There is much about Cyril's life which still remains unclear, and even during his lifetime he was regarded with doubt and suspicion. He was born about 315 in Jerusalem or its environs, and it not precisely known when he entered the clergy. By 348 he a deacon and in that year during Lent and on Holy Saturday delivered his famous Catechetical Lectures (divided into the introductory Procatechesis; eighteen Catecheses; and five Mystagogical Catecheses). Sometime between 348 and 351 he be me bishop of Jerusalem. Cyril's elevation was questioned by Jerome and Rufinus, and it has long been the subject of controversy because he was probably consecrated by Acacius of Caesarea and Patrophilus of Scythopolis; that is, by prelates whose orthodoxy was doubtful. In a letter addressed to Pope Damasus Cyril had to prove to the fathers at the council of Constantinople in 382 that his installation was legal and according to canon law (Theodoret, Historia ecclesiastica 5.9).
About 355 Cyril and Acacius quarreled over the precedence and jurisdiction of their respective metropolitanates. They probably disagreed on dogmatic matters as well. Cyril was deposed, and under pressure he withdrew first to Antioch and then to Tarsus. There he became a supporter of the homoiousians and sat with them at the council of Seleucia in 359. The council reinstated him as bishop of Jerusalem, but in the next year he was exiled again and returned only during the reign of Julian in 362. In 367 under Valens he was again forced to leave Jerusalem until 378, and nothing is known of his life during this period. In 381 Cyril participated at the Second Ecumenical Council. He died in 387. These few facts are all that is definitely known about his life.
The difference of opinion regarding Cyril is understandable in of the religious controversies which raged during his life . Cyril supported the anti-Nicene movement, first as a "Eusebian" and then as a "homoiousian," and this would be enough make his orthodoxy questionable. He sided with Meletius in Antioch, which explains why Jerome regarded him with such extreme suspicion. However, the testimony of the fathers at the Council of 382 dispels all doubt: "At various times he greatly struggled against Arianism." Theodoret later refers to him as a "defender of the apostolic faith."
II. Works.
Cyril is not an original theologian, but he is important as a teacher and witness of the faith. His literary remains are few. Most important among his works are the Procatechesis, the 18 Catecheses for Candidates for Baptism, and the Five Mystical Catecheses. These instructions are a rich source for the history of the ancient rite of baptism, and since they were delivered in the name of the Church they also provide a reliable summary of the faith confessed at Jerusalem. Cyril also delivered a sermon, the only one we possess in its entirety, on the cure of the paralytic, In paralyticum iuxta piscinam iacentem. Three fragments from a sermon "On the Marriage at Cana in Galilee" and one quotation from a sermon on the text "I am going to My Father" have been preserved. Cyril frequently preached in Jerusalem and during his exile in Tarsus but there is no reason to presume that he wrote down his sermons or collected them into a systematic work of exegesis.
Cyril's Letter to the Emperor Constantius on the miraculous appearance of the luminous cross in 351 should also be mentioned. The concluding doxology which contains the expression "consubstantial Trinity" is a later addition. This completes the list of Cyril's known works.
Catechism in the Early Church.
In ancient times catechumens were already considered members of the Church. Eusebius of Caesarea distinguished "three orders" within the Church, and catechumens were among them. Great circumspection was used in the admission of catechumens. Candidates needed to have the permission of the bishop and were required to undergo a period of testing during which they were sponsored by baptized believers. Catechumens received the laying on of hands and were signed with the cross, and prayers were read over them. In the West they were also anointed and were allowed to taste consecrated salt. The Apostolic Constitutions contained a particular prayer "by which a catechumen is accepted." The imposition of hands made a Christian but a Christian was not yet a baptized believer (Canon 59, Council of Elvira). According to the seventh canon of the Second Ecumenical Council, a candidate was called a Christian even before he was called a catechumen.
Catechumens were subject to Church supervision and discipline. They were required to attend special services where prayers were read for them, and they had to testify to the firmness of their desire for salvation by their general behavior and by performing acts of contrition. In later centuries the discipline prescribed for catechumens was confused with the discipline imposed on penitents, and the categories or degrees among catechumens became less clear. In ancient times there were two. After a relatively lengthy period of preparatory instruction, a candidate for baptism made his decision known and his name was entered in the Church records. In the East he was then called "enlightened," or "signed with the cross," and in Jerusalem he was immediately considered a "baptized believer." In the West he was called a "petitioner" or a "chosen one." He then began to prepare to receive baptism. This preparation usually lasted for forty days and coincided with the Lenten fast.
We can get a clear picture of the rite of instruction by combining the information given by Cyril with the evidence of the famous Western pilgrim Etheria (earlier called St. Silvia), who traveled in Palestine during the fourth century. A candidate had to practice fasting and continence, and express penitence in words and deeds. For him this was a time of exomologesis, of public confession. Invocations and exorcisms were performed over him. Invocations consisted of prayers "taken from divine Scripture," in-breathing of the Spirit, and the signing with the cross. His face was covered so that "his mind would be free, and so that his eyes in their wandering would not cause him to stray." Inspiration symbolized "purification from sins" and the driving out of the "shameless and primordially evil devil." It was also symbolic of the action of the Holy Spirit, and therefore had a "fiery strength" against invisible enemies. "Just as goldsmiths," writes Cyril, "first stoke up the fire by means of their tools, and then melt the gold which is put in their crucibles by intensifying the flames so that they may find what they seek, so do those who perform invocation instill terror in man and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, fire the soul in his body. The devil runs off, but salvation and hope for Eternal life remain. Finally the soul is purified from sins and receives salvation."
Invocation delivers the catechumen from the kingdom of this world and from the power of demons. Catechesis also has a positive and sanctifying effect. "The fragrance of bliss is upon you and you are enlightened," Cyril writes in his Procatechesis. "The fragrance of the Holy Spirit pours forth. You are at the gates of the heavenly kingdom. Your names have been counted and you have been included among the hosts of heaven . . . You are being prepared not externally, but within, for the Holy Spirit has come to you and made you a temple of God."
At this same time candidates were also instructed in the faith, and the creed and the Lord's Prayer were explained to them. (Cyril explains the Lord's Prayer only after baptism, in mystagogical terms, as it is read during the liturgy). The catechetical works of Cyril are intended for this prebaptismal instruction. Their contents must be kept secret. "Here is your command: learn by heart what is said and follow it always. Do not think that these words are ordinary. When this teaching is finished, if they try to find out what your teachers have told you, say nothing to those who stand outside. We will give you the mystery and the hope of a future life. You are already standing at the very threshold. Be careful not to divulge what is being said. Not because it is unworthy to be told but because the ear is unworthy to hear it." There must be a strict gradation, a "harmonious order," in the explication and mastery of the saving truths.
Catechesis is a process of building. The stones must be placed in order, and each corner must be fitted together with another. Haste is dangerous and premature knowledge can result in obscurity. Prebaptismal instruction must be kept secret not only from outsiders but also from junior catechumens. Therefore, the creed which is finally revealed and explained to them "must be engraved on the heart by memory." It must be repeated orally, not written on paper, and it must be read in secret where no one can overhear. This disciplina arcani, the "concealing of the secret," was especially widespread in the Church during the fourth century. It had a pastoral and pedagogical purpose, and may reflect the Alexandrian theory of the degrees of knowledge. It is possible that it also shows the influence of the ancient pagan mysteries. It was more for the protection of creeds and rites than doctrine, and is expressed by the term "mystagogy," μυσταγωγια.
The Principle of Faith.
The content of prebaptismal instruction was primarily dogmatic. "The study of dogma is a great undertaking, and an earnest soul is necessary for this." In setting forth dogma Cyril follows the order of the baptismal creed or confession which catechumens were expected to recite at the font with a complete understanding. In order to "conceal the secret," the text of the creed is never fully quoted in his sermons. (Sozomen also did not include the Nicene Creed in his history "so that the uninitiated might not read it"). The text of the creed which Cyril explicates must be approximately reconstructed from superscriptions, which probably were added later, and from quotations. This is undoubtedly the Nicene Creed. Whether or not this "Jerusalem" baptismal creed formed the basis for the creed of Constantinople remains unclear.
Cyril does not try to set forth the "holy and apostolic faith" in its completeness. He admits that "we have omitted much." How ever, he does strive to be exact. "The doctrine of the faith has been composed not by human reason, but has been made up of what is most essential in Scripture." Therefore, every statement made in the creed expresses the whole content of Scripture in a few words.
Since the study of doctrine requires an earnest soul, Cyril begins with a call to repentance, purification of conscience, forgiveness, and prayer. He then presents a brief summary of indispensable dogmas." This summary is more extensive than the creed itself. Besides the doctrines of the Holy Trinity and redemption, Cyril includes teachings on man, on the soul and body, on moral life, and on Holy Scripture. After this, he follows the order of the creed. He warns against distraction by "simple probability or by the conclusions of reason." A confession of faith must rest on proofs from Scripture and on the teaching of the Church, which is conveyed by the creed itself. In the process of examining and rejecting false opinions, however, Cyril some times relies on logical reasoning to support his arguments. This is because there are two degrees of faith. The "dogmatic faith, the agreement of the soul," is from man, but it is only the means to winning another faith, "the gift of grace, which is given by Christ." This faith is higher than human reason. It illuminates the soul and allows it to contemplate God and the rewards of future life.
God and Trinity.
God is one, without beginning, and eternal. "He did not begin to live in time and He will never have an end," and "He will have no successor." The essence of God is beyond comprehension 4nd "we cannot explain what God is." The whole of creation, "all the members of the whole Catholic Church, both present and future," are not able to praise the Lord as He deserves. "Our highest wisdom in relation to God is to admit that we know nothing." Only the Son and the Holy Spirit can see the Father as He should be seen, for They "share the Father's Divinity." However, to a certain extent God is knowable from creation, and a conception of God's power can be formed from His works. God has many properties, but He is one. "We must confess God both as the Father and as the sole creator of all things, and believe not only in one God, but recognize with devoutness that this one God is the Father of our Only-Begotten Lord Jesus Christ."
By simply uttering "the name of the Father we gain an under standing of the Son," "for if He is a Father, He must be the Father of a Son. If there is a Son, then He must be the Son of a Father." There is no distance between Them. The Fatherhood is eternal. God did not become the Father, but He is the Father "before any hypostases, before any sensation, before time and all the ages." Even though he does not use Nicene terminology, Cyril confesses the apostolic faith as defined at Nicaea and he sets forth his teaching on the eternity of the Trinity with complete precision.
The Son is the Son by nature, not by an arbitrary act of will. "The Son is eternally generated in a way that is unknowable and incomprehensible." Neither time nor an act of reason are relevant in the generation of the Son from the Father, and there is no development in the being of the Son. "That which He is now, He also was in the beginning, for He is generated eternally." The mode of this generation is incomprehensible to us and we should not try to understand that which is not revealed in Scripture by the Spirit, Who alone knows the profundity of God's nature. The Father generates the Only-Begotten, the "true God," before the ages. They are united in Their divinity, for "God engendered God," Who is "truly like in everything" to the Father. The Son has the "immutable dignity of Sonship," and by essence and in truth He is the Lord, one with the Father in Their indivisible authority.
The Father creates and orders everything through the Son, "through Christ." "Christ is the Only-Begotten Son of God and the Creator of the World." The Son creates everything "by the will of the Father," by the Father's authority, and the Son has power and dominion over that which He has created. Christ creates everything not because the Father cannot do so, but because "God wished the Son to rule over everything He created, and God Himself gave Him the design for what He established." In this Cyril strictly follows Scripture. In order to stress the complete unity and likeness of the Father and Son he emphasizes that the Son has everything (He did not "receive," for there was never a time when He was without anything) from the Father, and that He creates "by the will of the Father." He creates as the Son, but this does not destroy the unity of their indivisible power and authority. "He rules with the Father, and through the Father He is thee creator of everything. But this does not impair the dignity of the Divinity." "He is the rich and inexhaustible source of all good, the river of all blessings, the eternal, unceasing, shining light."
The Son is revealed in the Old Testament and was seen by Moses and the prophets. (The concept of the manifestation of the Word in the God of the Old Testament had been elaborated long before Cyril). Cyril uses the name Christ to designate the Son as Creator, and this is connected with his teaching on the Son as the eternal High Priest. The Son was anointed by the Father to "the High Priesthood, which exceeds the priesthood of men." "He did not begin His priesthood in time, He did not assume the High Priesthood as a successor in the flesh, and He was not anointed with oil prepared by men, but His priesthood is from the Father before the ages." Apparently Cyril is here referring to the Eternal Counsel of God, and he probably spoke about this in greater detail in a sermon "On the Order of Melchizedek" which has not survived.
Cyril speaks of the Holy Spirit only briefly. He should be thought of in the same way that the Father and Son are thought of, since they all share the single "glory of divinity." The Spirit is "coeternal" with the Father and the Son, and concern for our salvation is common to all of them. The Son reveals the Father "together with the Spirit and through the Spirit." The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of revelation and enlightenment, the "unique and good" sanctifier, helper, and teacher of the Church, the Spirit of grace "Who marks the soul as His own" and Who gives "sanctification and deification to all." "The Spirit has one aspect" and is not divided by the multiplicity of His gifts. It is not the Father Who gives one gift, the Son Who gives another, and the Spirit Who gives another, but salvation, strength, and faith are common to 811, and their dignity is indivisible. "We proclaim one God with the Holy Spirit through one Son," without merging and without division. "The Father gives to the Son, and the Son gives to the Holy Spirit."
"For our salvation it is enough for us to know that there is a Father, a Son, and a Holy Spirit." Nothing has been written about anything else, and it is not fitting for us to speculate beyond what can be found in Scripture "on the essence of the hypostases." Thus the trinitarian theology of Cyril is distinguished by its strict adherence to the Bible, and Cyril constantly strives to support his arguments with quotations from Scripture. In spite of this, in several instances he refers to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as hypostases, recognizing three hypostases in one God. However, he does not clearly explicate the concepts of "hypostasis" and "essence." He uses both terms to express existence which is enduring, as opposed to transient or diminishing being. "Christ is not a Word which is spoken and then dissipates, but a living Word, an hypostasis." The Holy Spirit "is not exhaled by the lips of the Father to spread out in the air, but is an hypostasis, and speaks and acts Himself."
Redemption.
The Only-Begotten Son assumed a human nature similar to ours and was born from the Virgin Mother of God. "Let us worship Him as God, and believe that He became man," for if Christ is only God "then we are outside of salvation." To call Him only God does not do Him full justice and does not bring us salvation, and to call Him only a man brings us no advantage. Cyril opposes Docetism by stressing the real human nature of Christ. The eternal Word became man "really, and not only in semblance." It is not a mere man who was crowned and deified, but the Word and Lord Who assumed a nature similar to our own.
Christ has a double nature. He is both God and man in complete unity, and therefore Cyril can speak of the blood, humiliation, and crucifixion of the Only-Begotten. "The One Who died for us was not just a simple man, nor only an angel, but God Who became man." Therefore the whole world is saved "because the Only-Begotten Son of God died for it." Christ came for the sake of salvation. He came in the flesh, "otherwise He would be inaccessible to us," and "we would not be able to see and rejoice in Him." The visible manifestation of divine glory struck the prophets with trepidation. God covered His divinity with the heavens, and thus veiled His unendurable radiance so that it would not destroy the world. In the Incarnation of the Word "grace is proportionate to us," for the Word has clothed itself and veiled itself in the flesh.
Christ came "so that the Father could be known," and the Son is the only door to the true knowledge of God. He puts an end to pagan delusions. "When people falsely began to worship the image of a man as God, God became a man to destroy the lie." He came "so that sinful men could enter communion with God and free themselves from the power of demons."
The Lord suffered for us, but the devil would not have dared to appear to Him if he had known Him. Therefore, "the body be came a lure for death, so that the serpent, which was hoping to swallow it, vomited forth that which had already been swallowed." In this Cyril follows Origen.
The Lord descended into hell alone, but He left with a multitude. "Death was terrified to learn that Someone new, Who could not be held in fetters, had descended into hell." "The Lord was born from the new Eve, from the new Virgin, to fulfill the prophecies. He sanctified baptism by His own baptism." "The beginning of the Gospel is the Jordan." Christ worked many miracles, but the greatest of all was the miracle of the Cross. Christ's death on the cross was not in appearance only. "If salvation is from the cross, but the death on the cross was only a semblance, then our salvation also is only a semblance, and then so was the resurrection. If the resurrection was no more than an appearance, then so too is the second coming. And nothing would be real."
The cross is the indestructible foundation and hope of salvation, the glory and "praise of all praises." The voluntary suffering of Christ was real, and the Son of Man was glorified by accepting the crown of thorns. "He Who suffered and endured was not an insignificant man, but God Incarnate." All men were in bondage to death because of sin. Christ raised the sins of all in His body on the cross to pay the "ransom," and God's anger was satisfied. The justice of the sentence was maintained, but the strength of love for mankind was made manifest. Sin came from a tree and lasted until another tree. Christ was buried in the earth "so that the accursed earth received a blessing instead of curses, for the tree of life was planted in it."
During His life the Lord symbolically reenacted, and thus abrogated, the events of the Fall. "I confess the cross, for I know the resurrection." He ascended into heaven, "crowned by His victory," and sat at the right hand of the Father. "We will not concern ourselves with the nature of His throne, for that is beyond our understanding." Although He has left the earth in the flesh and is seated on high, the Lord is still with us. He will come again in glory for the judgment and the final victory, "wearing the crown of the kingdom of God." The eternal heavenly kingdom will be at hand, but the eternal fire will also be prepared. The cross is a sign of victory, "a crown which does no dishonor." This is Cyril's brief but striking presentation of the saving work of Christ.
The Church.
The Lord arose in fulfillment of the promise, and at Pentecost the Spirit, "the Comforter and Sanctifier of the Church," descended into the world. This is the same Spirit Who spoke to the prophets and came down to the righteous men of the Old Testament. The "grace of the New Testament," however, is an even greater grace. "Grace was also among the fathers, but now it is overflowing. Then they were in communion with the Holy Spirit, but now we are completely baptized by Him."
At Pentecost the apostles received "complete" baptism by fire. "This grace was not partial, but perfect and complete." In the same way that fire penetrates metal and makes it burn and shine, so does the Spirit penetrate the depths of the soul, illuminating it and burning out the thorns of sin. At Pentecost an abundance of "spiritual water" was poured out into the world, and since that time the grace of the Spirit has been with the apostles and the whole Church.
The Church receives its name "because it gathers and unites all," just like the cross on which the Lord stretched out His arms. The Church is a Catholic Church because it is spread throughout the universe. All men should revere it because it reveals "completely and without omission" the doctrine of all heavenly and earthly things. It heals the soul and the body and it teaches virtue. The Church opens the gates of eternal life through holy baptism and the other sacraments.
"Baptism is the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New," and without baptism there is no salvation. Man and baptism both have a dual nature. Baptism by water is for the body, and baptism by the Holy Spirit is for the incorporeal soul. All of man is purified, for "there is nothing bad in human nature unless we make it bad by adultery and incontinence." The body which houses the soul is not "a vessel that is alien to God," and it is not responsible for sin. "It is the soul that sins by means of the body." The body will be made eternal, and at the resurrection "we will all receive bodies that are immortal, but not identical." Therefore the body should be cherished and kept pure for the Lord, "so that the Lord might look upon the body with favor." The body, "our corporeal robe," is healed in baptism and "receives grace through the water." Through the flesh we will participate in the second coming of Christ.
At baptism we symbolically reenact the life and works of Christ. By removing our clothes we shed our old selves, and we imitate Christ on the cross Whose nakedness conquered the power of darkness. When we are led to the baptismal font, we depict the deposition of Christ from the cross to His tomb. The triple immersion signifies the three days of His burial. "You have died and been born again at the same time. The saving water has become a tomb and a mother for you."
This commemoration is not only symbolic. “Commemoration,” αναμνησις, is the objective reproduction of the action being remembered. At the sacramental “commemoration" the action is genuinely accomplished. This is the realism and reality of the sacrament, the "mystery." "This is new and extraordinary. We die and are buried, we are crucified and rise from the dead, but not in reality. Our imitation is only an outer form, but our salvation is real. When we share His passion through “imitation, μιμησις, Christ gives us salvation. For us this is only the "likeness" of suffering and death, "but our salvation is a reality."
Baptism gives not only remission of sins but we are also sealed by the Holy Spirit. At baptism we are "united with the spiritual Bridegroom." "Our soul is reborn. We receive bright clothes, the holy indestructible seal, the chariot of heaven, and the bliss of paradise. The heavenly kingdom is prepared for us." We are united in a single body: "You become sons and daughters of one mother when your names are entered." This is the "impression of the mysterious seal" by which our Lord knows us.
"We receive holy baptism not by necessity but by an act of free will," "not before faith but as a result of our faith which we choose freely." Man is completely free, and God waits for each man to make a sincere choice. We are just or sinful by our will alone and therefore repentance and good works are necessary. A man becomes elect by his own will. "Evil is the product of free will," and therefore a new act of will is required to overcome it. The will is strengthened by God. At baptism we must renounce Satan and his works, and we reject sin and hell. We are then given grace, but this grace must be guarded. "God gives, but you must preserve and protect." "You must give grace your assistance."
The Sacraments.
Because of their character and purpose the sermons of Cyril do riot offer a detailed explanation of the sacraments. However, he did explain those sacraments which were received by catechumens upon entering the Church. He deals mainly with baptism. Baptism by water is necessary for salvation. Only martyrs, who "baptize themselves in their own blood when they suffer Persecution," are exempt from this. "They will find the kingdom even without water." The water in the baptismal font "bears Christ." It is "made holy" through the invocation of the Trinity of Spirit, Christ, and Father. Baptism cannot be repeated. "If once you have failed to achieve success, this cannot be corrected." Cyril considers that the baptism of heretics is merely apparent.
Baptism in water is made complete by "baptism in the Spirit," by anointing with oil. The oil used for anointing is not simply oil. Cyril compares it to the Eucharist: "In the same way that by the invocation of the Holy Spirit the bread of the Eucharist does not remain simply bread but becomes the body of Christ, so is this holy oil no longer simple or ordinary but it is the gift of Christ and the Holy Spirit. It has its effect through the presence of the Divinity." The sacramental oil represents the Holy Spirit. The anointing of a believer is a recreation of the "inspiration of the Spirit" which Christ received after His baptism in the Jordan. "The image of all this is enacted over you because you are the image of Christ . . . By being anointed with oil you have entered communion with Christ and have become participants in Him." The Chrism gives spiritual protection to soul and body.
Believers "share the body and blood of Christ" through the Holy Eucharist. This is by virtue of the real presence of the Body and the Blood. "Although it seems to your senses that this is bread and wine, let your faith strengthen you. Do not judge things by their taste, but assure yourself through faith that you are honored by the Body and Blood of Christ.” The form τυπος of bread and wine remain but in this form the Body and Blood are present. “We become bearers of Christ because the Body and Blood of Christ are given to us.” It may seem to the senses that these are bread and wine, but the Lord has testified that they are His Body and Blood. Cyril explains the manner in which the sacramental transformation takes place by referring to the miracle of Cana in Galilee. Our knowledge of this miracle makes it possible for us to believe that Christ also transforms wine into His Blood.
The Gifts are sanctified by the invocation of the Holy Spirit. "We pray to God that in His love for man He will send the Holy Spirit down to these gifts and that He will make this bread the Body of Christ and this wine the Blood of Christ. For it is certain that whatever the Holy Spirit touches is sanctified."
Cyril relates the request made in the Lord's Prayer for "our daily bread" to the Holy Eucharist. “Our daily bread” is bread which is suited to our substance, επιουσιος, and this bread “has an influence on the substance of our souls." It feeds not only our bodies, "but is imparted to our whole being."
The Eucharist is the "bloodless and spiritual sacrifice," and the Eucharistic Gifts are "holy and awesome." Before the sanctification of the Gifts believers pray for their souls to be united in gratitude. The Eucharistic prayers are said for all creatures and for the ranks of angels, and they include the angelic words which were heard by Isaiah: "By singing our hymns let us enter communion with the hosts of peace." At the completion of the sacrament prayers are said for all the living and the dead. "By bringing prayers to God for the dead, even if they were sinners, we are not weaving them a crown. We are offering to God Christ, who was sacrificed for the sins of the world. We do this for the sake of the dead and for our own sakes as well, and we hope that God in His love for man will be merciful." One should receive the Eucharist frequently. "Do not deprive yourselves of these holy and spiritual mysteries because of spiritual pollution."
