Cyril of Alexandria

St. Cyril I, 24th Patriarch of Alexandria.

Cyril of Alexandria was the Patriarch of Alexandria when the city was at its height in influence and power within the Roman Empire. Cyril wrote extensively and was a major protagonist in the Christological controversies of the fourth and fifth centuries. He was a central figure in the Council of Ephesus in 431 which led to the deposition of Nestorius as Archbishop of Constantinople. Cyril is counted among the Church Fathers and the Doctors of the Church, and his reputation within the Christian world has led to his acquiring the title "Seal of all the Fathers." His feast day is celebrated on June 9 and, with St. Athanasius of Alexandria, on January 18.

Life

Cyril was born about 378 in the small town of Theodosios, Egypt, near modern day Malalla el Kobra. His mother’s brother, Theophilus, was a priest who rose to the powerful position of Pope (Patriarch) of Alexandria. His mother remained close to her brother, and under his guidance Cyril was well educated. Cyril's education showed through his knowledge, in his writings, and his influence on other Christian writers of his day, including Eusebius, Origen, Didymus, and writers of the Alexandrian church. Although considered on of the Greek Fathers, he showed a knowledge of Latin through his extensive correspondence with the Bishop of Rome, Pope Celestine. His formal education consisted of grammatical studies at ages 12 to 14 (390-392 C.E.), Rhetoric/Humanities at ages 15 to 20 (393-397), and Christian theology and biblical studies in his 20s (398-402).

He was tonsured and ordained as a reader by his uncle Theophilus in the Church of Alexandria and soon advanced in both knowledge and position. He supported his uncle in the removal of St. John Chrysostom as archbishop of Constantinople on administrative grounds. Later Cyril supported John's return on doctrinal grounds in opposition to the Christological views of Nestorius.

After Theophilus died in October 412, Cyril was made pope (patriarch) on October 18, over the opposition of the party supporting the archdeacon Timothy. The position had become powerful and influential, rivaling that of the city prefect (mayor) in a city known for its competing pagan, Jewish, and various Christian factions.

Early controversies

Cyril moved forcefully in early years as patriarch. He began to exert his authority by causing the churches of the Novatianist Christians to be closed and their sacred vessels to be seized.

Cyril vs. the Jews

He also ordered all Jews be expelled from the city, which house one of the most influential Jewish communities of the Roman Empire. This was opposed by the prefect of Alexandria, Orestes, but Cyril paid no heed and the Jews were expelled.

Some of the tensions between Jews and Christians was prompted by a slaughter of Christians at the hands of Alexandrian Jews who, after instigating the death of monk Hierax, lured Christians in the streets at night claiming that the church was on fire.

Cyril led a mob of Christians against the Jews in the city, plundering and destroying the synagogues as well as killing Orestes himself . Though there is no clear agreement among historians, he is often blamed for burning the Library of Alexandria during this rampage.

The death of Hypatia

Cyril has also been linked to the murder of Hypatia, the venerable female mathematician, neo-Platonist philosopher, and teacher, who was a frequent guest of Orestes'. Recent studies show, although Cyril may not have been directly responsible, Hypatia's death was indeed the result of the struggle between two Christian factions—a more tolerant one led by Orestes and supported by Hypatia, and the more rigid one led by Cyril.

Struggle against Nestorianism

Cyril greatest fame, however, was won in the context of the rivalry between the Alexandrian and Antiochian schools of theological reflection, piety, and discourse. These issues came to a head in 428 when the See of Constantinople became vacant. Nestorius, from the Antiochian party, was made patriarch of Constantinople.

Against Nestorius, Cyril taught the use of the term Theotokus—referring to the Virgin Mary as "God-bearer"—in his Easter letter for 429. A correspondence with Nestorius followed, in a more moderate tone than might have been expected. Nestorius insisted that Christokos was sufficient in honor and more accurate theologically. He sent his sermons to Pope Celestine, but he received no reply. The pope himself, meanwhile wrote to Cyril for further information, having become suspicious of Nestorius for offering hospitality to certain Pelagian clerics whom the pope had condemned. Pope Celestine viewed Cyril not only as the leading prelate of the East, he was also the inheritor of the orthodox tradition of Athanasius. The admiration of the two patriarchs was mutual, as Cyril affirmed that he must, but ancient custom, consult with the pope on a matter affect the empire. He encouraged Celestine to communicate his opinon to the bishops of Macedonia and of the East, including Antioch itself.

Celestine dispatched a letter condemning Nestorius' views to Cyril at Alexandria, with enclosures to Constantinople, Philippi, Jerusalem, and Antioch. He commissioned Cyril to act with the authority of the Roman See and to admonish Nestorius that unless he would recant within ten days from the receipt of this ultimatum, he would be excommunicated. Moreover, if Nestorius would not submit, the pope took it upon himself to place Cyril in charge of Church of Constantinople.

Cyril then summoned a council of his own and composed a letter including 12 theological propositions which Nestorius must anathematize. Cyril wrote also to John, Patriarch of Antioch, informing him of the facts and insinuating that if John should support his old friend Nestorius, he would find himself isolated and at odds with Rome, Macedonia, and Egypt. John took the hint and urged Nestorius to yield.

Meanwhile, in Constantinople itself, the Emperor Theodosius II had been persuaded to summon a general council to meet at Ephesus. Nestorius responded by preaching publicly against Cyril as a slanderer, and of having used bribes (which was probably as true as it was usual). However, he also declared himself willing to use the word Theotokos to describe the Virgin. He sent these sermons to John of Antioch, who was inclined to accept them as evidence of Nestorius' orthodoxy.

However, Nestorius also issued 12 propositions of his own, with appended anathemas. His statements highlighted Cyril's tendency to deny the two natures (divine and human) of Christ, but they also highlighted his own tendency to draw the distinction between Christ's divinity and humanity too starkly. John now felt compelled to write a treatise of his criticizing Cyril.

After much infighting, Augusta Pulcheria, older sister of the Emperor Theodosius II, sided with Cyril against Nestorius. To rid himself of Cyril, Nestorius recommended to the emperor that an Ecumenical Council be convened in Constantinople. Theodosius did call the council, but in Ephesus, a city somewhat friendly to Cyril.

Cyril came to Ephesus with 50 of his bishops. Palestine, Crete, Asia Minor, and Greece added their delegations. However, John of Antioch and his bishops were delayed. Cyril may have believed that John did not wish to be present at the trial of his old friend, or that he wished to gain time for him. In any case, he opened the council without John, on June 22, 431, in spite of the request of 68 bishops for a delay. Cyril's decision would cast a shadow of the council's findings, resulting the bishops of the Antiochan schools forming a rival council after the fact (see below).

This decision had unfortunate results beyond the exclusion of the Antiochan delegation, for the legates from Rome also had not arrived. Cyril at this point had no answer to a letter he had written to Celestine asking "whether the holy synod should receive a man who condemned what it preached." Cyril might have presumed that the pope, in agreeing to send legates to the council, intended Nestorius to have a complete trial, but it was more convenient to assume that the previous Roman ultimatum had not been suspended, and that the council was bound by it. He therefore took the place of president, not only as the highest of rank, but also as still holding the place of Celestine.

Nestorius was summoned, in order that he might explain his refusal to respond properly to Cyril's former admonition in the name of the pope. He, however, refused to receive the four bishops whom the council sent to him. Consequently nothing remained but formal procedure. For the council was bound to condemn him for heresy, as he had not recanted. The second letter of Cyril to Nestorius was approved by all the bishops present, and the reply of Nestorius was condemned. No discussion took place. The council declared that it was "of necessity impelled" by the canons and by the letter of Celestine to declare Nestorius deposed and excommunicated. The papal legates, who had been detained by bad weather, arrived on July 10, bringing with them an offer from the pope to grant Nestorius forgiveness if he should repent. Their only role now was to confirm what had already been decided.

Meanwhile, John of Antioch and his party had arrived in late June. They did not John in the council but formed themselves into a rival synod of 43 bishops. They deposed Memnon, Bishop of Ephesus, and Cyril himself, accusing him of Apollinarianism and even of Eunomianism.

Both parties now appealed to the emperor, who took the decision of sending a count to treat Nestorius, Cyril, and Memnon as being all three lawfully deposed. All three were initially kept in close custody, but eventually the emperor took the orthodox view. Cyril was allowed to return to his diocese, and Nestorius went into retirement at Antioch. Later he was banished to the Great Oasis of Egypt.

Later years

Meanwhile Pope Celestine was dead. His successor,Pope Sixtus III, confirmed the council and attempted to get John of Antioch to anathematize Nestorius. For some time the strongest opponent of Cyril was Theodoret, but eventually he reconciled his views with those of Cyril. John, meanwhile sent Bishop Paul of Emesa as his plenipotentiary to Alexandria, and he too made peace with Cyril. Though Theodoret still refused to denounce an earlier defense of Nestorius, John did so, and Cyril declared his joy over this in a letter to John. Cyril composed many further treatises, dogmatic letters, and sermons. He died in June, 444, after an episcopate of nearly 32 years.

The controversies initiated by him and Nestorius, however, were to continue for decades, from the Robber Council of Ephesus in 449 to the Council of Chalcedon in 451 and beyond.

Legacy

Cyril was a scholarly archbishop and a prolific writer. In the early years of his active life in the Church he wrote several exegeses. Among these were: Commentaries on the Old Testament [1], Thesaurus, Discourse Against Arians, Commentary on St. John's Gospel [2], and Dialogues on the Trinity. From 429 onward, as the Christological controversies increased, the output of his was unmatched by either his opponents or his colleagues. His writings and his theology have remained an important part of the tradition of the Church Fathers to this day.

At the same time, it is undeniable that Cyril's temperament was confrontational. Even when he was right theologically, his attitude toward heretics in general and Nestorius in particular exacerbated controversies beyond the point of no return. His attitude toward the Jews was no less pacific, and the precedent he set of expelling the Jewish community from Alexandria, even against the wishes of the imperial prefect, stands as a shameful reminder of Christian anti-Judaism for which the Catholic Church only recently, and belatedly, was compelled to apologize.

Source

• McGuckin, John A. St. Cyril of Alexandria and the Christological Controversy. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2004. ISBN 0-88141-259-7

External links

• Life and Writings of Cyril of Alexandria as relates to the Christological Controversy
• Early Church Fathers Includes text written by Cyril of Alexandria

Works

• Second Epistle of Cyril to Nestorius
• Third Epistle of Cyril to Nestorius (containing the twelve anathemas)
• Formula of Reunion: In Brief (A summation of the reunion between Cyril and John of Antioch)
• The 'Formula of Reunion' between Cyril and John of Antioch
• Five tomes against Nestorius (Adversus Nestorii blasphemias)
• That Christ is One (Quod unus sit Christus)
• Scholia on the incarnation of the Only-Begotten (Scholia de incarnatione Unigeniti)
• Against Diodore of Tarsus and Theodore of Mopsuestia (fragments)
• Against the synousiasts (fragments)
• Commentary on the Gospel of Luke
• Commentary on the Gospel of John

References

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cs:Cyril Alexandrijský de:Kyrill von Alexandria es:Cirilo de Alejandría fr:Cyrille d'Alexandrie it:San Cirillo di Alessandria nl:Cyrillus van Alexandrië pl:Cyryl z Aleksandrii pt:Cirilo de Alexandria ru:Кирилл Александрийский sr:Кирило Александријски sv:Kyrillos av Alexandria zh:亞歷山大的區利羅

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