Andreas, of Samosata, written from Ephesus

Andreas of Samosata was a fifth-century Antiochene theologian and bishop of Samosata in Syria Euphratensis, and one of the most prominent Eastern churchmen to oppose Cyril of Alexandria during the Nestorian controversy surrounding the Council of Ephesus (431). At the request of John of Antioch, Andreas composed a formal refutation of Cyril's Twelve Anathemas against Nestorius, defending the strict Antiochene Christology that distinguished the two natures of Christ. A close ally and correspondent of Theodoret of Cyrrhus, he remained a leading voice of the resistant Eastern bishops through the bitter negotiations that followed Ephesus, until the Formula of Reunion of 433 reconciled most of the Antiochene party with Alexandria. His association here with Ephesus reflects the conciliar setting in which much of this correspondence was generated.