St. Cyril of Alexandria: Commentary on the Twelve Prophets, Vol. 1

The identification of Cyril with Alexandria in Egypt arises particularly from his election to the see on the death of his uncle Theophilus in 412. At the midpoint of his episcopate in Alexandria, which lasted till his death in 444, there occurred the event that would affect the whole church of the east and embroil Cyril in theological controversy, namely, the election of Nestorius to the see of Constantinople in 428. Statements immediately emanating from Nestorius on Mary’s claim to the title Theotokos prompted a response from Cyril in Alexandria that ushered in a long period of animosity between the two prelates and two major sees of eastern Christendom,1 and that drastically altered the character of Cyril’s theological writings. Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria (412-444), is best known as a protagonist in the christological controversy of the second quarter of the fifth century. Readers may be surprised therefore to find such polemic absent from this early work on the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament. Another possibly unexpected feature of this Alexandrian commentary is its focus on historical exegesis, which reveals Cyril's serious interest in the fortunes of the people of Israel and Judah in the centuries preceding and following the exile. Unlike his predecessor Didymus the Blind, Cyril abjures an approach that dismisses the historicity of the text (as in his opening defense of Hosea's marriage), and he proceeds to other levels of interpretation, moral and spiritual, only after a preliminary examination of the historical. Indebted to the diverse approaches of Didymus, Jerome, and Theodore, Cyril appears in this work as a balanced commentator, eclectic in his attitude and tolerant of alternative views. Although he displays an occasional uncertainty in his grasp of historical and geographical details, as well as an inclination to verbosity, Cyril has conspicuously influenced the exegesis of his younger contemporary Theodoret of Cyrus, and has made a vital contribution to the development of biblical interpretation in the church. Abbreviations vii Select Bibliography ix Introduction 3 1. The Commentary on the Twelve Prophets among Cyril’s works 3 2. Text of the Commentary; Cyril’s biblical text of The Twelve 6 3. Cyril’s style of commentary 8 4. Interpreting the Twelve Prophets 13 5. Theological accents in the Commentary 17 6. Cyril’s achievement in the Commentary on the Twelve Prophets 20 COMMENTARY ON THE TWELVE PROPHETS Commentary on the Prophet Hosea 25 Preface 27 Commentary on Hosea, Chapter One 33 Commentary on Hosea, Chapter Two 64 Commentary on Hosea, Chapter Three 94 Commentary on Hosea, Chapter Four 101 Commentary on Hosea, Chapter Five 123 Commentary on Hosea, Chapter Six 138 Commentary on Hosea, Chapter Seven 150 Commentary on Hosea, Chapter Eight 164 Commentary on Hosea, Chapter Nine 176 Commentary on Hosea, Chapter Ten 194 Commentary on Hosea, Chapter Eleven 210 Commentary on Hosea, Chapter Twelve 222 Commentary on Hosea, Chapter Thirteen 236 Commentary on Hosea, Chapter Fourteen 249 Commentary on the Prophet Joel 257 Preface 259 Commentary on Joel, Chapter One 261 Commentary on Joel, Chapter Two 280 Commentary on Joel, Chapter Three 302 INDICES The indices to this volume are combined with the indices to volume 2, to appear in the latter. "Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria (412-444), is best known as a protagonist in the christological controversy of the second quarter of the fifth century. Readers may be surprised therefore to find such polemic absent from this early work on the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament. Indebted to the diverse approaches of Didymus, Jerome, and Theodore, Cyril appears in this work as a balanced commentator, eclectic in his attitude and tolerant of alternative views. Although he displays an occasional uncertainty in his grasp of historical and geographical details, as well as an inclination to verbosity, Cyril has conspicuously influenced the exegesis of his younger contemporary Theodoret of Cyrus, and has made a vital contribution to the development of biblical interpretation in the church."--Publisher description v. 1. The commentary on the twelve prophets among Cyril's works Text of the commentary : Cyril's biblical text of The Twelve Cyril's style of commentary Interpreting the Twelve Prophets Theological accents in the commentary Cyril's achievement in the commentary on the twelve prophets Commentary on the twelve prophets Commentary on the prophet Hosea Commentary on the prophet Joel Commentary on the prophet Amos Commentary on the prophet Obadiah Commentary on the prophet Jonah Commentary on the prophet Micah Commentary on the prophet Nahum Commentary on the prophet Habakkuk Commentary on the prophet Zephaniah Commentary on the prophet Haggai Commentary on the prophet Zechariah Commentary on the prophet Malachi This Final Volume In A Series Of Three Contains Cyril's Commentary On Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, And Malachi. Applying His Knowledge Of Ancient Israelite History In His Analysis Of The Immediate Context For Each Of These Prophetic Books, Cyril Believes That Zephaniah Was Addressed To The Residents Of Jerusalem In The Years Preceding The Babylonian Exile, And The Other Three Were Addressed To A Newly Repatriated, Post-exilic Nation. Maximos the Confessor's penetrating theological vision found expression in an unparalleled synthesis of biblical exegesis, ascetic spirituality, patristic theology, and Greek philosophy. On Difficulties in Sacred Scripture, presented here in a complete English translation, contains Maximos's theological interpretations of sixty-five difficult passages from the Old and New Testaments.