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The Assyrian Church of the East is a Nestorian body with jurisdiction in Iraq and Eastern Iran. It is sometimes referred to as the ''Assyrian Orthodox Church'', not to be confused with the [[Church of Antioch (Syriac)|Syriac Orthodox Church]], a Non-Chalcedonian body, the [[Chaldean Catholic Church]], an Eastern Catholic body, or the Orthodox [[Church of Antioch]], an Orthodox local church.
The schism between the Assyrian Church and the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church began at the Council of Seleucia in 410, where Mesopotamian Christians declared their independence from the Patriarch of [[Antioch]]. The split solidified after the condemnation of Nestorius at the [[Third Ecumenical Council]] and the destruction of the theological school at Edessa. There were other issues at play in the schism - the Assyrians resided in the Persian Empire and did not want to be seen as siding with the Roman Emperor. There was also a large influx of Nestorian Christians into Persia fleeing Roman persecution.
In the 15th century, the church decreed that the title of Patriarch could pass only to relatives of then-patriarch Mar Shimun IV. This upset many in the church's hierarchy, and in 1552 a rival Patriarch, Mar Yohanan Soulaqa VIII was elected. This rival Patriarch met with the Pope and entered into communion with the Roman Catholic Church. The Assyrian Church now had two rival leaders, a hereditary patriarch in Alqosh (in modern-day northern Iraq), and a Papal-appointed patriarch in Diyarbakir (in modern-day eastern Turkey). This situation lasted until 1662 when the Patriarch in Diyarbakir, Mar Shimun XIII Denha, broke communion with Rome, and moved his seat to the village of Qochanis in the Turkish mountains. The Vatican responded by appointing a new patriarch to Diyarbakir to govern the Assyrians who stayed loyal to the Holy See. This became known as the [[Chaldean Catholic Church]], an Eastern Catholic body. In 1804 the hereditary line of Patriarchs in Alqosh died out, and that church's hierarchy decided to accept the authority of the Chaldean patriarchs.
