Eastern Christians, far more than those in the West,
devoted themselves to theological speculations. Constantinople and the great
Hellenistic cities of Antioch and Alexandria contained many learned scholars
who had prolonged and heated arguments over subtle questions of belief. After
the Arian controversy had been settled in the fourth century, other disputes
concerning the true nature of Christ broke out. These gave rise to many
heresies.
NESTORIANISM
The heresy known as Nestorianism, from Nestorius, a
patriarch of Constantinople, spread widely in the East. Nestorian missionaries
even penetrated to India, China, and Mongolia. The churches which they
established were numerous and influential during the Middle Ages, but since
then most of them have been destroyed by the Mohammedans. Members of this sect
are still to be found, however, in eastern lands. [11]
[11] In modern India (Malabar) there are no less than
400,000 Syrian Christians who owe their religion to Nestorian missionaries.
ORTHODOXY
After the formation of the Nestorian and other heretical
sects, the orthodox faith was preserved in the East only by the Greeks of Asia
Minor and Europe. The Greek Church, which calls itself the "Holy Orthodox
Church," for a time remained in unity with the Roman Church in the West.
The final separation of these two churches occurred in the eleventh century.
