The Church of the East was the first Christian church to emerge outside of the Roman Empire in the Sassanian Persian Empire. While the Church of the East accepts the creeds of the first two Ecumenical Councils, it does not affirm the Council of Ephesus's understanding of Jesus' nature. Christians belonging to the Church of the East once inhabited the region from Syria to Central Asia. Today the Assyrian Church of the East in Iraq is the last remnant of this ancient tradition.