Cyril  denounced  the  teaching  of  Nestorius  in  a  pastoral
letter  to  his  church,  and  also  entered  into  an  angry  corres-
pondence with  Nestorius  himself.  Nestorius;,  threatened  to
bring  Cyril  before  a  council  for  alleged  misdemeanours ;
Cyril  retorted  that  he  should  rejoice  in  the  opportunity  of
bringing  Nestorius'  heresies  before  a  council.  Both  parties
sought  to  gain  the  support  of  the  great  Western  see.
Celestine,  the  Bishop  of  Rome,  held  a  synod,  which  con-
demned the  opinions  of  Nestorius,  and  threatened  him  with
deposition  and  excommunication.  Cyril  also  held  a  synod,
which  condemned  Nestorius,  and  he  drew  up  twelve  "  ana-

*  District  visitors,  first  organised  by  Cyprian  on  the  occasion  of  the
plague  mentioned  p.  105  ;  in  the  time  of  Cyril,  a  numerous  organisation  of
Church  servants,  paid  by  the  Bishop,  and  at  his  devotion.
230     TURNING   POINTS   OF  GENERAL    CHURCH  HISTORY.
themas,"  in  which  he  stated  what  he  held  to  be  the  true  faith
in  opposition  to  Nestorius'  errors,  and  called  upon  Nestorius
to  subscribe  to  them.  The  Eastern  bishops,  headed  by  the
Patriarch  of  Antioch,  and  including  Theodoret,  the  greatest
theologian  of  the  time,  declared,  on  the  other  hand,  that
Cyril's  anathemas  involved  the  Apollinarian  heresy.
