SAI

NTCYRI
L
OFALEXANDRI
A
Rodol
phYanney
 SAINT CYRIL
OF ALEXANDRIA
PILL AR OF FAITH
 SAINT CYRIL
OF ALEXANDRIA
PILLAR OF FAITH

By

Rodolph Yanney

ST SHENOUDA PRESS
SYDENY, AUSTRALIA
2021
ST CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA
PILLAR OF FAITH

COPYRIGHT © 2021
St Shenouda Press

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications

or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner
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Previously Published by:

Society of Coptic Church Studies
Coptic Church Review: Volume 19, Numbers 1 & 2
Spring/Summer 1998
 Contents
INTRODUCTION 7

EGYPT UNDER THE ROMAN RULE 9

EARLY YEARS OF THE ARCHBISHOP 11

Cyril and the Jews 12

Cyril and the Pagans 13
Cyril and Orestes 14
Hypatia 17
Cyril and Chrysostom 21
THE CHRISTOLOGICAL CONTROVERSY 25

Ecumenical Council of Ephesus 28

Aftermath of the Council and Formula of Reunion 30
WRITINGS OF CYRIL 35

Biblical Interpretation 35
Dogmatic and Polemical Writings 36
Other Writings 37
 INTRODUCTION
Saint Cyril of Alexandria, the twenty-fourth patriarch of the
See of Saint Mark is considered one of the greatest prelates
of Christian antiquity.1 Little is known about his early life
except that he spent five years as a monk in Nitria, which was
the first monastic center in the western desert of Egypt. At
some time during this period he was under the guidance of
St. Isidore of Pelusium who was probably the most learned
monk in the desert. His uncle Theophilus, the reigning
Patriarch, then summoned Cyril to Alexandria and ordained
him as a pesbyter. Cyril soon enjoyed a great reputation as
a preacher.

When St. Theophilus died (October 15, AD 412), Cyril

became automatically the leading candidate to succeed
him. His rival, the Archdeacon Timothy, had the support of
the government, and the commander of the Roman troops
in Egypt took sides with him.2 After a tumultuous contest,
and despite the strong opposition of Orestes, the Prefect of
Alexandria, Cyril was enthroned on the throne of St. Mark
only three days following his uncle’s death.

1 Aziz S.Atiya: The Coptic Encyclopedia, New York, 1991; 3: 671.

2 Socrates: Ecclesiastical History :7: 7 (NPNF;2nd series:2: 156)
 EGYPT UNDER
THE ROMAN RULE

The Egyptians lost their freedom after the Persian invasion

of their country in the 6th century BC. After the Persians,
the Greek followed by the Romans and then the Arabs ruled
Egypt. Early in the third century, when the Romans started
to persecute the Christian population of Egypt, these found
their protection in their religious leaders headed by the
Bishop of Alexandria whom they have called Papa (Pope or
father) since then.

In the middle of the same century, during the plague epidemic

that swept the city of Alexandria, the Church organized
among its members, both clergy and laity, teams to take
care of the sick and dead. These dedicated people did not
stop their charitable service when the epidemic subsided.
They formed what was called the parabalani, literally “those
who disregarded their own lives” in the service of the Church.
Their number gradually multiplied till it reached thousands
in the fifth century. Also they had more than their original
10 ST CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA

charitable work to do, for they became always available for

any drastic action. 3

The Egyptians proved their faithfulness and love for the

Alexandrine Pope after the Empire became Christian.
They stood with their Popes when they suffered exile for
their defense of the true faith; and they never accepted the
usurping bishops appointed in their place by the Roman
emperor.4 This love extended even to the pagan population
and in certain cases the Pope was considered a national leader
or hero. There were many reasons for the whole population
to hate the foreign invaders, including the heavy taxation,
the plunder of the wealth of the country by the Romans
leaving the poor Egyptians in destitute need, the forcible
taking of their children as slaves and their conscription for
foreign wars.

3 Atiya, op. cit.

4 This happened many times in the history of the Coptic Church. Athanasius
was exiled five times. (See Yanney R: The Church Behind St. Athanasius. In Coptic Church
Review. 1988;vol. ix: 2,
 EARLY YEARS OF
THE ARCHBISHOP

From the beginning, Cyril stood for the Christian cause,

having one aim, the establishment of Christian truth. For this
he was unbending in his determination. Cyril was not afraid
to take an uncompromising stand against all opposition
from heretics, pagans or Jews.5 Soon after accession he set
to act on several fronts, both in Egypt and in other places
beyond his frontiers. His first action was directed against the
Novatians. These were followers of Novatian who died as a
martyr during the persecution of Valerian (257- 8). Before his
death he formed a rival church in Rome, accusing the Roman
Church of being lenient in accepting the apostates. Cyril shut
the churches of the Novatianists and took possession of their

5 Young FM: From Nicaea to Chalcedon, Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1983: 244,
45.
12 ST CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA

consecrated vessels, ornaments and other belongings; and

then stripped their bishop Theopemptus of all that he had.

Cyril and the Jews

Next came the turn of the Alexandrine Jews. As early as his

first Festal Letter, issued in Autumn 413, Cyril engaged in
a lengthy denunciation of the Jews; he even asserted that
the Jews of his day were worse than their fathers.6 Hostility
gradually escalated between Jews and Christians in the city;
and one night (c. 414) a cry ran through the streets that
‘Alexander’s church is on fire’. When the Christians rushed
to save it the Jews slew whoever they met. At daybreak
Cyril, accompanied by an immense crowd of people, went
to their synagogues, took them away from them and drove
the Jews out of the city, permitting the multitude to plunder
their goods. Thus the Jews, who had inhabited the city since
its foundation by Alexander the Great were expelled from
it, stripped of all their belongings. Orestes, the governor of
Alexandria was distressed at what happened and refused to
be reconciled with the Archbishop.7 Both wrote complaints
to the young Emperor Theodosius II who could do nothing.
Cyril made a great case against the Jews, who since the
fourth century have been treated as second class citizens
6 Haas C: Alexandria in Late Antiquity. Baltimore and London: JHUP, 1997: 300
7 Socrates, op. cit. 7: 13; Atiya: op. cit.
 E A R LY YE A R S O F T H E A RC H B IS HOP 13

by the Roman State. They were forbidden to make converts

or marry Christians and were excluded from some public
offices. Violence against them could go unpunished, nor
compensated. It was not uncommon for the Fathers to
denounce the Jews in their sermons or writings for their role
in killing Christ and refusing his message and for persecuting
the early Christians.8 The Sanhadrin was dissolved and the
Jewish academics in Galilee were closed. Many of the Jews
migrated outside the borders of the Roman Empire. They
went to Babylon, which gradually became the world center
of Judaism. Under the Sassanid rulers who were tolerant
to them, they lived and flourished; they were even given
control over their own affairs.9

Cyril and the Pagans

The conversion of Constantine and the declaration of

Christianity as the official religion by Theodosius I did not
mean that paganism was abolished. At the beginning of the
fifth century Paganism was still prevalent and both religions
were competing for converts. It is evident from Cyril’s early
festal letters that he was preoccupied with warding off
8 Kelly JF: The World of the Early Christians. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press.
1997: 78.
9 Wylen SM: Settings of Silver: An Introduction to Judaism. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist
Press. 1989, 182, 183.
14 ST CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA

criticism of Christianity made by the Pagans. In hie festal

letter for 418, he had a detailed attack on Paganism which
foreshadowed many of the arguments he used later in his
treatise against Julian (c. 438). In the introduction to the
treatise, Cyril mentioned that he had long been concerned
with the appeal that the pagan emperor’s book had among
the Alexandrines and the immeasurable harm it was doing
to those who were weak in faith.10

Cyril’s opposition to paganism was not restricted to words.

The worship of the Egyptian goddess Isis was still prevalent
in the city of Menouthis. In June 414, Cyril transferred the
relics of St. Cyr and St. John the Martyrs from Alexandria to
the neighboring Menouthis. Thanks to the numerous healing
miracles that occurred through the prayers of the martyrs,
many people renounced paganism. The name of the city
was changed to Abukyr, a name that it keeps till this day.
It was also during the reign of Cyril that the Archimandrite
Shenoute of Atripe led a great campaign in uprooting
paganism and destroying its temples in Upper Egypt.

Cyril and Orestes

Since the fourth century when the Empire became Christian,

the line that defined the relation between Church and State
10 Alexandria in Late Antiquity. op. cit.; 308-9.
  15

has become indistinct. This fact has to be in the background

for understanding what happened in Alexandria early
in the fifth century, as well as other major events in the
Church history of that period. Bishops of the major cities
of the Empire were often chosen or even appointed by the
emperor. Although this worked peacefully in such cities like
Constantinople and Antioch, in Alexandria it usually resulted
in violence and riots; occasionally it ended in the murder of
the bishop. Some civil powers were assigned to the bishops
by the Emperor, such as the judicial function in the law suits
among their subjects. This resulted in two rival authorities. In
the case of a weak and partially incompetent governor such
as Orestes who felt to be threatened by a powerful bishop,
trouble could be expected. After the expulsion of the Jews,
Cyril sent to the Prefect messengers in order to mediate
reconciliation. When Orestes refused, the Archbishop
tried to reconcile him in the context of a liturgical act by
extending toward him the book of the Gospels, ‘believing
that respect for religion would induce Orestes to lay aside
his resentment.’11 Orestes spurned this offer, realizing that
respect for religion in this charged atmosphere spelled
respect for Cyril. Orestes opted not to be seen submitting to
Cyril, and he persisted in implacable hostility to the bishop.
However, Orestes refusal to clasp the Gospel book, an event
that happened in public, immediately called his true faith
11 Socrates, op. cit. 7: 13.
16 ST CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA

into question, a question that resonated throughout the

whole Church.12

News of the event quickly reached the Desert. Soon about

five hundred monks streamed into the capital, ready to
fight for the Patriarch. They met the prefect in his chariot.
They called him a pagan idolater and described him in
other abusive words. The prefect exclaimed that he was
a Christian and that the bishop of Constantinople had
baptized him. The monks gave little heed to his protests and
soon rocks were thrown. One of them, Ammonius, threw a
stone at Orestes, which struck him in the head covering him
with blood. Finding themselves outnumbered and fearing
for their lives, most of his bodyguards fled. This would have
been the end of Orestes had not the populace of Alexandria
run to his rescue and put the monks to flight. Ammonius
was arrested and publicly tortured to death. Cyril then took
the body of the dead monk and gave him a martyr’s funeral,
changing his pagan name to Thaumasius (i.e. wonderful or
admirable). Both the Archbishop and the Prefect gave their
reports to the Emperor, and the affair gradually sank into
oblivion. But the situation remained tense in Alexandria.
Although the Prefect was avowedly a baptized Christian,
yet the Alexandine Christians and especially the parabalani
still accused him of betraying his faith. They thought that his
head was turned by Hypatia the leader of the Neoplatonists
12 Alexandria in Late Antiquity, op. cit., 305.
  17

School who taught in the Alexandrime Museon.13

Hypatia

Hypatia, was the daughter of the Alexandrine mathematician

Theon whose works have survived till now. She was
Alexandrine by birth and lived in the city all her life. She
assisted her father and continued his work after his death.
Hypatia wrote mathematical works that remained popular
for generations after her. Philosophy was her second interest,
yet she surpassed all the philosophers of her own time. She
also made attainments in literature, astronomy and science.
She explained the principles of the philosophy of Plato
and Plotinus to her auditors, many of whom came from a
distance, as far as Constantinople to receive her instructions.
On account of her strong personality and integrity she
became a leading authority in the public affairs of the city
and she was frequently bestowed with civic honors. It was
even customary for newly elected magistrates to pay her a
courtesy visit, and she not infrequently appeared in public
with the magistrates.

The most notable of her students was Synesius bishop

of Ptolemais, who was ordained by St. Theophilus of
Alexandria. Synesius describes her as a “blessed lady”
13 Atiya: The Coptic Encyclopedia, op. cit., vol. 3: 672. Alexandria in Late Antiq-
uity, op. cit., 305-307. Socrates, op. cit., 7: 14.
18 ST CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA

and “genuine guide”, and as “the most holy and reverend

philosopher”. She led her students to “union with the
divine” through cognitive efforts and ethical perfection.
Her students included many Christians. Two of her students
became bishops. She practiced asceticism in her daily life,
was famous for her chastity and remained a virgin all her
life.

According to Socrates, the contemporary Church historian

who described her tragedy in detail, “she fell a victim to
the political jealousy that prevailed at that time. Her advice
and support for the Prefect led to her death. For as she
had frequent meetings with Orestes, it was calumniously
reported among the Christian populace, that it was she who
prevented Orestes from being reconciled to the bishop.
Some of them therefore, hurried away by a fierce and
bigoted zeal, whose ringleader was a reader named Peter,
caught her while returning home, and dragging her from
her carriage, they took her to the church called Caesareum,
where they completely stripped her, and then stoned her.
After tearing her body in pieces, they took her mangled
limbs to a place called Cinaron, and there burnt them. This
affair brought not the least opprobrium, not only upon
Cyril, but also upon the whole Alexandrian church. And
surely nothing can be farther from the spirit of Christianity
than the allowance of massacres, fights, and transactions
  19

of that sort. This happened in the month of March during

Lent, in the fourth year of Cyril’s episcopate.” 14

The shocking and brutal murder of Hypatia in 415 has

raised from the first moment many unanswered questions.
Why was Hypatia killed? Who killed her? Did Cyril have
any role, directly or indirectly in the event or in protecting
those responsible for the murder? What consequences
did the crime have on the events in Alexandria? There is
no definite answer for any of these questions because all
three ancient historians who have written about Hypatia
have been accused of taking sides. Socrates who wrote the
Ecclesiastical History (380-438 A. D.) has been described
as an enemy of Cyril for his actions against the Novatian
followers and his stand against Nestorius.15

Damascius ascribes her death to Cyril’s jealousy over the

honored position she enjoyed among the city’s elite16, and
he asserts that he really prompted the murder.17 However,
others do not trust Damascius since they “cannot consider
as evidence the statement of a pagan philosopher who lived
about 130 years after the event and was a thorough hater of

14 Socrates, op. cit.; 7: 15.

15 Alexandria in Late Antiquity, op. cit., 308.
16 Ibid., 311.
17 Wace H & Piercy WC: A Dictionary of Christian Biography. Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson, 1994: 236.
20 ST CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA

Christianity.”18

John, bishop of Nikiu, cites in his Chronicles that the Christians

of Alexandria portrayed Hypatia as a witch and imputed to
her the worst type of sorcery black magic which drew the
severest punishment in the legal system of the Roman
Empire. Hypatia’s father’s preoccupation with astronomical
and mathematical research circulated in the City as magic
practices. Hypatia was presented as a dangerous witch
who’ ‘beguiled many people through her satanic wiles’. The
governor, Orestes, as a result of Hypatia’s spells stopped
going to church, and he encouraged Christians to go to her
lectures.19 In John of Nikiu’s perspective, “the killing of
a witch was but the fulfillment of the common will of the
Christians and of God himselfî. He described Peter, who led
a group of the faithful in the murderous attack as a “perfect
believer in all respects in Jesus Christ”. 20

Professor Aziz Atiya concludes, “Cyril continued to inspire

the Parabalani with mortal hatred for the Neoplatonist
philosophy, which was taught in the Museon. The tragedy
(of Hypatia’s murder) aroused public feeling, and some
followers of Orestes went as far as to accuse Cyril of
indirectly inspiring the crime. Though it would be a mistake
18 Ibid., 236.
19 John of Nikiu: Chronicles, quoted in Dzielska M: Hypatia of Alexandria.
Cambridge, MA: HUP, 1995: 92, 93.
20 Ibid., p. 93.
  21

to involve Cyril in this act, the hostility of the Patriarch to

Neoplatonism must have been the starting point of all the
trouble that precipitated this ungodly crime inside a godly
institution during the holy season of Lent.” 21

Although modern historians are divided concerning the role

of the parabalani in the murder, yet it cannot be by chance
that in 416 and 418 new laws regulated the recruitment
of the parabalani, limited their function and prevented
them from attending public spectacles or meetings of the
municipal councils. In addition the number of the parabalani
was reduced to five hundred, and only the prefect was
allowed to select them. 22

One of the consequences of Hypatia’s murder was probably

the removal of Orestes from office since he did not appear in
Alexandria anymore.

Cyril and Chrysostom

Cyril inherited the attitude of his uncle and predecessor

toward John Chrysostom the Patriarch of Constantinople.
John had died in exile after being deposed by the Council
of the Oak that was headed by Theophilus in 403. After the
21 The Coptic Encyclopedia, op. cit., 3: 672
22 Alexandria in Late Antiquity, op. cit., 314-15. Oxford Dictionary of the Chris-
tian Church.

Oxford &New York: OUP, 1997: 1217.

22 ST CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA

death of Chrysostom his supporters called for his name

to be inscribed in the diptychs, the formal list of persons
commemorated in the liturgy. This would be the first step
to imply that his deposition had been noncanonical. Their
demand received powerful support from the bishop of Rome
and other western bishops. However, it was unacceptable
to Chrysostom’s enemies in the East, and communion was
broken between the Eastern and Western Churches. But
gradually, with pressure of the people who had sympathy
with the dead bishop, the Syrian Churches, followed
by the Emperor Theodosius II, and finally the Bishop of
Constantinople accepted to place Chrysostom’s name in the
diptychs. Cyril adamantly refused to go with the rest of the
Church, writing in a letter to the Bishop of Constantinople
that putting John’s name in the list of departed bishops was
the equivalent of restoring Judas to the rank of the apostles;
and if Atticus was really concerned for Church unity he
should at once erase the name of a man who had ceased
to be a bishop from the list of genuine bishops.23 Finally
around 418 Cyril found it prudent to fall into line instead
of being isolated from the rest of the Christian world.24
Among the factors weighing on Cyril to reach this decision
were probably pressure from the Emperor and a letter he
23 This letter is quoted from Baur C: John Chrysostom and his Time, ET London
1959: 2, 450-1. Cited in Kelly JND: Golden Mouth: John Chrysostom, New York: Cornell
University Press, 1959: 288.
24 Kelly JND, ibid., 286-8
  23

received from Isidore of Pelusium.25 Henry Chaduick who

puts the decision of Cyril to insert Chrysostom’s name in the
Alexandrian diptychs in 428 mentions that his ascent was
won by Nestorius just a few months before the beginning
of their theological debate.26 A story circulated by eastern
historians says that the change of Cyril’s mind regarding
Chrysostom was the result of a vision in which he saw himself
transported to Paradise. However, John Chrysostom, who
was standing near the door objected to his entrance. Then
the Virgin Mary interceded asking the latter to let Cyril enter
because of his work in glorifying her. With this the opposition
of John fell apart and the doors of heaven were opened for
Cyril. On waking up, Cyril decided to correct all the prejudice
he had against his great colleague.27

25 Wace H & Piercy WC, op. cit., 237.

26 Chadwick H: The Early Church. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967: 191.
27 Cheneau P: Les Saints D’ Egypte, Jerusalem, 1923: I: 241 (under Jan 28).
 THE CHRISTOLOGICAL
CONTROVERSY

The three decades following the death of Hypatia were years

of peace for Alexandria. For Cyril it was a period of literary
activity in which he wrote most of his commentaries. The
theological controversies regarding the person of Christ
in which Cyril was involved in the later part of his life had
been building up for decades before him. Beside the
theological differences, secular and Church politics fueled
the controversy. Since the time of Constantine, the emperor
and the court had their word, supported by their authority,
in Church and theological matters. Rivalry and competition
for Church leadership began to appear during and after the
381 Council of Constantinople.

Since the last decades of the fourth century, the emerging

School of Antioch differed from the School of Alexandria
in the way of interpreting Scripture. The Antiochene
26 ST CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA

theologians depended exclusively on the literal sense and

refused to seek the spiritual interpretation with its use
of typology. The first of the Antiochene theologians was
Diodore, Bishop of Tarsus who taught both John Chrysostom
and Theodore of Mopsuestia (350-428). The latter was the
teacher of Nestorius who was chosen as the Archbishop of
Constantinople in 428. Nestorius learned from his masters
the separation of the human and divine natures in Christ; in
him the Son of God is distinguished from the son of David.
Nestorius started to declare in his teaching in Constantinople
that it is wrong to call Virgin Mary “Theotokos” (God-bearer),
a term which has been in use by prominent Fathers since
the third century as well as in popular piety. For Nestorius
Mary could be nothing more than mother of the man Jesus,
and the term Theotokos was pagan and blasphemous. His
congregation was scandalized and protested.28 The people,
including the monks, contradicted Nestorius in the pulpit
and insulted him on the street. A report sent to the Emperor
accused Nestorius of striking a monk who forbade him, as
a heretic, to approach the altar. He then handed him to the
officers who flogged him through the streets and then cast
him out of the city.29

28 Frend WHC: The Rise of Christianity. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984: 755.
29 Schaff P: History of the Christian Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans,
1971:720.
 TH E C H RIS T O LO G IC A L CO N T ROV ER SY 27

News of the controversy reached Alexandria by spring of

429. However, Cyril has been denouncing the Antiochene
theology, without mentioning names, since 421. As
compared to Cyril, Nestorius was limited as a theologian.
He was described by Socrates as ‘extremely ignorant’,
and ‘disgracefully illiterate’, and that he had ‘very little
acquaintance with the treatises of the ancients’.30 On the
other hand, Cyril had a theological sensitivity far beyond
that of his opponents. He knew how to express the deep
christological beliefs of the Greek-speaking Christians.31 Cyril
wrote a series of letters to Nestorius. In the first, written in
June 429, he only asked Nestorius to acknowledge the word
Theotokos. In his second letter, in February 430, Cyril built his
arguments in challenging the Antiochene Christology on the
words of the Nicene Creed that declares ‘God was incarnate
and He became man’. In the same year, Cyril wrote also
three letters to the royal family concerning Nestorius, one
to the Emperor, the second to his younger sisters Arcadia
and Marina, and the third to his elder sister Pulcheria and
his wife Eudokia. In the spring of 430, Cyril wrote five books,
which in later years circulated under the title ‘Against the
Blasphemies of Nestorius’. Without mentioning Nestorius
by name in these books, Cyril critically examined a collection

30 Socrates: Ecclesiastical History, op. cit., 7; 32.

31 Frend WHC: The Rise of Christianity’. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press. 1984:
753
28 ST CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA

of sermons of Nestorius (published the previous year) that

contained passages defending the duality of persons in
Christ and attacking the title Theotokos in describing Virgin
Mary.

In the same year Cyril had been strengthening his position.

He gained the alliance of Celestine of Rome, Juvenal of
Jerusalem and John of Antioch. In November 430, there
was still no answer from Nestorius. Cyril then, armed with
the authority of his local council in Alexandria, wrote to
Nestorius his third letter. In it Cyril, sticking to the words of
the Nicene Creed, explained in detail what he meant by the
belief in the one nature for the incarnate Word. He appended
the letter with twelve propositions (anathemas), to which
he demanded the assent of Nestorius. These anathemas
denounced all the points in the Nestorian teaching.

Nestorius responded by twelve counter-anathemas, which

he composed in conjunction with Theodoret of Cyrrhus.
With the threat of a schism in the Church, Emperor
Theodosius intervened, calling for a general council to meet
in Ephesus in the Pentecost of 431.

Ecumenical Council of Ephesus

Nestorius could not assess the danger of his situation.

 TH E C H RIS T O LO G IC A L CO N T ROV ER SY 29

When Cyril arrived at Ephesus, fifty bishops and many

devotees accompanied him from Egypt including some
monks. Stories that these included St. Shenoute of Atripe32
cannot be supported by historical sources.33 The delegates
of Asia, Jerusalem, (and Rome who came after the council
started) also supported Cyril. Nestorius had the Syrian
bishops headed by John of Antioch on his side. These were
delayed by bad weather, and the other bishops were weary
of waiting. Illness, and even death, had occurred among
them.34 On June 22 Cyril finally opened the Council, over
which he presided. Nestorius refused to attend. The three
letters of Cyril, including the twelve anathemas, were read
and approved by the bishops. After evidence of the views
of Nestorius was laid before the Council, a decision was
easily reached to excommunicate and depose him. There
were processions and dancing in the streets of Ephesus
that night.35 Four days later, John of Antioch and the Syrian
bishops arrived, and held a rival Council of 43 bishops; they
deposed both Cyril and Memnon of Ephesus. The Emperor
ratified the decision of both councils as if they were the acts
of one council. As a result Cyril, Memnon and Nestorius were

32 Besa: The Life of Shenoute, 128-130. Tr. by Bell DN. Michigan: Cistercian
Publications, pp. 78, 79.
33 The Life of Shenoute, op. cit. Introduction, pp. 17, 33. The Coptic Encyclope-
dia, op. cit., 673.
34 A Dictionary of Christian Biography, op. cit., 240.
35 Frend, op. cit., 760.
30 ST CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA

put under arrest. However, after much maneuvering and

diplomatic intrigue Cyril managed to recover his freedom
and he returned to Egypt.36

Aftermath of the Council and

Formula of Reunion

The Church of Alexandria has reached in the Council of

Ephesus the highest summit she ever had in leadership and
theological influence over all Christendom. However, the
hectic events at Ephesus were not totally beyond reproach.
Immediately after his release and return to Alexandria, Cyril
had to write an apology, addressed to the Emperor, in which
he justified his actions before and during the Council.37 Even
St. Isidore of Peluseum, Cyril’s close friend and mentor,
wrote to him at the time saying:

“Many of those who were assembled at Ephesus speak

satirically of you as a man bent on pursuing his private
animosities, not as one who seeks in correct belief the things
of Jesus Christ. ‘He is sister’s son to Theophilus,’ they say,
‘and in disposition takes after him. Just as the uncle openly
expended his fury against the inspired and beloved John, so
also the nephew seeks to set himself up in his turn, although

36 The Coptic Encyclopedia, op. cit., 673. Chadwick, op. cit., 199.
37 Quasten J: Patrology. Utrecht/Antwerp:Spectrum, 1960:I, 127.
 TH E C H RIS T O LO G IC A L CO N T ROV ER SY 31

there is considerable difference between the things at stake.’

”38

Although the Council of Ephesus succeeded in defending

the faith, yet it failed to unite the Church and it was left for
Emperor Theodosius, who actually controlled the religious
situation in the East, to take further action. He appointed
a new bishop for Constantinople and Nestorius was exiled
to an oasis in the western desert of Upper Egypt. The
Antiochenes refused to accept the twelve anathemas, which
undermined their theology. Finally in 433 a new formula,
originally written by Theodoret,39 was carried to Egypt by
Paul bishop of Emesa who succeeded in convincing Cyril to
accept it. The formula acknowledged ‘the holy Virgin to be
Theotokos’, and declared that “the Word became incarnate”
and that “out of two natures a union was made. For this
cause we confess one Christ, one Son, one Lord.”

However, the formula of reunion resulted in a very fragile

peace. and it was difficult to swallow on both sides. Although
Nestorius died miserably in exile (c. 451), yet his followers
separated themselves from the Church and formed the
Nestorian Church. In Egypt, there were voices against the
formula, since it protected some elements of the Antiochene
theology. Even the moderate Isidore of Pelusium sent to Cyril
38 Young, op. cit., 241.
39 Chadwick, op. cit., 199. A Dictionary of Christian Biography, op. cit. ,241
32 ST CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA

expressing a fear that he had made too great concessions

to vindicate his orthodoxy in answer to his critics both in
and outside of Egypt. In defense of the formula Cyril wrote
a long letter to Acacius of Melitene, in which he showed
that it was consistent with the Nicene Creed and totally
different from the Nestorian errors.40

For Cyril, things remained quiet for more than a decade,

during which he worked on several theological works
related to the christological controversy. Fueled by the
works of Theodoret and Theodore, even after the death
of the latter in 428, Nestorianism was prevalent in Syria.
The Nestorians were indefatigable in circulating the works
of Theodore in several cities, including Jerusalem. The
teaching of Nestorius was circulated in ignorance by some
bishops, who were thinking that he was only condemned
for denying the Theotokos. About 438, Cyril wrote an
exposition of the Nicene Creed, to prove to the Syrian
monks its incompatibility with the denial of the personal
unity of the Savior. He also wrote three books against
Diodore and Theodore, the teachers of Nestorius. In these
writings, Cyril insisted that no one should be allowed
to preach Theodore’s opinions, but he did not urge any
condemnation of his memory. He saw that it would even
be imprudent to proceed publicly against the memory of a
theologian who was highly esteemed by the people of some
40 Ibid., 242.
 TH E C H RIS T O LO G IC A L CO N T ROV ER SY 33

eastern churches.41 Ironically, it was these writings of Cyril

against the Antiochene theologians, which finally caused the
condemnation of the christological writings of Theodore and
Theodoret in the 553 Council of Constantinople. Probably
one of Cyril’s last anti-Nestorian writings was a dialogue ‘On
the Unity of Person in Christ’, in which he refutes the false
doctrine saying that the Word of God was not made flesh
but was only united to a man.

St. Cyril died on June 27, 444. By 450, the Church leaders
who signed the Reunion Formula of 433 were all dead, as
well as Theodosius II who died in that year. Ecclesiastical and
secular politics were ripe for the tragedy of Chalcedon and
the first great schism of Christianity.

41 Ibid., 243.
 WRITINGS OF CYRIL

Cyril”s works express his encyclopedic knowledge of the

previous Fathers. He frequently appealed to the ancient
Tradition, especially in his dogmatic writings. However, his
profound dependence on the past was married to a brilliant
judgment of contemporary needs and an ability to use the
traditional inheritance appropriately.42

Biblical Interpretation

Most of Cyril’s writings deal with biblical exegesis. Despite

the fact that most of his biblical work has disappeared,
seven out of the ten volumes of Migne edition of Cyril’s
work deal with exegetical treatises.43 A large part has
reached us in fragments or in Syriac, Latin, Armenian,
Ethiopian or Arabic translations. Cyril wrote the majority of
42 Young, op. cit., 246
43 Young, op. cit., 254, 55.
36 ST CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA

his biblical works before 429 when he got engaged in the

christological controversy for the rest of his life. Of his Old
Testament writing we have studies on the Pentateuch and
commentaries on Isiah and on the twelve Minor Prophets.
Numerous fragments remain of his commentaries on Kings,
Psalms, Proverbs, Canticles, Jeremiah, Ezechiel and Daniel.
Some of these fragments are very extensive. Of Cyril’s
New Testament studies we have his full Commentary on
John and Homilies on Luke. Only fragments remain of his
commentaries on Matthew, Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians and
Hebrews.

Dogmatic and Polemical Writings

Beside his extensive writings against the Nestorians, which

we discussed under the Christological Controversy, Cyril
wrote two treatises against the Arians, and an Apology
against Julian the Apostate. His first book against the
Arians, the Thesaurus, a trinitarian summa, is the first book
written by Cyril; he probably began in 412. In this book he
followed closely the writings of Athanasius especially Contra
Arianos, and probably also a lost work of St. Didymus the
Blind, Contra Eunomium. Cyril’s second book against the
Arians, On the Holy and Consubstantial Trinity, is composed
of seven dialogues written in more personal form and
 W RIT IN G S O F C YRIL 37

character. They deal with the consubstantiality of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit. Some time after 433 Cyril wrote the
Apology Against Julian the Apostate in which he refuted
his three books Against the Galilaeans, written in 363. Ten
books of this are extant in Greek. Fragments of Books 11 to
20 survived in Greek and Syriac.44

Other Writings

Cyril continued the custom of his predecessors of sending

every year a letter to announce the beginning of Lent and
date of Easter. These letters, known as the Paschal Letters,
usually dealt with pastoral problems and current theological
issues. We have 29 of Cyril’s Paschal Letters for the years
between 414 and 442. Cyril had also a large correspondence
which is extremely important for the history of State and
Church, doctrine, Church canons and the rivalry between
theological schools and episcopal sees. Many of these
letters have survived in Greek and some in Syriac, Coptic
and Armenian translations.45

Only 22 sermons remain of Cyril’s homilies including eight

homilies given during the Council of Ephesus. These include
the most famous Marian homily of antiquity which Cyril
delivered in June 431 in St. Mary church at Ephesus.
44 Quasten J: Patrology, op. cit., I 119-132.
45 Ibid, 132-33.
38 ST CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA

Last but not least, the greatest tribute to St Cyril given by the
Coptic Orthodox Church is her liturgy that carries his name.
It is considered the oldest liturgy that has kept the Egyptian
liturgical tradition. Its origin is traced to St. Mark the Apostle
and Evangelist. It is introduced in the euchologion of the
Coptic Church by the words, “the Anaphora of our Holy
Father Mark the Apostle, which the thrice-blessed Saint
Cyril the Archbishop established.” The liturgy is still in use to
this day both in Bohairic Coptic and Arabic. A few fragments
in the Sahidic Coptic have been discovered. The liturgy is
basically the same as the Greek Liturgy of St. Mark that was
formerly used in the Melchite Church of Alexandria.46

46 Cody A: Anaphora of Saint Cyril. In The Coptic Encyclopedia, op. cit., I: 123.