St. Cyril of Alexandria. On the Unity of Christ (the presentation)

On the Unity of Christ

St. Cyril of Alexandria

During the early fifth century, a fierce theological dispute erupted regarding the personhood of Jesus Christ. When a Syrian monk named Nestorius was summoned to Constantinople by the emperor to become the new archbishop; scandalous news about the novel teachings he espoused on the nature of Christ and the Mother of God, soon circulated locally and beyond. The new bishop was heavily influenced by the Antiochan school which approached Christology as the Divine Logos being "conjoined to" or "associated with" the man Jesus of Nazareth. Nestorius was imposing this crude doctrine of the Incarnation which inevitably lead to there being "Two Sons" - one the Son of God, the other the Son of Man - leaving Christ hopelessly divided (calling into question our salvation) and rendering the Holy Virgin a Mother of the Man.

Culminating in the Third Ecumenical Council (Ephesus) in 431, Archbishop Cyril of Alexandria successfully defended the Son of God coming in the flesh (Emmanuel - God is with us) and the rightful status of the Virgin Mary as Mother of God (Theotokos) as opposed to the Mother of Christ (Christotokos). It was acclaimed after the reading of Cyril's writings against Nestorius: "It is one and the same Holy Spirit, which the Fathers at Nicaea had within them as they defined the faith, which was in the soul and voice of our most holy and venerable Father the Archbishop Cyril when he dictated this for the correction of the errors that the reverend Nestorius introduced to the church." Nestorius and his followers were anathematised and rather than turn away from heresy; eventually departed the Roman Empire for Persia and lands further east, in order to continue practicing their beliefs outside the authority of the Church.

However, the dispute persisted well into the future and later in life Saint Cyril published the essay "On the Unity of Christ" - his most mature work on the subject - to continue refuting Nestorianism. This writing is refined and honed, the result of years of debate and study, even putting forth the Alexandrian understanding of deification (theosis). While clear and zealous in his arguments referencing Scripture, Cyril uses paradox and illustrative language well: the invisible Lord is made visible, the Immaterial One is made flesh, he who cannot be limited accepts the limitations of an earthly life, and the Immortal One comes willingy to his own death. Consider that this union is impossible and how it was accomplished as a simple act of God's infinite power, resulting in nothing less than the complete reconciliation of God and Man in Jesus. His Christological model still serves as a paradigm for the transfigured and redeemed life of a Christian.

Over the last century, the issues for which Saint Cyril of Alexandria fought so passionately; the unity of the incarnate Lord, and the difference between the Christian theology of incarnation and pagan mythological schemes of religion, have once again come into large scale dispute. This has caused much Christological revision in Western churches and is not surprising to see a review of Nestorian theology in the process and an attempt to revive it in terms of popular dogmatics. Given that these old doctrines of demons are far from dead, and the importance of the debate in terms of what constitutes the Church's doctrine of Christ, and how it articulates its authentic tradition, then it should prove both opportune and instructive to present this translation of Cyril to a new generation of readers. It is an elegant and approachable writing which presents not simply a historico-theological matter, but an enduring question about the articulation of the Church's spiritual experience of it's redeeming Lord.

Saint Cyril of Alexandria (378 - 444) came under the tutelage of his uncle, Saint Theophilus (the previous Archbishop of Alexandria) at the age of twelve. Studying grammar and rhetoric, followed by higher Christian studies in formal theology, Cyril gained a profound knowledge of the Bible and traditions of the Church - something he viewed himself as a continuer. Saint Cyril is largely responsible for starting the Christian theological method of appealing to prior patristic texts to determine what the tradition was by citing their writings as being "the mind of the saints." Cyril's feast day is celebrated on June 9 and again on January 18 in the company of St. Athanasius.

Presented by librarian Lawrence Walker Jr.