Cyril of Alexandria (The Early Church Fathers)

As a ruler of the church of Alexander and president of the Third Ecumenical Council of 431, Cyril was one of the most powerful men of the fifth century. Not only did he define the concept of christological orthodoxy for the next two centuries, but he is also often regarded as an unscrupulous cleric who was responsible for the murder of the female philosopher Hypatia and for the overthrow of the archbishop Nestorius. Cyril of Alexandria presents key selections of Cyril's writings in order to make his thought accessible to students. The writings are all freshly translated and an extended introduction outlines Cyril's life and times, his scholastic method, his christology, his ecclesiology, his eucharistic doctrine, his spirituality, and his influence on the Christian tradition. Cover......Page 1 Title Page......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Contents......Page 7 Preface......Page 9 List of Abbreviations......Page 11 Part I: Introduction......Page 13 Early Life......Page 15 The Power Struggle with the Prefect......Page 18 The Years of Consolidation......Page 21 2.The Early Writings......Page 24 The Challenge of Judaism......Page 25 The Refutation of Arianism......Page 33 3.The Nestorian Controversy......Page 43 The Development of the Crisis......Page 45 The Theological Issues......Page 51 The Council of Ephesus......Page 58 4.The Cyrillian Legacy......Page 71 Part II: Texts......Page 77 General Introduction to the Texts......Page 79 Introduction......Page 82 Text......Page 83 Isaiah’s Vision......Page 86 The Prophecy of the Messiah......Page 90 The Nature of the Messiah......Page 92 The Lord’s Servant......Page 96 The Newness of the Life To Come......Page 99 Israel Delivered and Redeemed......Page 100 Promise of the New Jerusalem......Page 105 Introduction......Page 108 The Dispensation of the Incarnation......Page 110 The Efficacy of the Eucharist......Page 121 The Devine and Human Wills of Christ......Page 123 The Humanity of Christ......Page 131 The Mission of the Spirit......Page 134 The Unity of Christians......Page 137 Introduction......Page 142 Mary, Mother of God......Page 143 The Unity of Christ......Page 152 The Dispensation of the Incarnation......Page 172 The Body of Christ......Page 179 Introduction......Page 187 Text......Page 188 Anathema 1......Page 190 Anathema 2......Page 191 Anathema 3......Page 192 Anathema 4......Page 193 Anathema 5......Page 195 Anathema 7......Page 196 Anathema 8......Page 197 Anathema 9......Page 198 Anathema 10......Page 199 Anathema 12......Page 200 Introduction......Page 202 The Sages and Scripture......Page 203 The Antiquity of Moses......Page 206 The Creation of Man in the Image of God......Page 208 Pagan and Christian Imitation of God Compared......Page 212 The True Philosopher......Page 214 1.The Making of a Bishop......Page 216 2.The Early Writings......Page 221 3.The Nestorian Controversy......Page 226 4.The Cyrillian Legacy......Page 235 Commentary on Isaiah......Page 237 Commentary on John......Page 240 Against Nestorius......Page 243 An explanation of the Twelve Chapters......Page 248 Against Julian......Page 250 Bibliography......Page 254 Index of Scriptural Citations......Page 267 Index of Names and Subjects......Page 273 As ruler of the Church of Alexandria and president of the Third Ecumenical Council of 431, Cyril was one of the most powerful men of the fifth century and played a decisive role in the history of his times. He was an important thinker who defined the concept of christological orthodoxy for the next two centuries. Cyril is also often regarded as an unscrupulous and power-hungry cleric who was responsible for the murder of the female philosopher Hypatia and for the overthrow of the archbishop Nestorius. Cyril of Alexandria presents key selections of Cyrils writings in order to make his thought accessible to students. The writings are all freshly translated and an extended introduction outlines Cyrils life and times, his scholastic method, his christology, his ecclesiology, his eucharistic doctrine, his spirituality and his influence on the Christian tradition. Brief introductions and notes to the individual selections provide valuable contextualization and elucidation of the ideas contained in them. Norman Russell is a freelance lecturer and translator. He is the author, with Benedicta Ward, of The Lives of the Desert Fathers: The Historia Monachorum in Aegypto (1980). "As a ruler of the church of Alexandria and president of the Third Ecumenical Council of 431, Cyril was one of the most powerful men of the fifth century and played a decisive role in the history of his times. He was an important thinker who defined the concept of christological orthodoxy for the next two centuries. Cyril is also often regarded as an unscrupulous and power-hungry cleric who was responsible for the murder of the female philosopher Hypatia and for the overthrow of the archbishop Nestorius. Cyril of Alexandria presents key selections of Cyril's writings in order to make his thought accessible to students. The writings are all freshly translated and an extended introduction outlines Cyril's life and times, his scholastic method, his christology, his ecclesiology, his eucharistic doctrine, his spirituality and his influence on the Christian tradition. Brief introductions and notes to the individual selections provide valuable contextualization and elucidation of the ideas contained in them."--Publisher's description Annotation As a ruler of the church of Alexander and president of the Third Ecumenical Council of 431, Cyril was one of the most powerful men of the fifth century. Not only did he define the concept of christological orthodoxy for the next two centuries, but he is also often regarded as an unscrupulous cleric who was responsible for the murder of the female philosopher Hypatia and for the overthrow of the archbishop Nestorius. Cyril of Alexandria presents key selections of Cyril's writings in order to make his thought accessible to students. The writings are all freshly translated and an extended introduction outlines Cyril's life and times, his scholastic method, his christology, his ecclesiology, his eucharistic doctrine, his spirituality, and his influence on the Christian tradition As ruler of the church of Alexandria and president of the Third Ecumenical Council of 431, Cyril was one of the most powerful men in the fifth century, an important thinker who defined the concept of christological orthodoxy for the next two centuries. A controversial figure, he is also often regarded as an unscrupulous, power-hungry cleric who was responsible for the overthrow of an archbishop and the murder of a female philosopher. The first detailed survey in English of Cyril's life and work, Cyril of Alexandria presents key selections of the writings of this complex figure, all freshly translated and put into context by an introduction that outlines his life and times, his scholastic method, his doctrine, and his significant influence on the Christian tradition. "As ruler of the Church of Alexandria and president of the Third Ecumenical Council of 431, Cyril was one of the most powerful men of the fifth century and played a decisive role in the history of his times. He was an important thinker who defined the concept of christological orthodoxy for the next two centuries. Cyril is also often regarded as an unscrupulous and power-hungry cleric who was responsible for the murder of the female philosopher Hypatia and for the overthrow of the archbishop Nestorius." "Cyril of Alexandria presents key selections of Cyril's writings in order to make his thought accessible to students."--Jacket St. Cyril of Alexandria: The Christological Controversy describes the turmoil of fifth-century Christianity seeking to articulate its beliefs on the person of Christ. The policies of the Theodosian dynasty and the conflicting interests of the patriarchal sees are set as the context of the controversy between Nestorius of Constantinople and Cyril of Alexandria, a bitter dispute that racked the entire oecumene The historical analysis expounds the arguments of both sides, particularly the Christology of Cyril which was adopted as a standard. Many major texts are presented in new translations, some of which have never before appeared in English. These writings are essential reading in the history of the doctrine. The work will be an indispensable resource for all students of the period: theologians and Byzantinists