Catechesis on the Creedal Words "the Only-Begotten Son of God, Begotten of the Father Very God Before All Ages, by Whom All Things Were Made" (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

Catechetical Lecture 11

 

On the Words, "the Only-Begotten Son of God, Begotten of the Father Very God Before All Ages, by Whom All Things Were Made"

 

By St. Cyril of Jerusalem

God, who at sundry times and in various manners spoke in times past unto the Fathers by the Prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son (Heb. 1:1) 

 

1. That we have hope in Jesus Christ has been sufficiently shown, according to our ability, in what we delivered to you yesterday. But we must not simply believe in Christ Jesus nor receive Him as one of the many who are improperly called Christs. For they were figurative Christs, but He is the true Christ; not having risen by advancement from among men to the Priesthood, but ever having the dignity of the Priesthood from the Father. And for this cause the Faith guarding us beforehand lest we should suppose Him to be one of the ordinary Christs, adds to the profession of the Faith, that we believe In One Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of God.

Catechesis on the Creedal Words "Incarnate" and "Made Man" (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

 

 

Catechetical Lecture 12 

 

On the Words "Incarnate" and "Made Man"

 

By St. Cyril of Jerusalem

 

And the Lord spoke again unto Ahaz, saying, "Ask you a sign," and
Behold! A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Emmanuel. (Is. 7:10-14)

1. Nurslings of purity and disciples of chastity, raise we our hymn to the Virgin-born God with lips full of purity. Deemed worthy to partake of the flesh of the Spiritual Lamb , let us take the head together with the feet , the Deity being understood as the head, and the Manhood taken as the feet. Hearers of the Holy Gospels, let us listen to John the Divine. For he who said, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God John 1:1, went on to say, and the Word was made flesh. For neither is it holy to worship the mere man, nor religious to say that He is God only without the Manhood. For if Christ is God, as indeed He is, but took not human nature upon Him, we are strangers to salvation. Let us then worship Him as God, but believe that He also was made Man. For neither is there any profit in calling Him man without Godhead nor any salvation in refusing to confess the Manhood together with the Godhead. Let us confess the presence of Him who is both King and Physician. For Jesus the King when about to become our Physician, girded Himself with the linen of humanity , and healed that which was sick. The perfect Teacher of babes Romans 2:20 became a babe among babes, that He might give wisdom to the foolish. The Bread of heaven came down on earth that He might feed the hungry.

On the Commemoration of the Dead in the Divine Liturgy (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

By St. Cyril of Jerusalem

(Catechetical Lectures 23)

Then having sanctified ourselves by these spiritual Hymns, we beseech the merciful God to send forth His Holy Spirit upon the gifts lying before Him; that He may make the Bread the Body of Christ, and the Wine the Blood of Christ ; for whatsoever the Holy Spirit has touched, is surely sanctified and changed.

John the Baptist, the Greatest Among Servants and Prophets But Not the Master and Lord

By St. Cyril of Jerusalem

Baptism is the end of the Old Testament, and beginning of the New. For its author was John, than whom was none greater among them that are born of women. The end he was of the Prophets, for all the Prophets and the law were until John [cf. Matt. 11:13], but of the Gospel history he was the first-fruit. For it says, "The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ ... John came baptizing in the wilderness."

Why the Holy Spirit Descended as a Dove Upon Christ

By St. Cyril of Jerusalem

(Catechetical Lecture 17.9-10)

This Holy Spirit came down when the Lord was baptized, that the dignity of Him who was baptized might not be hidden; as John says, "But He which sent me to baptize with water, the same said to me, Upon whomsoever you shall see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, the same is He which baptizes with the Holy Spirit" (John. 1:33). But see what says the Gospel: "the heavens were opened;" they were opened because of the dignity of Him who descended; for, "lo," he says, "the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and lighting upon Him" (Matthew 3:16); that is, with voluntary motion in His descent. For it was fit, as some have interpreted, that the primacy and first-fruits of the Holy Spirit promised to the baptized should be conferred upon the manhood of the Savior, who is the giver of such grace. But perhaps He came down in the form of a dove, as some say, to exhibit a figure of that dove who is pure and innocent and undefiled, and also helps the prayers for the children she has begotten, and for forgiveness of sins; even as it was emblematically foretold that Christ should be thus manifested in the appearance of His eyes; for in the Canticles she cries concerning the Bridegroom, and says, "Your eyes are as doves by the rivers of water" (Song of Songs 5:12).

The Baptism of Water and the Baptism of Blood

By St. Cyril of Jerusalem

If any man receive not Baptism, he has not salvation; except only Martyrs, who even without the water receive the kingdom. For when the Savior, in redeeming the world by His Cross, was pierced in the side, He shed forth blood and water; that men, living in times of peace, might be baptized in water, and, in times of persecution, in their own blood. For martyrdom also the Savior is wont to call a baptism, saying, "Can you drink the cup which I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with" [Mark 10:38]? And the Martyrs confess, by being made a spectacle unto the world, and to Angels, and to men [cf. 1 Corinthians 4:9]; and you will soon confess:— but it is not yet the time for you to hear of this.

Catechetical Lecture 3

How Jesus Was Greater Than Jonah (Sts. John Chrysostom & Cyril of Jerusalem)

By St. John Chrysostom

(Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew, Homily 43.3)

"Behold, a greater than Jonah is here." (Matt. 12:41)

For Jonah was a servant, but I am the Master; and he came forth from the great fish, but I rose from death. He proclaimed destruction, but I am come preaching the good tidings of the kingdom. The Ninevites indeed believed without a sign, but I have exhibited many signs. They heard nothing more than those words, but I have made it impossible to deny the truth. The Ninevites came to be ministered to, but I, the very Master and Lord of all, have come not threatening, not demanding an account, but bringing pardon. They were barbarians, but these - the faithful - have conversed with unnumbered prophets. And of Jonah nothing had been prophesied in advance, but of me everything was foretold, and all the facts have agreed with their words. And Jonah indeed, when he was to go forth, instead ran away that he might not be ridiculed. But I, knowing that I am both to be crucified and mocked, have come nonetheless. While Jonah did not endure so much as to be reproached for those who were saved, I underwent even death, and that the most shameful death, and after this I sent others again. And Jonah was a strange sort of person and an alien to the Ninevites, and unknown; but I a kinsman after the flesh and of the same forefathers.

Homily on the Paralytic at the Pool (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

By St. Cyril of Jerusalem

(1) Wherever Jesus appears, there is salvation. If He sees a revenue officer sitting in his office, He makes him an apostle and evangelist. Laid in the grave, He raises the dead to life. He bestows sight on the blind, hearing on the deaf. When, as now, He visits the public baths, it is not out of interest in the architecture, but to heal the sick.

(2) By the Sheep Market in Jerusalem there used to be a pool with five colonnades, four of which enclosed the pool, while the fifth spanned it midway. Here large numbers of sick would lie (unbelief also was rise among the Jews). The physician and healer of both souls and bodies showed fairness in choosing this chronic sufferer to be the first recipient of His gift, that he might the earlier be released from his pains. For not for one day only, nor for two, had the poor man lain on his bed of sickness – nor was it now the first month, no, nor the first year – but for eight-and-thirty years. His long-standing illness, rendering him a figure familiar to passers by, now made him ocular evidence of the power of his healer. For the paralytic was known to all by reason of the length of time. But though the master physician gave proof of His skill, He was rebuffed by those who put an unfavourable construction on His work of mercy.

Synaxarion of our Holy Father Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem

St. Cyril of Jerusalem (Feast Day - March 18)

Verses

Offering your talents you enter gain,
In the joy of your Lord O Cyril.
On the eighteenth Cyril was seized by murky death.

Our Holy Father Cyril lived during the reign of Emperor Constantius (337-361), son of Constantine the Great. Being the son of pious and orthodox parents, he was educated by them and raised with piety and correct doctrine.

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem Resource Page

St. Cyril of Jerusalem (Feast Day - March 18)

Verses

Offering your talents you enter gain,
In the joy of your Lord O Cyril.
On the eighteenth Cyril was seized by murky death.

 

Synaxarion of our Holy Father Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem

 

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem as a Model for our Lives

 

March: Day 18: Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem

  

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechist and Confessor

 

The Cross That Appeared in the Sky Over Jerusalem in 351 A.D.   

 

Catechesis on the Creedal Words "the Only-Begotten Son of God, Begotten of the Father Very God Before All Ages, by Whom All Things Were Made" (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

 

Catechesis on the Creedal Words "Incarnate" and "Made Man" (St. Cyril of Jerusalem) 

 

Patristic Testimony of the Prophetic Ministry of Joshua the Son of Nun 

 

The Prophet Jonah in the Writings of the Church Fathers 

 

How Jesus Was Greater Than Jonah (Sts. John Chrysostom & Cyril of Jerusalem) 

 

Why Was Jesus Baptized? 

 

Why Did Christ Call the Grace of the Holy Spirit "Water"? 

 

Why the Holy Spirit Descended as a Dove Upon Christ 

 

John the Baptist, the Greatest Among Servants and Prophets But Not the Master and Lord 

 

The Baptism of Water and the Baptism of Blood 

 

St. Cyril of Jerusalem on the Ascension of Christ 

 

Glorify God, Don't Describe Him (St. Cyril of Jerusalem) 

 

Fourth Century Texts Reveal True Bride of Christ 

 

An Interpretation of the Lord's Prayer (St. Cyril of Jerusalem) 

 

Sin Is a Fearful Evil, But Not Incurable 

 

On the Commemoration of the Dead in the Divine Liturgy (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

Why Did Christ Call the Grace of the Holy Spirit "Water"? (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

By St. Cyril of Jerusalem

"The water I shall give him will become in him a fountain of living water, welling up into eternal life" (Jn. 4:14). This is a new kind of water, a living, leaping water, welling up for those who are worthy. But why did Christ call the grace of the Spirit water? Because all things are dependent on water; plants and animals have their origin in water. Water comes down from heaven as rain, and although it is always the same in itself, it produces many different effects, one in the palm tree, another in the vine, and so on throughout the whole of creation. It does not come down, now as one thing, now as another, but while remaining essentially the same, it adapts itself to the needs of every creature that receives it.

Why Was Jesus Baptized?

By St. Cyril of Jerusalem

Jesus sanctified Baptism by being Himself baptized. If the Son of God was baptized, what godly man is he that despises Baptism? But He was baptized not that He might receive remission of sins, for He was sinless; but being sinless, He was baptized, that He might give to them that are baptized a divine and excellent grace. "For since the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise partook of the same" (Heb. 2:14), that having been made partakers of His presence in the flesh we might be made partakers also of His Divine grace: thus Jesus was baptized, that thereby we again by our participation might receive both salvation and honor.

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem as a Model for our Lives

St. Cyril of Jerusalem (Feast Day - March 18)

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saint Cyril was born in Jerusalem in either 313 or 315 A.D. and is one of the brightest figures among the Fathers and Teachers of the Church in the fourth century. As a Deacon and Presbyter in Jerusalem he was distinguished for the breadth of his theological knowledge and his divine zeal for the spread of the Gospel. In 349 or 350 he succeeded the deceased Bishop Maximus II of Jerusalem. He was consecrated as Bishop by Metropolitan Acacius of Caesarea, to which belonged the Diocese of Jerusalem. However, because Acacius of Caesarea was an Arian, and also because Saint Cyril avoided using the term "homoousios" ("consubstantial"), as established by the First Ecumenical Synod, this created the suspicion that he was an Arian. But this suspicion was overturned by the Second Ecumenical Synod, which calls him a great fighter against Arianism. He struggles against the heresy of the Arians caused him to be exiled three times and to live thirteen entire years in exile. The last years of his life he spent in his office and alongside his anti-heretical struggles he organized the pastoral and catechetical work of the Diocese. He left us works which, according to expert opinion, are "the most precious possessions of Christian literature". The most important of these are his Catechism. These are twenty-four lectures that were delivered in the Basilica of the Resurrection in Jerusalem and addressed to both the newly-illumined and the illumined. The first of these is titled "Pre-Catechism" and is somewhat of a preface or introduction to the catechesis that follows. In 387 he delivered his holy soul "into the hands of the living God".

St. Cyril of Jerusalem on the Ascension of Christ

From Catechetical Lecture 4:

But when Jesus had finished His course of patient endurance, and had redeemed mankind from their sins, He ascended again into the heavens, a cloud receiving Him up: and as He went up Angels were beside Him, and Apostles were beholding. But if any man disbelieves the words which I speak, let him believe the actual power of the things now seen. All kings when they die have their power extinguished with their life: but Christ crucified is worshipped by the whole world. We proclaim The Crucified, and the devils tremble now. Many have been crucified at various times; but of what other who was crucified did the invocation ever drive the devils away?

Let us, therefore, not be ashamed of the Cross of Christ; but though another hide it, do thou openly seal it upon your forehead, that the devils may behold the royal sign and flee trembling far away. Make then this sign at eating and drinking, at sitting, at lying down, at rising up, at speaking, at walking: in a word, at every act. For He who was here crucified is in heaven above. If after being crucified and buried He had remained in the tomb, we should have had cause to be ashamed; but, in fact, He who was crucified on Golgotha here, has ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives on the East. For after having gone down hence into Hades, and come up again to us, He ascended again from us into heaven, His Father addressing Him, and saying, "Sit on My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool."

From Catechetical Lecture 14:

The course of instruction in the Faith would lead me to speak of the Ascension also; but the grace of God so ordered it, that you heard most fully concerning it, as far as our weakness allowed, yesterday, on the Lord's day; since, by the providence of divine grace, the course of the Lessons in Church included the account of our Saviour's going up into the heavens ; and what was then said was spoken principally for the sake of all, and for the assembled body of the faithful, yet especially for your sake. But the question is, did you attend to what was said? For you know that the words which come next in the Creed teach you to believe in Him Who rose again the third day, and ascended into Heaven, and sat down on the right hand of the Father. I suppose then certainly that you remember the exposition; yet I will now again cursorily put you in mind of what was then said. Remember what is distinctly written in the Psalms, "God is gone up with a shout;" remember that the divine powers also said to one another, "Lift up your gates, you Princes," and the rest; remember also the Psalm which says, "He ascended on high, He led captivity captive;" remember the Prophet who said, "Who builds His ascension unto heaven;" and all the other particulars mentioned yesterday because of the gainsaying of the Jews.

For when they speak against the ascension of the Saviour, as being impossible, remember the account of the carrying away of Habakkuk: for if Habakkuk was transported by an Angel, being carried by the hair of his head , much rather was the Lord of both Prophets and Angels, able by His own power to make His ascent into the Heavens on a cloud from the Mount of Olives. Wonders like this you may call to mind, but reserve the preeminence for the Lord, the Worker of wonders; for the others were borne up, but He bears up all things. Remember that Enoch was translated [Hebrews 11:5]; but Jesus ascended: remember what was said yesterday concerning Elias, that Elias was taken up in a chariot of fire [2 Kings 2:11]; but that "the chariots of" Christ "are ten thousand-fold even thousands upon thousands:" and that Elias was taken up, towards the east of Jordan; but that Christ ascended at the east of the brook Cedron: and that Elias went "as into heaven;" but Jesus, into heaven: and that Elias said that a double portion in the Holy Spirit should be given to his holy disciple; but that Christ granted to His own disciples so great enjoyment of the grace of the Holy Ghost, as not only to have It in themselves, but also, by the laying on of their hands, to impart the fellowship of It to them who believed.

And when you have thus wrestled against the Jews — when you have worsted them by parallel instances, then come further to the pre-eminence of the Saviour's glory; namely, that they were the servants, but He the Son of God. And thus you will be reminded of His pre-eminence, by the thought that a servant of Christ was caught up to the third heaven. For if Elias attained as far as the first heaven, but Paul as far as the third, the latter, therefore, has obtained a more honourable dignity. Be not ashamed of your Apostles; they are not inferior to Moses, nor second to the Prophets; but they are noble among the noble, yea, nobler still. For Elias truly was taken up into heaven; but Peter has the keys of the kingdom of heaven, having received the words, "Whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." [Matthew 16:19] Elias was taken up only to heaven; but Paul both into heaven, and into paradise (for it behooved the disciples of Jesus to receive more manifold grace), "and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for man to utter." But Paul came down again from above, not because he was unworthy to abide in the third heaven, but in order that after having enjoyed things above man's reach, and descended in honour, and having preached Christ, and died for His sake, he might receive also the crown of martyrdom. But I pass over the other parts of this argument, of which I spoke yesterday in the Lord's-day congregation; for with understanding hearers, a mere reminder is sufficient for instruction.

But remember also what I have often said concerning the Son's sitting at the right hand of the Father; because of the next sentence in the Creed, which says, "and ascended into Heaven, and sat down at the right hand of the Father." Let us not curiously pry into what is properly meant by the throne; for it is incomprehensible: but neither let us endure those who falsely say, that it was after His Cross and Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, that the Son began to sit on the right hand of the Father. For the Son gained not His throne by advancement; but throughout His being (and His being is by an eternal generation) He also sits together with the Father. And this throne the Prophet Isaiah having beheld before the incarnate coming of the Saviour, says, "I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up" [Isaiah 6:1], and the rest. "For the Father no man has seen at any time" [John 1:18], and He who then appeared to the Prophet was the Son. The Psalmist also says, "Your throne is prepared of old; You are from everlasting." Though then the testimonies on this point are many, yet because of the lateness of the time, we will content ourselves even with these.

But now I must remind you of a few things out of many which are spoken concerning the Son's sitting at the right hand of the Father. For the hundred and ninth Psalm says plainly, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit on My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool." And the Saviour, confirming this saying in the Gospels, says that "David spoke not these things of himself, but from the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, saying, How then does David in the Spirit call Him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit on My right hand?" [Matthew 22:43] And the rest. And in the Acts of the Apostles, Peter on the day of Pentecost standing with the Eleven [Acts 2:34], and discoursing to the Israelites, has in very words cited this testimony from the hundred and ninth Psalm.

But I must remind you also of a few other testimonies in like manner concerning the Son's sitting at the right hand of the Father. For in the Gospel according to Matthew it is written, "Nevertheless, I say unto you, Henceforth you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power" [Matthew 26:64], and the rest: in accordance with which the Apostle Peter also writes, "By the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is on the right hand of God, having gone into heaven." [1 Peter 3:22] And the Apostle Paul, writing to the Romans, says, "It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God." [Romans 8:34] And charging the Ephesians, he thus speaks, "According to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand" [Ephesians 1:19-20]; and the rest. And the Colossians he taught thus, "If you then be risen with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God." [Colossians 3:1] And in the Epistle to the Hebrews he says, "When He had made purification of our sins, He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." [Hebrews 1:3[ And again, "But unto which of the Angels has He said at any time, Sit thou at My right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool?" And again, "But He, when He had offered one sacrifice for all men, for ever sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool." And again, "Looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising shame, and is set down on the right hand of the throne of God."

And though there are many other texts concerning the sitting of the Only-begotten on the right hand of God, yet these may suffice us at present; with a repetition of my remark, that it was not after His coming in the flesh that He obtained the dignity of this seat; no, for even before all ages, the Only-begotten Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, ever possesses the throne on the right hand of the Father. Now may He Himself, the God of all, who is Father of the Christ, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who came down, and ascended, and sits together with the Father, watch over your souls; keep unshaken and unchanged your hope in Him who rose again; raise you together with Him from your dead sins unto His heavenly gift; count you worthy to be caught up in the clouds, "to meet the Lord in the air" [1 Thessalonians 4:17], in His fitting time; and, until that time arrive of His glorious second advent, write all your names in the Book of the living, and having written them, never blot them out (for the names of many, who fall away, are blotted out); and may He grant to all of you to believe in Him who rose again, and to look for Him who is gone up, and is to come again, (to come, but not from the earth; for be on your guard, O man, because of the deceivers who are to come;) Who sits on high, and is here present together with us, beholding the order of each, and the steadfastness of his faith. [Colossians 2:5] For think not that because He is now absent in the flesh, He is therefore absent also in the Spirit. He is here present in the midst of us, listening to what is said of Him, and beholding your inward thoughts, and trying the reins and hearts — who also is now ready to present those who are coming to baptism, and all of you, in the Holy Ghost to the Father, and to say, "Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me:" — To whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechist and Confessor

With the guarantee of religious tolerance, granted in 313 by Constantine with the Edict of Milan, a new chapter opened in the history of the Church. Along the smoother path more people were attracted to the doors of the Church, spurring its growth and bringing new challenges. Unlike the early Christians, who fully expected their faith to be tried by fire or the sword, these newcomers were not always inspired by burning convictions: a pagan husband might approach the font at the urging of his believing wife, a servant-to curry favor with his believing master; as the practice of infant baptism grew, so did the ranks of younger generations who had not themselves made a conscious profession of faith. To properly initiate these candidates into the mysteries of the Faith was no small task. The difficulty was compounded by troubles brewing within the Church itself. Attacks from without had not yet subsided when, in 318, the Arian heresy erupted. Although it was condemned in 325 by the First Ecumenical Council, it was only towards the end of the century that its proponents were finally forced to cease their divisive maneuverings. It was essential, therefore, that recruits be adequately equipped with sound doctrine and other spiritual armor before they could be expected to conduct themselves as true soldiers of Christ. Among those who shouldered this responsibility, one of the most gifted was St. Cyril of Jerusalem. To this day, his Catechetical Lectures provide a concise course par excellence in the fundamentals of Orthodox doctrine.

For a renowned Church Father, St. Cyril's Life is constructed on surprisingly meager details. According to the Greek Menaion, Cyril was "born of pious parents, professing the Orthodox Faith, and to have been bred up in the same, in the reign of Constantine." The year of his birth is generally given as 315 and the location in or around Jerusalem, for it was customary to choose a bishop from among the local clergy, a man already known and respected by the people over whom he would assume spiritual authority. His youth coincided with the height of Arian domination and the rediscovery of the Holy Sepulchre in 326, when Jerusalem, a relatively poor community, began moving into prominence. In 335 Constantine's magnificent Church of the Resurrection was dedicated and Cyril, a new deacon, undoubtedly took part in the ceremonies. The principal celebrants were Arians, who had just deposed their vigorous opponent, St. Athanasius, in a council at Tyre. The Church at Jerusalem, however, never embraced Arianism. Bishop Macarius, and his successor Maximus who ordained Cyril to the priesthood in 345, were both staunchly Nicaean. And when, on Maximus' death in 350, Cyril succeeded him as bishop, he continued to guide the Church at Jerusalem from this position.

Meanwhile, Bishop Acacius of neighboring Caesarea had been drawn into the Arian camp. This conflict between the two hierarchs was sharpened by the resentment Acacius felt when Cyril disputed Caesarea's jurisdiction over Jerusalem, now an established center of pilgrimage and sprouting monastic communities. In 357 Acacius successfully maneuvered to have Cyril deposed. Banished for two years, Cyril went to Tarsus, where he associated with Basil of Ancyra, a champion of Nicaea. There, too, he won the hearts of the people with his preaching. Cyril was banished a second time in 360, returning after the accession of Julian in 361, when all exiled bishops were recalled. Nothing is known of his third period of banishment, from 367 to 378, under the Arian Emperor Valens. In 381 Cyril went to Constantinople as one of 150 Church Fathers who took part in the Second Ecumenical Council. He died peacefully on March 18, 386, remembered by the Church as a great ascetic and uncompromising champion of the true Faith. St. Cyril's principle claim to fame, however, rests on his catechetical lectures. These form a systematic course of instruction which he developed as a priest assigned to prepare candidates for baptism. Essentially practical, highly biblical, direct and noble in tone, they reflect St. Cyril's sincere pastoral concern. Their primary purpose is not to discuss or examine, nor to defend, but to impart knowledge of the Faith. Very striking here is the thoroughness of this preparation and the seriousness with which entry into the Church was regarded. Even before being made catechumens, candidates were strictly examined as to their character, belief and sincerity of purpose. The probationary period varied, lasting about two years.

At the heart of these lectures is a perfectly balanced emphasis on God's transcendence and the ineffable wonder and dignity of the heavenly citizenship conferred through Baptism on the one hand, and man's essential responsibility for genuine repentance and good works on the other. St. Cyril skillfully prepares his listeners in his Introductory Lecture, by turns sobering and exalting, which emphasizes at the outset the need for a sustained purpose. Taken from this lecture, the following passages are characteristic of the Saint's teaching.

§ He lieth not who said, that to them that love God all things work together for good. God is lavish in beneficence, yet He waits for each man's genuine will: therefore the Apostle added and said, to them that are called according to a purpose (Rom. 8:28). The honesty of purpose makes thee called: for if thy body be here but not thy mind, it profiteth thee nothing..

§ Let none of you be found tempting His grace.

§ ...beware lest thou have the title of "faithful" but the will of the faithless. Thou hast entered into a contest, toil on through the race: another such opportunity thou canst not have.

§ Attend closely to the catechisings, and though we should prolong our discourse, let not thy mind be wearied out. For thou art receiving armor against the adverse power, armor against heresies... Thou hast many enemies; take to thee many darts, for thou hast many to hurl them at... And the armor is ready, and most ready the sword of the Spirit; but thou also must stretch forth thy right hand with good resolution, that thou mayest war the Lord's warfare.

§ Great is the Baptism that lies before you: a ransom to captives; a remission of offences; a death of sin; a new-birth of the soul; a garment of light; a holy indissoluble seal; a chariot to heaven; the delight of Paradise; a welcome into the kingdom; the gift of adoption! But there is a serpent by the wayside watching those who pass by: beware lest he bite thee with unbelief...

§ We for our part as men charge and teach you thus: but make not yet our building hay and stubble and chaff, lest we suffer loss, from our work being burnt up: but make ye our work gold and silver, and precious stones! For it lies in me to speak, but in thee to set thy mind upon it, and in God to make perfect.


The first two lectures stress the need for thorough repentance and hope in the remission of sins: "Cleanse thy vessel that thou mayest receive grace more abundantly ...thorny ground also, if cultivated well, is turned fruitful." In the third lecture, "On Baptism", St. Cyril impresses on his audience that "this is no light matter, no ordinary and indiscriminate union according to the flesh, but the All-searching Spirit's election according to faith...Each one of you is about to be presented to God before tens of thousands of the Angelic Hosts: the Holy Spirit is about to seal your souls: ye are to be enrolled in the army of the Great King. Therefore make you ready...that thou mayest become an heir of God, and joint-heir with Christ."

The next lecture provides "a short summary of necessary doctrines," carrying brief statements concerning the Oneness of God, Christ as the Only-begotten Son, His Birth of the Virgin, the Cross, His Burial, Resurrection and Ascension, the Judgment to Come, the Soul ("the noblest work of God"), the Body, Fasting, Baptism, the Scriptures. Following another general lecture, "On Faith," St. Cyril launches into a series of thirteen lectures explaining in greater detail the successive articles of the Jerusalem Creed, which the candidates were required to recite by memory at the time of their baptism.

A second series of five lectures was delivered on Bright Monday to the newly-baptized. Here the Saint initiates them, as it were, into the knowledge of those rites which they have experienced for themselves for the first time, having been strictly required as catechumens to leave the church after the reading of the Gospel and the exclamation, "Catechumens, depart!" The Saint explains to his "true-born" listeners the actual rites of baptism and chrismation, the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Faithful, with particular attention to the Lord's Prayer. His joy at thus welcoming the new Christians is unmistakable. These five lectures are particularly valuable to us today in documenting the liturgical practices of the early Church, providing stunning evidence of Orthodoxy's ancient liturgical roots. Indeed, it is thrilling to read a fourth-century text that so closely accords with our experience today.

The lectures give one to understand that the course was not limited to candidates for baptism. Those already baptized also came to be edified. Even today, these lectures should be required study for potential converts, while those of us who are already baptized would likewise do well to avail ourselves of these clear streams of living water, to strengthen our faith with knowledge and refresh our sense of awe at the great mystery of our salvation. We owe a great debt to St. Cyril who, through laboring on these lectures, found lasting favor with God and man.

Read the Catechetical Lectures of St. Cyril here.


Source

Glorify God, Don't Describe Him (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

By St. Cyril of Jerusalem

If any man should attempt to speak of God, let him first describe the bounds of the earth. You live on the earth, and you do not know the limit of this earth where you live.

How then will you be able to form a worthy thought of its Creator? You behold the stars, but you do not behold their Maker.

Count these which are visible, and then describe Him who is invisible, "Who tells the number of the stars, and calls them all by their names" (Ps. 147:4)....

The sun is a work of God, which, great though it be, is but a spot in comparison with the whole heaven; first gaze steadfastly upon the sun, and then curiously scan the Lord of the sun.

“Seek not the things that are too deep for you, neither search out the things that are above your strength; think upon what is commanded you” (Eccles. 3:21-22).

But some one will say: “If the divine substance is incomprehensible, why then do you discourse of these things?” So then, because I cannot drink up all the river, am I not even to take in moderation what is expedient for me?

Because with eyes so constituted as mine I cannot take in all the sun, am I not even to look upon him enough to satisfy my wants?

Or again, because I have entered into a great garden, and cannot eat all the supply of fruits, wouldst thou have me go away altogether hungry?

I praise and glorify Him that made us; for it is a divine command which says: “Let every breath praise the Lord” (Ps. 150:6).

I am attempting now to glorify the Lord, but not to describe Him, knowing nevertheless that I shall fall short of glorifying Him worthily, yet deeming it a work of piety even to attempt it at all.

For the Lord Jesus encourages my weakness, by saying, "No man hath seen God at any time" (John 1:18).

An Interpretation of the Lord's Prayer (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

By St. Cyril of Jerusalem

Then, after these things, we say that Prayer which the Saviour delivered to His own disciples, with a pure conscience entitling God our Father, and saying, Our Father, which art in heaven. O most surpassing loving-kindness of God! On them who revolted from Him and were in the very extreme of misery has He bestowed such a complete forgiveness of evil deeds, and so great participation of grace, as that they should even call Him Father. Our Father, which art in heaven; and they also are a heaven who bear the image of the heavenly (1 Cor. 15:49), in whom is God, dwelling and walking in them (2 Cor. 6:16).

Hallowed be Your Name. The Name of God is in its nature holy, whether we say so or not; but since it is sometimes profaned among sinners, according to the words, "Through you My Name is continually blasphemed among the Gentiles", we pray that in us God's Name may be hallowed; not that it comes to be holy from not being holy, but because it becomes holy in us, when we are made holy, and do things worthy of holiness.

Your kingdom come. A pure soul can say with boldness, Your kingdom come; for he who has heard Paul saying, "Let not therefore sin reign in your mortal body" (Rom. 6:12), and has cleansed himself in deed, and thought, and word, will say to God, Your kingdom come.

Your will be done as in heaven so on earth. God's divine and blessed Angels do the will of God, as David said in the Psalm, "Bless the Lord, all you Angels of His, mighty in strength, that do His pleasure". So then in effect you mean this by your prayer, as in the Angels Your will is done, so likewise be it done on earth in me, O Lord.

Give us this day our substantial bread. This common bread is not substantial bread, but this Holy Bread is substantial, that is, appointed for the substance of the soul. For this Bread goes not into the belly and is cast out into the draught (Matt. 15:17), but is distributed into your whole system for the benefit of body and soul. But by this day, he means, each day, as also Paul said, "While it is called today" (Heb. 3:15).

And forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors. For we have many sins. For we offend both in word and in thought, and very many things we do worthy of condemnation; and if we say that we have no sin, we lie, as John says. And we make a covenant with God, entreating Him to forgive us our sins, as we also forgive our neighbours their debts. Considering then what we receive and in return for what, let us not put off nor delay to forgive one another. The offenses committed against us are slight and trivial, and easily settled; but those which we have committed against God are great, and need such mercy as His only is. Take heed therefore, lest for the slight and trivial sins against you, you shut out for yourself forgiveness from God for your very grievous sins.

And lead us not into temptation, O Lord. Is this then what the Lord teaches us to pray, that we may not be tempted at all? How then is it said elsewhere, "a man untempted, is a man unproved"; and again, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations" (James 1:2)? But does perchance the entering into temptation mean the being overwhelmed by the temptation? For temptation is, as it were, like a winter torrent difficult to cross. Those therefore who are not overwhelmed in temptations, pass through, showing themselves excellent swimmers, and not being swept away by them at all; while those who are not such, enter into them and are overwhelmed. As for example, Judas having entered into the temptation of the love of money, swam not through it, but was overwhelmed and was strangled both in body and spirit. Peter entered into the temptation of the denial; but having entered, he was not overwhelmed by it, but manfully swam through it, and was delivered from the temptation. Listen again, in another place, to a company of unscathed saints, giving thanks for deliverance from temptation, You, O God hast proved us; You have tried us by fire like as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; You layed afflictions upon our loins. You have caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and water; and you brought us out into a place of rest. You see them speaking boldly in regard to their having passed through and not been pierced. But You brought us out into a place of rest; now their coming into a place of rest is their being delivered from temptation.

But deliver us from the evil one. If lead us not into temptation implied not being tempted at all, He would not have said, But deliver us from the evil one. Now the evil one is our adversary the devil, from whom we pray to be delivered.

Then after completing the prayer you say Amen; by this Amen, which means "So be it", you are setting your seal to the petitions of the divinely-taught prayer.

From his 23rd Catechetical Lecture

Sin Is a Fearful Evil, But Not Incurable

By St. Cyril of Jerusalem

A fearful thing is sin, and the sorest disease of the soul is transgression, secretly cutting its sinews, and becoming also the cause of eternal fire; an evil of a man's own choosing, an offspring of the will.

For that we sin of our own free will the Prophet says plainly in a certain place: "Yet I planted you a fruitful vine, wholly true: how are you turned to bitterness, (and become) the strange vine" (Jer. 2:21)? The planting was good, the fruit coming from the will is evil; and therefore the planter is blameless, but the vine shall be burnt with fire since it was planted for good, and bore fruit unto evil of its own will. For God, according to the Preacher, "made man upright, and they have themselves sought out many inventions" (Eccl. 7:29). "For we are His workmanship," says the Apostle, "created unto good works, which God beforehand prepared, that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10). So then the Creator, being good, created for good works; but the creature turned of its own free will to wickedness.

Sin then is, as we have said, a fearful evil, but not incurable; fearful for him who clings to it, but easy of cure for him who by repentance puts it from him. For suppose that a man is holding fire in his hand; as long as he holds fast the live coal he is sure to be burned, but should he put away the coal, he would have cast away the flame also with it. If however any one thinks that he is not being burned when sinning, to him the Scripture says, "Shall a man wrap up fire in his bosom, and not burn his clothes" (Prov. 6:27)? For sin burns the sinews of the soul, and breaks the spiritual bones of the mind, and darkens the light of the heart.

- Second Catechetical Lecture

The Cross That Appeared in the Sky Over Jerusalem in 351 A.D.

Commemoration of the Honorable Cross that Appeared in the Sky 
Over Jerusalem in 351 A.D. (Feast Day - May 7th)

Verses

The cross planted in the ground, sanctified the earth in days of old,
And now that it has appeared, it sanctifies also the heavens.
On the seventh the seal of the cross spread out in the heavens.

On this day in the year 351, not long after Saint Cyril of Jerusalem had succeeded Maximus as Archbishop of Jerusalem, during the reign of Constantius, the son of Saint Constantine the Great, on the day of Pentecost, the multi-attested sign of the Cross appeared over Jerusalem.

Saint Cyril, in his letter to the Emperor Constantius, describes the event he witnessed with his own eyes:

On the nones [or 7th] of May, about the third hour [or nine in the morning], a vast luminous body, in the form of a Cross, appeared in the heavens, just over the holy Golgotha, reaching as far as the holy Mount of Olives [that is, almost two English miles in length], seen not by one or two persons, but clearly and evidently by the whole city. This was not, as may be thought, a momentary transient phenomenon: for it continued several hours visible to our eyes, and brighter than the sun, the light of which would have eclipsed it, had not this been stronger. The whole city, struck with a reverential fear, tempered with joy, ran immediately to the church, young and old, Christians and heathens, citizens and strangers, all with one voice giving praise to our Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, the worker of miracles; finding by experience the truth of the Christian doctrine, to which the heavens bear witness. (PG 33:1 16q)

He concludes his letter with wishes that the emperor may always glorify the holy and consubstantial Trinity. Historians of the time, both Orthodox and non-Orthodox, including Sozomen, Theophanes, Eutychius, John of Nice, Glycas, and others quote Saint Cyril concerning this event. Others, such as Socrates, Philostorgius, and the anonymous Chronicle of Alexandria give their own account of this phenomenon. This miracle was regarded by the Christians as the final victory of Orthodoxy over Arianism. Philostorgius and the Chronicle of Alexandria affirm that this Cross of light was encircled with a "large rainbow".

Philostorgius writes:

It appeared at Jerusalem about the third hour of the day which is called the day of Pentecost. This sign, which was portrayed by no human hand, was seen to stretch from the Mount of Calvary even to the Mount of Olives, and was accompanied by a large iris, like a crown, which surrounded it on all sides. The iris, indeed, signified the mercy of Jesus Christ crucified and taken up into heaven, and the crown denoted the victory of the emperor. Moreover, that splendid and venerable sign did not escape the notice even of the soldiers. But though it was clearly seen by both armies, it frightened above all measure Magnentius and his partisans, who were addicted to superstitious practices ; while, on the other hand, it inspired Constantius and his army with invincible bravery. Magnentius, however, having suffered this defeat from Constantius, afterwards recovered his strength by degrees, and, engaging with him in a second battle, was entirely defeated, and fled away to Lyons with the loss of nearly all his army. (Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter XXVI)

Socrates writes:

At the time that Cyril administered the church of Jerusalem after Maximus, the sign of the Cross appeared in the heavens. It shone brilliantly, not with divergent rays like a comet, but with the concentration of a great deal of light, apparently dense and yet transparent. Its length was about fifteen stadia(1) from Calvary to the Mount of Olives, and its breadth was in proportion to its length. So extraordinary a phenomenon excited universal terror. Men, women, and children left their houses, the market-place, or their respective employments, and ran to the church, where they sang hymns to Christ together, and voluntarily confessed their belief in God. The intelligence disturbed in no little measure our entire dominions, and this happened rapidly; for, as the custom was, there were travelers from every part of the world, so to speak, who were dwelling at Jerusalem for prayer, or to visit its places of interest, these were spectators of the sign, and divulged the facts to their friends at home. The emperor was made acquainted with the occurrence, partly by numerous reports concerning it which were then current, and partly by a letter from Cyril the bishop. It was said that this prodigy was a fulfillment of an ancient prophecy contained in the Holy Scriptures [Mathew 24:30]. It was the means of the conversion of many pagans and Jews to Christianity. (Ecclesiastical History, Book IV, Chapter V)

Apolytikion in the First Tone
The image of Thy Cross at this time shone brighter than the sun, when Thou didst spread it out from the holy Mount of Olives to Calvary; and in making plain Thy might which is therein, O Savior, Thou didst also thereby strengthen the faithful. Keep us always in peace, by the intercessions of the Theotokos, O Christ our God, and save us.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
Making its rays to shine above in the heavens, the spotless Cross dawned on the earth, bright with splendour; for it had opened Heaven, which was shut of old. Granted the effulgence of its divine operation, we are surely guided to the unwaning resplendence. In battles we possess it as a true weapon of peace and a trophy invincible.

1. According to Herodotus, one stadia is equal to about 600 feet.