Assyrian Church of the East

The Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East is a Christian communion that is a religious minority presence found worldwide. Originally located primarily in what is modern-day Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, the Assyrian Church currently has ecclesiastical jurisdictions throughout the world, with an estimated 400,000 adherents. Its own distinct identity dates to 424 CE, when Persian bishops decided in council to reject the theological and disciplinary authority of the Byzantine bishops. Although the Assyrian Church is often referred to as the “Nestorian Church,” this is due to the mistaken notion that it arose as a result of the Council of Ephesus in 431, which condemned the Christology of Nestorius, the archbishop of Constantinople. The “Persian Church,” as it is sometimes called, did ...