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Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Christian theologian and bishop active in the complex doctrinal struggles of the 5th century. He is chiefly known for his campaign against Nestorius, whose views on Christ’s nature were to be declared heretical. Cyril was named a doctor of the church in 1882.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Jun 27, 2024 · St. Cyril, the esteemed Bishop of Alexandria, holds a pivotal place in the history of the early Christian Church. Born in Egypt in 370 AD, Cyril’s life and works left an indelible mark on Christian theology, particularly through his ardent defense of the divine nature of Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary’s title as Theotokos , or God ...
May 17, 2011 · For the Son dwells in us in a corporeal sense as Man, commingled and united with us by the mystery of the Eucharist; and also in a spiritual sense as God, by the effectual working and grace of His own Spirit, building up our spirit into newness of life, and making us partakers of His Divine Nature.
- Early Life
- Mission to Moravia
- Death & Legacy
Cyril is the monastic name the saint chose near the end of his life but he was born Constantine, the son of a military officer called Leo stationed in Thessaloniki; his mother may have been a Slav. He was a gifted linguist from an early age and was sent to Constantinople to further his education and study such languages as Syriac and Hebrew. Looked...
Cyril was then selected by the Byzantine emperor Michael III (r. 842-867 CE) for a mission to Moravia (the modern Czech Republic and Slovakia) to spread the Christian faith. No doubt his ability to speak Slavic was a point in his favour and it would certainly come in useful. Prince Rastislav (r. 846-870 CE), eager to establish his own independent c...
Cyril died in Rome in 867 CE on a mission to enlist the Pope's backing for his work in central Europe and to have some of his Slav disciples ordained. The traveller first presented the new pope, Hadrian II, with the relics of Saint Clement. The Moravians were then ordained and Slavonic scriptures donated to the church of St Maria and Praesepe. Cyri...
- Mark Cartwright
A theological dispute happened between the monastic party in Constantinople–led by Archimandrite Basil and supported by Bishop Proclus, Augusta Pulcheria, and other aristocratic people–and the Antiochian clergy that Nestorius brought with him from Antioch, led by his chaplain Anastasius.
Cyril received a classical and theological education at Alexandria and was ordained by his uncle. He accompanied Theophilus to Constantinople in 403 and was present at the Synod of the Oak that deposed John Chrysostom, whom he believed guilty of the charges against him.
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What did Cyril do?
Cyril wrote extensively and was a leading protagonist in the Christological controversies of the 4th and 5th centuries. He was a central figure in the Council of Ephesus in 431 which led to the deposition of Nestorius as Archbishop of Constantinople.
