the human flesh; but the human flesh is not something separate from the Son; it is united with the Son.
John Cassian writes with barrages of Old Testament and New Testament passages, separated by commentary and also, jabs at the heretic Nestorius. But throughout the book the common refrain is that the same Word who is the Author of life is the Word made flesh in the virgin who is the Word crucified on the cross. Cassian writes, “All things that are said of God are said of Christ, for such is the unity between Christ and God that no one could possibly say, while speaking of Christ, that Christ is not God, nor while speaking of God that God is not Christ. Both natures are united in Him, through the mystery of that sacred and majestic nativity, so that whatever there is of both man and God should all be made God.”
Along with Leo's famous "Tome," this is one of the most fascinating and complete defenses of the Son's Incarnation from the early 5th century. Along with Athanasius's "On the Incarnation," it's one I'll return to at a future Advent.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews