The Church's Teaching
The teaching of the Church of the East is based on the faith of the universal Church as set forth in the Nicene Creed. The mystery of the Holy Trinity and the mystery of the Incarnation are central to its teaching. The Church believes in One Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It also teaches that the Only-begotten Son of God, God the Word, became incarnate for us men and our salvation, and became man.
The same God the Word, begotten of his Father before all worlds (without beginning according to his divinity) was begotten of a mother without a father in the last times according to his humanity (in a body of flesh, with a rational, intelligent, and immortal soul) which he took from the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary and united to himself, making that humanity his very own at the moment of conception.
The humanity he took for his own was assumed by God the Word, who was, thenceforth and forever, the personal subject of the divine and human natures. His divine and human natures retain their properties, faculties, and operations unconfusedly, immutably, undividedly, and inseparably.
The same God the Word, begotten of his Father before all worlds (without beginning according to his divinity) was begotten of a mother without a father in the last times according to his humanity (in a body of flesh, with a rational, intelligent, and immortal soul) which he took from the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary and united to himself, making that humanity his very own at the moment of conception.
The humanity he took for his own was assumed by God the Word, who was, thenceforth and forever, the personal subject of the divine and human natures. His divine and human natures retain their properties, faculties, and operations unconfusedly, immutably, undividedly, and inseparably.
Christ's Divinity & Humanity
Therefore, because the divinity and humanity are united in the Person of the same and only Son of God and Lord Jesus Christ, the Church of the East rejects any teaching which suggests that Christ is an “ordinary man†whom God the Word inhabited, like the righteous men and the prophets of old. The Church of the East further rejects any teaching that explicitly or implicitly suggests that there are two Sons, or two Lords, or two Christs in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, we confess one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The same, through his passion, death, burial, and resurrection, redeemed humanity from the bondage of sin and death, and secured the hope of resurrection and new life for all who put their faith in him, to whom, with his Father and the Holy Spirit, belongs confession, worship, and adoration unto ages of ages. Amen!
The same, through his passion, death, burial, and resurrection, redeemed humanity from the bondage of sin and death, and secured the hope of resurrection and new life for all who put their faith in him, to whom, with his Father and the Holy Spirit, belongs confession, worship, and adoration unto ages of ages. Amen!
The Church Today
The Assyrian Church and Nation is a thriving community found in various major cities of North America, numbering some 300,000. Assyrians have also settled in Europe and other parts of Asia. Thus, the great majority of the Assyrians are to be found in the diaspora rather than in their ancestral homeland of Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). Centuries of persecution and forced migration have decimated the once-numerous populace; however, the community continues to preserve its ancient history and heritage.
Today, the descendants of the ancient Assyrians who populated the 'Cradle of Civilization' are found all over the globe. In the U.S., they have proved to be an integral part of the patchwork of nationalities and ethnic groups of which this great nation is comprised. The struggle for their nationalistic, cultural, and religious rights in their homeland continues. Notwithstanding, the Assyrians are hopeful for a brighter and a more equitable future; the 'flickering light' shall indeed not be extinguished!
Today, the descendants of the ancient Assyrians who populated the 'Cradle of Civilization' are found all over the globe. In the U.S., they have proved to be an integral part of the patchwork of nationalities and ethnic groups of which this great nation is comprised. The struggle for their nationalistic, cultural, and religious rights in their homeland continues. Notwithstanding, the Assyrians are hopeful for a brighter and a more equitable future; the 'flickering light' shall indeed not be extinguished!
