ST. CYRIL was raised by God to defend the faith of the Incarnation of
his Son, "of which mystery he is styled the doctor, as St. Austin is of
that of grace," says Thomassin. He studied under his uncle Theophilus,
and testifies[1] that he made it his rule never to advance any doctrine
which he had not learned from the ancient Fathers. His books against
Julian the Apostate show that he had read the profane writers. He often
says himself that he neglected human eloquence: and it is to be wished
that he had written in a clearer style, and with greater purity of the
Greek tongue. Upon the death of Theophilus, in 412, he was raised by the
people to the patriarchal dignity. He began to exert his authority by
causing the churches of the Novatians in the city to be shut up, and
their sacred vessels and ornaments to be seized; an action censured by
Socrates, a favorer of those heretics; but we do not know the reasons
and authority upon which he proceeded. He next drove the Jews out of the
city, who were very numerous, and enjoyed great privileges there from
the time of Alexander the Great. Seditions, and several acts of violence
committed by them, excited him to this, which grievously offended
Orestes the governor, but was approved by the emperor Theodosius: and
the Jews never returned. St. Cyril sent to conjure the governor by the
holy gospels that he would consent to a reconciliation, and that he
would join in sincere friendship with him: but his offers were rejected.
This unhappy disagreement produced pernicious effects. Hypatia, a pagan
lady, kept a public school of philosophy in the city. Her reputation for
learning was so great, that disciples flocked to her from all parts.
Among these was the great Synesius, who afterwards submitted his works
to her censure. She was consulted by philosophers of the first rank on
the most intricate points of learning, and of the Platonic philosophy in
particular, in which she was remarkably well versed.[2] She was much
respected and consulted by the governor, and often visited him. The mob,
which was nowhere more unruly, or more fond of riots and tumults than in
that populous city, the second in the world for extent, upon a {277}
suspicion that she incensed the governor against their bishop,
seditiously rose, pulled her out of her chariot, cut and mangled her
flesh, and tore her body in pieces in the streets, in 415, to the great
grief and scandal of all good men, especially of the pious bishop.[3][4]
He had imbibed certain prejudices from his uncle against the great St.
Chrysostom: but was prevailed on by St. Isidore of Pelusium, and others,
to insert his name in the Dyptics of his church, in 419: after which,
pope Zozimus sent him letters of communion.[5]
Nestorius, a monk and priest of Antioch, was made bishop of
Constantinople in 428. The retiredness and severity of his life, joined
with a hypocritical exterior of virtue, a superficial learning, and a
fluency of words, gained him some reputation in the world. But being
full of self conceit, he neglected the study of the Fathers, was a man
of weak judgment, extremely vain, violent, and obstinate. This is the
character he bears in the history of those times, and which is given him
by Socrates, and also by Theodoret, whom he had formerly imposed upon by
his hypocrisy. Marius Mercator informs us, that he was no sooner placed
in the episcopal chair, but he began to persecute, with great fury, the
Arians, Macedonians, Manichees, and Quartodecimans, whom he banished out
of his diocese. But though he taught original sin, he is said to have
denied the necessity of grace; on which account he received to his
communion Celestius and Julian, who had been condemned by the popes
Innocent and Zozimus, and banished out of the West by the emperor
Honorius, for Pelagianism. Theodosius obliged them to leave
Constantinople, notwithstanding the protection of the bishop. Nestorius
and his mercenary priests broached also new errors from the pulpit,
teaching two distinct persons in Christ, that of God, and that of man,
only joined by a moral union, by which he said the Godhead dwelt in the
humanity merely as in its temple. Hence he denied the Incarnation, or
that God was made man: and said the Blessed Virgin ought not to be
styled the mother of God, but of the man who was Christ, whose humanity
was only the temple of the divinity, not a nature hypostatically assumed
by the divine Person; though at length convicted by the voice of
antiquity, he allowed her the empty title of mother of God, but
continued to deny the mystery. The people were shocked at these
novelties, and the priests, St. Proclus, Eusebius, afterwards bishop of
Dorylaeum, and others, separated themselves from his communion, after
having attempted in vain to reclaim him by remonstrances. His homilies,
wherever they appeared, gave great offence, and excited everywhere
clamors against the errors and blasphemies they contained. St. Cyril
having read them, sent him a mild expostulation ob the subject, but was
answered with haughtiness and contempt. Pope Celestine, being applied to
by both parties, examined his doctrine in a council at Rome; condemned
it, and pronounced a sentence of excommunication and deposition against
the author, unless within ten days after notification of the sentence,
he publicly condemned and retracted it, appointing St. Cyril as his
vicegerent in this affair, to see that the sentence was put in
execution.[6] Our saint, together with his third and last summons, sent
Nestorius twelve propositions with anathemas, hence called
anathematisms, to be signed by him as a proof of his orthodoxy, but the
heresiarch appeared more {278} obstinate than ever. This occasioned the
calling of the third general council opened at Ephesus, in 431, by two
hundred bishops, with St. Cyril at their head, as pope Celestine's
legate and representative.[7] Nestorius, though in the town, and thrice
cited, refused to appear. His heretical sermons were read, and
depositions received against him, after which his doctrine was
condemned, and the sentence of excommunication and deposition was
pronounced against him and notified to the emperor.
Six days after, John, patriarch of Antioch, arrived at Ephesus with
forty-one oriental bishops; who secretly favoring the person but not the
errors of Nestorius, of which they deemed him innocent, had advanced but
slowly on their journey to the place. Instead of associating with the
council, they assembled by themselves, and presumed to excommunicate St.
Cyril and his adherents. Both sides had recourse to the emperor for
redress, by whose order, soon after, St. Cyril and Nestorius were both
arrested and confined, but our saint the worst treated of the two. Nay,
through his antagonist's greater interest at court, he was upon the
point of being banished, when three legates from pope
Celestine--Arcadius and Projectus, bishops, and Philip, a
priest--arrived at Ephesus, which gave a new turn to affairs in our
saint's favor. The three new legates having considered what had been
done under St. Cyril, the condemnation of Nestorius was confirmed, the
saint's conduct approved, and the sentence pronounced against him
declared null and invalid. Thus, matters being cleared up, he was
enlarged with honor. The Orientals, indeed, continued their schism till
433, when they made their peace with St. Cyril, condemned Nestorius, and
gave a clear and orthodox exposition of their faith. That heresiarch,
being banished from his see, retired to his monastery in Antioch. John,
though formerly his friend, yet finding him very perverse and obstinate
in his heresy, and attempting to pervert others, entreated the emperor
Theodosius to remove him. He was therefore banished to Oasis, in the
deserts of Upper Egypt, on the borders of Libya, in 431, and died
miserably and impenitent in his exile. His sect remains to this day very
numerous in the East.[8] St. Cyril triumphed over this heresiarch by his
meekness, intrepidity, and courage; thanking God for his sufferings, and
professing himself ready to spill his blood with joy for the gospel.[9]
He arrived at Alexandria on the 30th of October, 431, and spent the
remainder of his days in maintaining the faith of the church in its
purity, in promoting peace and union among the faithful, and the zealous
labors of his pastoral charge, till his glorious death in 444, on the
28th of June, that is, the 3d of the Egyptian month Epiphi, as the
Alexandrians, the Copts, and the Ethiopians unanimously affirm, who, by
abridging his name, call him Kerlos, and give him the title of Doctor of
the world. The Greeks keep the 18th of January in his honor; and have a
second commemoration of him again on the 9th of June.[10] The Roman
Martyrology mentions him on this day. Pope Celestine styles him, "The
generous defender of the church and faith, the Catholic doctor, and an
apostolical man."[11]
The extraordinary devotion of this holy doctor towards the holy
sacrament appears from the zeal with which he frequently inculcates the
glorious effects which it produces in the soul of him who worthily
receives it, especially in healing all his spiritual disorders,
strengthening him against temptations,{279} subduing the passions,
giving life, and making us one with Christ by the most sacred union, not
only in spirit, but also with his humanity. Hence this father says that
by the holy communion we are made concorporeal with Christ.[12] The
eminent dignity and privileges of the ever glorious Virgin Mary were
likewise a favorite subject on which he often dwells. In his tenth
homily,[13] after having often repeated her title of Mother of God, he
thus salutes her: "Hail, O Mary, mother of God, rich treasure of the
world,[14] inextinguishable lamp, crown of virginity, sceptre of the
true doctrine, temple which cannot fall, the residence of him whom no
place can contain, Mother and Virgin, by whom He is who cometh Blessed
in the name of the Lord. Hail, Mary, who in your virgin womb contained
Him who is immense and incomprehensible: You through whom the whole
blessed Trinity is glorified and adored, through whom the precious cross
is honored and venerated over the whole world, through whom heaven
exults, the angels and archangels rejoice, the devils are banished, the
tempter is disarmed, the creature that was fallen is restored to heaven,
and comes to the knowledge of the truth, through whom holy baptism is
instituted, through whom is given the oil of exultation, through whom
churches are founded over the whole earth, through whom nations are
brought to penance. And what need of more words? Through whom the only
begotten Son of God has shone the light to those who sat in darkness and
in the shade of death, &c.--What man can celebrate the most praiseworthy
Mary according to her dignity?"
Footnotes:
1. Ep. 56, and 35 apud Lupum.
2. Synesius, ep. 153.
3. Vie d'Hypacie par l'abbe Goujet. Memoires de Litterature, t. 5.
4. It is very unjust in some moderns to charge him as conscious of so
horrible a crime, which shocks human nature. Great persons are never
to be condemned without proofs which amount to conviction. The
silence of Orestes, and the historian Socrates, both his declared
enemies, suffices to acquit him.
5. We have nothing further of the life of this father, until the year
428, when his zeal was first exerted in defence of the faith against
Nestorianism: we shall introduce this period of his labors with some
account of the author of this heresy.
6. Conc. t. 3, p. 343. Liberat. in Breviar. c. 4.
7. St. Leo, Ep. 72, c. 3. Conc. t. 3, p. 656, 980.
8. They have a liturgy under the name of Nestorius, and two others
which they pretend to be still more ancient. See Renaudot, liturg.
orient. t. 2, and Le Brun, liturg. t. 3. The former contains a clear
profession of transubstantiation and the sacrifice of the mass.
9. Ep. ad Theopomp, t. 3. Conc. p. 771.
10. Smith on the present state of the Greek church, p. 13. Thomassin Tr.
des Fetes, l. 1, ch. 7.
11. Conc. t. 3, p. 1077.
12. {Footnote not found in text.} L. 4, contra Nestor, t. 6, parte 1, p.
110. l. 7, de adoratione in spiritu et verit. t. 1, p. 231, c. 10,
in Joan. t. 1, c. 13.
13. T. 5, parte 2, p. 380. Item Conc. t. 3, p. 583.
14. [Greek: Keimelion tes oikomenes]. The rich furniture of the world.