Synod of Beth Lapat
Encyclopedia
The Synod of Beth Lapat was council of the Church of the East
, held in 484 under the leadership of Catholicos Bar Sauma
. The most significant result of the synod was the church's official adoption of the doctrine of Nestorianism
. Other decisions made at the council included a disavowal of clerical celibacy
.
The adoption of Nestorius' teaching, who had been condemned at the First Council of Ephesus in 431, effectively separated the Church of the East from the Byzantine church. The decisions were clearly aimed at pleasing the Zoroastrian Persian kings, who were at constant war with the now Christian Byzantine Empire
: the previous pro-Byzantine Catholicos Babowai
had been executed, and the Persians had given protection to Nestorian refugees since 462. As Zoroastrians, they viewed family life sacred and abhorred the monastic movement of the Christians.
The decision did not improve the Persian state policy against the church. Some members of the church left and joined the new Monophysite Church. Already at the episcopal gathering of 544 some of the decisions were reverted.
Church of the East
The Church of the East tāʾ d-Maḏnḥāʾ), also known as the Nestorian Church, is a Christian church, part of the Syriac tradition of Eastern Christianity. Originally the church of the Persian Sassanid Empire, it quickly spread widely through Asia...
, held in 484 under the leadership of Catholicos Bar Sauma
Bar Sauma
Barsauma was Metropolitan of Nisibis in the 5th century, and a major figure in the history of the Church of the East. A capable politician, he was on good terms with Peroz I, King of the Sassanid Empire of Persia, and wielded great influence in the Church of the East. As such he was frequently in...
. The most significant result of the synod was the church's official adoption of the doctrine of Nestorianism
Nestorianism
Nestorianism is a Christological doctrine advanced by Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople from 428–431. The doctrine, which was informed by Nestorius's studies under Theodore of Mopsuestia at the School of Antioch, emphasizes the disunion between the human and divine natures of Jesus...
. Other decisions made at the council included a disavowal of clerical celibacy
Clerical celibacy
Clerical celibacy is the discipline by which some or all members of the clergy in certain religions are required to be unmarried. Since these religions consider deliberate sexual thoughts, feelings, and behavior outside of marriage to be sinful, clerical celibacy also requires abstension from these...
.
The adoption of Nestorius' teaching, who had been condemned at the First Council of Ephesus in 431, effectively separated the Church of the East from the Byzantine church. The decisions were clearly aimed at pleasing the Zoroastrian Persian kings, who were at constant war with the now Christian Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
: the previous pro-Byzantine Catholicos Babowai
Babowai
Babowai was the Patriarch of the Church of the East during the reign of the Sassanid King Peroz I. Babowai was known for his pro-Byzantine leanings, for which he was often in conflict with other members of the anti-Byzantine Church of the East. He was executed in 484.Babowai was known as a...
had been executed, and the Persians had given protection to Nestorian refugees since 462. As Zoroastrians, they viewed family life sacred and abhorred the monastic movement of the Christians.
The decision did not improve the Persian state policy against the church. Some members of the church left and joined the new Monophysite Church. Already at the episcopal gathering of 544 some of the decisions were reverted.