Cyril of Alexandria and the Nestorian Controversy

Susan Wessel recounts the historical and cultural process by which Cyril of Alexandria was elevated to canonical status while his opponent, Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople, was turned into a heretic. The associated religious controversy was to result in a permenent schism in the Eastern Churches. Wessel argues that it was Cyril's mastery of rhetoric and ecclesiastical politics alike which ensured his victory over his adversary.