Editing Cyril of Alexandria

{{Short description|Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444}}
{{other people||Pope Cyril of Alexandria (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| honorific_prefix = [[Saint]]
| name = Cyril of Alexandria
| birth_date = {{circa|376}}
| birth_place = [[El-Mahalla El-Kubra|Didouseya]], [[Roman Egypt|Province of Egypt]], [[Byzantine Empire]]
| death_date = {{death year and age|444|376}}
| title = [[Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria|Patriarch of Alexandria]]
| death_place = [[Alexandria]], Province of Egypt, Byzantine Empire
| venerated = {{unbulleted list|[[Catholic Church]]|[[Eastern Orthodox Church]]|[[Oriental Orthodoxy]]|[[Anglicanism]]|[[Lutheranism]]
<!-- If you add particular churches in the Catholic Church, please put in Talk. Catholic Church contains these particular churches. If needed, change, “Catholic Church” to the respective eastern Churches and “Latin Church”. -->}}
| feast_day = {{unbulleted list|18 January and 9 June ([[Eastern Orthodox Church]])|27 June ([[Coptic Orthodox Church|Coptic Church]], [[Catholic Church]], [[Lutheranism]])| 9 February (formerly: Catholic Church, 1882–1969)|27 June (Church of England in Common Worship)}} 28 January (Western Rite Orthodoxy)
| image = Chora-Kirche 2013-03-21zh (cropped).jpg
| caption = Fresco in [[the Chora]], 14th century
| saint_title = The Pillar of Faith; Seal of all the Fathers; Bishop, Confessor, Bishop of Alexandria, Teacher of the Faith and also (in the Catholic Church) Doctor of the Church
| beatified_date = 
| beatified_place = 
| beatified_by = 
| canonized_date = 
| canonized_place = 
| canonized_by = 
| attributes = Vested as a [[bishop]] with [[phelonion]] and [[omophorion]], and usually with his head covered in the manner of Egyptian monastics (sometimes the head covering has a [[polystavrion]] pattern), he usually is depicted holding a [[Gospel Book]] or a [[scroll]], with his right hand raised in blessing.
| patronage = [[Alexandria]]
| prayer = 
| prayer_attrib = 
| archdiocese = [[Church of Alexandria|Alexandria]]
| see = [[Patriarch of Alexandria|Alexandria]]
| predecessor = [[Theophilus I of Alexandria|Theophilus of Alexandria]]
| successor = [[Pope Dioscorus I of Alexandria]]
}}
{{Catholic philosophy}}
{{Eastern Orthodox sidebar|expanded=figures}}
{{Oriental Orthodox sidebar}}
'''Cyril of Alexandria''' ({{langx|grc|Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας}}; {{langx|cop|Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ Ⲕⲩⲣⲓⲗⲗⲟⲩ ⲁ̅}} or ⲡⲓ̀ⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲕⲓⲣⲓⲗⲗⲟⲥ; {{circa}}&nbsp;376–444) was the [[Patriarch of Alexandria]] from 412 to 444.<ref name="Chapman" /><ref>Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "[[wikisource:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Cyril (bishop of Alexandria)|Cyril (bishop of Alexandria)]]". ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. '''7.''' (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 706.</ref> He was enthroned when the city was at the height of its influence and power within the [[Roman Empire]]. Cyril wrote extensively and was a major player in the [[Christological controversies]] of the late-4th and 5th centuries. He was a central figure in the [[Council of Ephesus]] in 431, which led to the deposition of [[Nestorius]] as [[Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople|Patriarch of Constantinople]].
Cyril is counted among the [[Church Fathers]] and also as a [[Doctor of the Church]], and his reputation within the [[Christian world]] has resulted in his titles ''Pillar of Faith'' and ''Seal of all the Fathers''. The [[Nestorianism|Nestorian]] bishops at their synod at the [[First Council of Ephesus|Council of Ephesus]] declared him a heretic, labelling him as a "monster, born and educated for the destruction of the church".<ref>Gibbon, E., Milman, H. Hart. (1871). [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000375718/Home The history of the decline and fall of the Roman empire]. A new ed., Phila.: J. B. Lippincott & co. Volume 4, p. 509.</ref>

Cyril is well known for his dispute with Nestorius and his supporter, Patriarch [[John I of Antioch|John of Antioch]], whom Cyril excluded from the [[Council of Ephesus]] for arriving late. He is also known for his expulsion of [[Novatianism|Novatians]] and Jews from Alexandria and for inflaming tensions that led to the murder of the [[hellenistic philosophy|Hellenistic philosopher]] [[Hypatia]] by a Christian mob. Historians disagree over the extent of his responsibility in this.

Cyril tried to oblige the pious Christian emperor [[Theodosius II]] (AD 408–450) to himself by dedicating his [[Date of Easter|Paschal table]] to him.{{sfnp|Mosshammer|2008|pp=193–194}} Cyril's Paschal table was provided with a [[Metonic cycle|Metonic]] basic structure in the form of a 19-year lunar cycle adopted by him around AD 425, which was very different from the first Metonic 19-year lunar cycle invented around AD 260 by [[Anatolius of Laodicea|Anatolius]], but exactly equal to the lunar cycle which had been introduced around AD 412 by [[Annianus of Alexandria|Annianus]]; the [[Julian calendar|Julian]] equivalent of this [[Coptic calendar|Alexandrian]] cycle adopted by Cyril and nowadays referred to as the "classical (Alexandrian) 19-year lunar cycle" would emerge a century later in Rome as the basic structure of [[Dionysius Exiguus]]’ Paschal table (AD 525).{{sfnp|Zuidhoek|2019|pp=67–74}}

The [[Catholic Church]] did not commemorate Saint Cyril in the [[Tridentine calendar]]: it added his feast only in 1882, assigning to it the date of 9 February. Yet the 1969 Catholic Calendar revision moved it to 27 June, considered to be the day of the saint's death, as celebrated by the [[Coptic Orthodox Church]].<ref>''Calendarium Romanum'' (Libreria Editrice, 1969), pp. 95 and 116.</ref> The same date has been chosen for the Lutheran calendar. The [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] and [[Byzantine Rite|Byzantine]] [[Eastern Catholic|Catholic]] Churches celebrate his feast day on 9 June and also, together with [[Pope Athanasius I of Alexandria]], on 18 January. Cyril is [[Calendar of saints (Church of England)|remembered]] in the [[Church of England]] with a commemoration on 27 June.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Calendar|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/calendar|access-date=2021-03-27|website=The Church of England}}</ref>

Western Rite Orthodox Christians within the Antiochian Western Rite Vicariate, which is under the auspices of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, celebrate the Feast of Saint Cyril of Alexandria on 28 January, which is when his Feast Day occurs in the Roman Martyrology.

==Early life==
Little is known for certain of Cyril's early life. He was born circa 376, in the town of Didouseya, Egypt, modern-day [[El-Mahalla El-Kubra]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Norman Russell|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EmeFAgAAQBAJ&q=didouseya&pg=PA204|title=Cyril of Alexandria: The Early Church Fathers|publisher=Routledge|year=2002|page=204|isbn=9781134673377}}</ref> A few years after his birth, his maternal uncle [[Theophilus I of Alexandria|Theophilus]] rose to the powerful position of [[Patriarch of Alexandria]].<ref name=dictionary>{{cite book|last=Farmer|first=David Hugh|title=The Oxford dictionary of saints|year=1997|publisher=Oxford Univ. Press|location=Oxford [u.a.]|isbn=978-0-19-280058-9|pages=125|edition=4.}}</ref> His mother remained close to her brother and under his guidance, Cyril was well educated. His writings show his knowledge of Christian writers of his day, including [[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]], [[Origen]], [[Didymus the Blind]], and writers of the [[Church of Alexandria]]. He received the formal Christian education standard for his day: he studied grammar from age twelve to fourteen (390–392),<ref name="st-takla.org">{{cite web| url = https://st-takla.org/Saints/Coptic-Orthodox-Saints-Biography/Coptic-Saints-Story_1492.html| title ={{!}} {{!}} St-Takla.org}}</ref> rhetoric and humanities from fifteen to twenty (393–397) and finally theology and biblical studies (398–402).<ref name="st-takla.org"/>

In 403, he accompanied his uncle to attend the "[[Synod of the Oak]]" in Constantinople,<ref>[http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/encyc/encyc03/htm/ii.11.xvii.htm Schaff, Philip. "Cyril of Alexandria"], ''The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge'', Vol. III.</ref> which deposed [[John Chrysostom]] as Archbishop of Constantinople.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-cyril-of-alexandria/| title = "Saint Cyril of Alexandria", Franciscan Media| access-date = 1 August 2018| archive-date = 29 September 2020| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200929071959/https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-cyril-of-alexandria/| url-status = dead}}</ref> The prior year, Theophilus had been summoned by the emperor to [[Constantinople]] to apologize before a [[synod]], over which Chrysostom would preside, on account of several charges which were brought against him by certain Egyptian monks. Theophilus had them persecuted as [[Origen of Alexandria|Origenists]].<ref>[[Palladius of Galatia|Palladius]], ''Dialogus'', xvi; [[Socrates of Constantinople|Socrates Scholasticus]], ''Ecclesiastical History'', VI, 7; [[Sozomen]], ''Ecclesiastical History'', VIII, 12.</ref> Placing himself at the head of soldiers and armed servants, Theophilus had marched against the monks, burned their dwellings, and ill-treated those whom he captured.<ref>Chrysostom Baur (1912), [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14625b.htm "Theophilus], ''[[The Catholic Encyclopedia]]'', Vol. XIV (New York: Robert Appleton Company)</ref> Theophilus arrived at Constantinople with twenty-nine of his suffragan bishops, and conferring with those opposed to the Archbishop, drafted a long list of largely unfounded accusations against Chrysostom,<ref>[[Photios I of Constantinople|Photius]], ''Bibliotheca'', 59, in [[Migne]], ''[[Patrologia Graecae]]'', CIII, 105-113</ref> who refused to recognize the legality of a synod in which his open enemies were judges. Chrysostom was subsequently deposed.

===Patriarch of Alexandria===
Theophilus died on 15 October 412, and Cyril was made [[Pope (word)|Pope]] or [[Patriarch of Alexandria]] on 18 October 412, but only after a riot between his supporters and those of his rival Archdeacon Timotheus. According to [[Socrates of Constantinople|Socrates Scholasticus]], the Alexandrians were always rioting.<ref name="Chapman">Henry Palmer Chapman (1908). "[[wikisource:Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/St. Cyril of Alexandria|St. Cyril of Alexandria]]". In ''Catholic Encyclopedia''. '''4.''' New York: Robert Appleton Company.</ref>

Thus, Cyril followed his uncle in a position that had become powerful and influential, rivalling that of the prefect in a time of turmoil and frequently violent conflict between the cosmopolitan city's [[Paganism|pagan]], [[Jews|Jewish]], and Christian inhabitants.<ref name="library">Preston Chesser, {{cite web | title=The Burning of the Library of Alexandria | url=http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/archive/articleview.cfm?aid=9 | access-date=23 August 2007 | archive-date=28 March 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328074825/http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/archive/articleview.cfm?aid=9 | url-status=dead }}, eHistory.com</ref> He began to exert his authority by causing the churches of the [[Novatianism|Novatianists]] to be closed and their sacred vessels to be seized.

==Controversies==
=== Dispute with the Prefect ===
[[Orestes (prefect)|Orestes]], ''[[Praefectus augustalis]]'' of the [[Byzantine Diocese of Egypt|Diocese of Egypt]], steadfastly resisted Cyril's ecclesiastical encroachment upon secular prerogatives.{{sfnp|Wessel|2004|p=34}}

Tension between the parties increased when in 415, Orestes published an edict that outlined new regulations regarding mime shows and dancing exhibitions in the city, which attracted large crowds and were commonly prone to civil disorder of varying degrees. Crowds gathered to read the edict shortly after it was posted in the city's theater. Cyril sent the ''grammaticus'' Hierax to discover the content of the edict. The edict angered Christians as well as Jews. At one such gathering, Hierax read the edict and applauded the new regulations, prompting a disturbance. Many people felt that Hierax was attempting to incite the crowd—particularly the Jews—into sedition.<ref>John of Nikiu, 84.92.</ref> Orestes had Hierax tortured in public in a theatre. This order had two aims: one to quell the riot, the other to mark Orestes' authority over Cyril.<ref>Socrates Scholasticus, vii.13.6-9</ref>{{sfnp|Wessel|2004|p=34}}

[[Socrates of Constantinople|Socrates Scholasticus]] recounts that upon hearing of Hierax's severe and public punishment, Cyril threatened to retaliate against the Jews of Alexandria with "the utmost severities" if the harassment of Christians did not cease immediately. In response to Cyril's threat, the Jews of Alexandria grew even more furious, eventually resorting to violence against the Christians. They plotted to flush the Christians out at night by running through the streets claiming that the Church of Alexander was on fire. When Christians responded to what they were led to believe was the burning down of their church, "the Jews immediately fell upon and slew them" by using rings to recognize one another in the dark and killing everyone else in sight. When the morning came, Cyril, along with many of his followers, took to the city's synagogues in search of the perpetrators of the massacre.<ref name=Scholasticus>Socrates Scholasticus, ''Ecclesiastical History'', born after 380 AD, died after 439 AD.</ref>

According to Socrates, after Cyril rounded up all the Jews in Alexandria he ordered them to be stripped of all possessions, banished them from Alexandria, and allowed their goods to be pillaged by the remaining citizens of Alexandria. Scholasticus alleges that all the Jews of Alexandria were banished, while [[John of Nikiû]] says it was only those involved in the ambush and massacre. Susan Wessel says that, while it is not clear whether Scholasticus was a Novationist (whose churches Cyril had closed), he was apparently sympathetic towards them, and repeatedly accuses Cyril of abusing his episcopal power by infringing on the rights and duties of the secular authorities. Wessel says, however, "...Socrates probably does not provide accurate and unambiguous information about Cyril's relationship to imperial authority".{{sfnp|Wessel|2004|p=22}}

Nonetheless, with Cyril's banishment of the Jews, however many, "Orestes [...] was filled with great indignation at these transactions, and was excessively grieved that a city of such magnitude should have been suddenly bereft of so large a portion of its population."<ref name=Scholasticus /> Because of this, the feud between Cyril and Orestes intensified, and both men wrote to the emperor regarding the situation. Eventually, Cyril attempted to reach out to Orestes through several peace overtures, including attempted mediation and, when that failed, showed him the Gospels, which he interpreted to indicate that the religious authority of Cyril would require Orestes' acquiescence in the bishop's policy.{{sfnp|Wessel|2004|p=35}} Nevertheless, Orestes remained unmoved by such gestures.

This refusal almost cost Orestes his life. [[Wadi El Natrun|Nitrian monks]] came from the desert and instigated a riot against Orestes among the population of Alexandria. These monks had resorted to violence 15 years before, during a controversy between Theophilus (Cyril's uncle) and the "[[Tall Brothers]]"; the monks assaulted Orestes and accused him of being a pagan. Orestes rejected the accusations, showing that he had been baptised by the Archbishop of Constantinople. A monk named [[Ammonius (Alexandrian monk)|Ammonius]] threw a stone hitting Orestes in the head. The prefect had Ammonius tortured to death, whereupon the Patriarch allegedly honored him as a martyr. However, at least according to Scholasticus, the Christian community displayed a general lack of enthusiasm for Ammonius's case for martyrdom. The prefect then wrote to the emperor [[Theodosius II]], as did Cyril.<ref name="ss7_14">Socrates Scholasticus, vii.14.</ref>{{sfnp|Wessel|2004|pp=35—36}}

=== Murder of Hypatia ===
{{Main|Hypatia}}
The Prefect [[Orestes (prefect)|Orestes]] enjoyed the political backing of [[Hypatia]], an astronomer, philosopher and mathematician who had considerable [[moral authority]] in the city of Alexandria, and who had extensive influence. Indeed, many students from wealthy and influential families came to Alexandria purposely to study privately with [[Hypatia]], and many of these later attained high posts in government and the Church. Several Christians thought that Hypatia's influence had caused Orestes to reject all conciliatory offerings by Cyril. Modern historians think that Orestes had cultivated his relationship with Hypatia to strengthen a bond with the pagan community of Alexandria, as he had done with the Jewish one, in order to better manage the tumultuous political life of the Egyptian capital.<ref>Christopher Haas, ''Alexandria in Late Antiquity: Topography and Social Conflict'', JHU Press, 2006, {{ISBN|0-8018-8541-8}}, p. 312.</ref>

According to [[Socrates Scholasticus]] during the Christian season of [[Lent]] in March 415, a mob of Christians under the leadership of a [[Reader (liturgy)|lector]] named Peter, raided Hypatia's carriage as she was travelling home.{{sfn|Novak|2010|page=240}}{{sfn|Watts|2017|pages=114–115}}{{sfn|Haas|1997|page=313}} They dragged her into a building known as the ''[[Caesareum of Alexandria|Kaisarion]]'', a former pagan temple and center of the [[Imperial cult of ancient Rome|Roman imperial cult]] in Alexandria that had been converted into a Christian church.{{sfn|Watts|2008|page=198}}{{sfn|Novak|2010|page=240}}{{sfn|Haas|1997|page=313}} There, the mob stripped Hypatia naked and murdered her using ''[[Ostracon|ostraka]]'',{{sfn|Novak|2010|page=240}}{{sfn|Dzielska|1995|page=93}}{{sfn|Watts|2017|pages=115–116}}{{sfn|Watts|2008|pages=198–199}} which can either be translated as "[[roof tiles]]" or "[[Oyster|oyster shells]]".{{sfn|Novak|2010|page=240}}<ref name="ss7_15">Socrate Scolastico, vii.15.</ref> Later historian [[John of Nikiû]] also tells a similar story.<ref>Giovanni di Nikiu, 84.88-100.</ref> Even later historian [[Byzantinist]] Fr. [[Adrian Fortescue]], says that the mob of Christian [[Parabalani]]es and Peter, cruelly tore her to pieces on the ''steps'' of a church. Damascius adds that they also cut out her eyeballs.{{sfn|Watts|2017|page=116}} They tore her body into pieces and dragged her limbs through the town to a place called Cinarion, where they set them on fire.{{sfn|Novak|2010|page=240}}{{sfn|Watts|2017|page=116}}{{sfn|Watts|2008|pages=198–199}} According to Watts, this was in line with the traditional manner in which Alexandrians carried the bodies of the "vilest criminals" outside the city limits to cremate them as a way of symbolically purifying the city.{{sfn|Watts|2017|page=116}}{{sfn|Watts|2008|page=199}}

=== Cyril's involvement===
Although Socrates Scholasticus never explicitly identifies Hypatia's murderers, they are commonly assumed to have been members of the ''[[parabalani]]''.{{sfn|Haas|1997|pages=235–236, 314}} Christopher Haas disputes this identification, arguing that the murderers were more likely "a crowd of Alexandrian laymen".{{sfn|Haas|1997|page=314}} Socrates Scholasticus unequivocally condemns the actions of the mob, declaring, "Surely nothing can be farther from the spirit of Christianity than the allowance of massacres, fights, and transactions of that sort."{{sfn|Novak|2010|page=240}}{{sfn|Watts|2008|page=199}}{{sfn|Watts|2017|page=117}}

Neoplatonist historian [[Damascius]] ({{circa}}&nbsp;458 – {{circa}}&nbsp;538) was "anxious to exploit the scandal of Hypatia's death", and attributed responsibility for her murder to Bishop Cyril and his Christian followers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://math.coe.uga.edu/tme/issues/v06n1/4whitfield.pdf |title=Whitfield, Bryan J., "The Beauty of Reasoning: A Reexamination of Hypatia and Alexandria", ''The Mathematics Educator'', vol. 6, issue 1, p. 14, University of Georgia, Summer 1995 |access-date=14 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902110939/http://math.coe.uga.edu/tme/Issues/v06n1/4whitfield.pdf |archive-date=2 September 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Damascius's account of the Christian murder of Hypatia is the sole historical source naming Bishop Cyril.{{sfnp|Dzielska|1995|p=18}} Some modern studies, as well as the 2009 [[Hypatia]] [[biopic]] ''[[Agora (film)|Agora]]'' represent Hypatia as falling casualty to a conflict between two Christian factions, one peaceful and moderate and led by Orestes, with the support of Hypatia, and [[fundamentalist]] faction enforced by [[Parabalani]] and led by Patriarch Cyril.{{sfnp|Dzielska|1995|pp=xi, 157 }} According to lexicographer [[William Smith (lexicographer)|William Smith]], "She was accused of too much familiarity with Orestes, prefect of Alexandria, and the charge spread among the clergy, who took up the notion that she interrupted the friendship of Orestes with their archbishop, Cyril."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/1645.html |title=Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, page 537 (V. 2) |access-date=8 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911232203/http://ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/1645.html |archive-date=11 September 2011 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> Scholasticus, alleges that Hypatia fell "victim to the political jealousy which at the time prevailed" and that news of Hypatia's murder, "brought no small disgrace", not only to Patriarch Cyril but to the whole Christian Church in Alexandria, "for murder and slaughter and all such things are altogether opposed to the Christian religion."{{sfnp|Fortescue|2007|p=165}}

After the murder, a deputation of citizens went to Constantinople to petition the Emperor for an investigation so as to prevent such horrors in the future and to put down the disorderly Parabalani, however they urged for the Patriarch to be allowed to remain in the city (Orestes wanted him banished). One could deduce from this that there were some who didn't think Cyril responsible for this or that even his own followers thought he went too far. However, according to [[Damascius]], Cyril himself allegedly only managed to escape even more serious punishment by bribing one of Theodosius's officials.{{sfn|Watts|2017|page=117}} Indeed, the investigation resulted in the emperors [[Honorius (emperor)|Honorius]] and Theodosius II issuing an edict in autumn of 416, which attempted to remove the ''parabalani'' from Cyril's power and instead place them under the authority of Orestes.{{sfn|Watts|2008|page=200}}{{sfn|Watts|2017|page=117}}{{sfn|Dzielska|1995|pages=95–96}}{{sfn|Haas|1997|page=436}} The edict restricted the parabalani from attending "any public spectacle whatever" or entering "the meeting place of a municipal council or a courtroom."{{sfn|Haas|1997|pages=67, 436}} It also severely restricted their recruitment by limiting the total number of parabalani to no more than five hundred.{{sfn|Haas|1997|page=436}}

=== Conflict with Nestorius ===
Another major conflict was between the [[Alexandrian school|Alexandrian]] and [[Antiochian school|Antiochian]] schools of ecclesiastical reflection, piety, and discourse. This long running conflict widened with the [[First Council of Constantinople#Dispute concerning the third canon|third canon of the First Council of Constantinople]] which granted the see of Constantinople primacy over the older sees of Alexandria and Antioch. Thus, the struggle between the sees of Alexandria and Antioch now included Constantinople. The conflict came to a head in 428 after [[Nestorius]], who originated in Antioch, was made Archbishop of Constantinople.<ref>Leo Donald Davis, ''The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787): Their History and Theology'', Collegeville (Min.): The Liturgical Press, 1983, pp. 136–148. {{ISBN|0-8146-5616-1}}</ref>

Cyril gained an opportunity to restore Alexandria's pre-eminence over both Antioch and Constantinople when an Antiochine priest who was in Constantinople at Nestorius' behest began to preach against calling [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Mary]] the "Mother of God" (''[[Theotokos]]''). As the term "Mother of God" had long been attached to Mary, the laity in Constantinople complained against the priest. Rather than repudiating the priest, Nestorius intervened on his behalf. Nestorius argued that Mary was neither a "Mother of Man" nor "[[Theotokos|Mother of God]]" as these referred to [[Christology#Person of Christ|Christ's two natures]]; rather, Mary was the "Mother of Christ" (Greek: ''[[Christotokos]]''). Christ, according to Nestorius, was the conjunction of the Godhead with his "temple" (which Nestorius was fond of calling his human nature). The controversy seemed to be centered on the issue of the suffering of Christ. Cyril maintained that the Son of God or the divine Word, truly suffered "in the flesh."<ref>Thomas Gerard Weinandy, Daniel A. Keating, ''The theology of St. Cyril of Alexandria: a critical appreciation''; New York: T&T Clark Ltd, 2003, p. 49.</ref> However, Nestorius claimed that the Son of God was altogether incapable of suffering, even within his union with the flesh.<ref>Nestorius, Second Epistle to Cyril {{cite web|url=http://www.monachos.net/content/patristics/patristictexts/34-patrtexts/189-nestorius-to-cyril2 |title=Monachos.net – Nestorius of Constantinople, Second epistle to Cyril of Alexandria |access-date=2010-06-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607065600/https://www.monachos.net/content/patristics/patristictexts/34-patrtexts/189-nestorius-to-cyril2 |archive-date=7 June 2011}}</ref> Eusebius of Dorylaeum went so far as to accuse Nestorius of [[adoptionism]]. By this time, news of the controversy in the capital had reached Alexandria. At Easter 429 A.D., Cyril wrote a letter to the Egyptian monks warning them of Nestorius's views. A copy of this letter reached Constantinople where Nestorius preached a sermon against it. This began a series of letters between Cyril and Nestorius which gradually became more strident in tone. Finally, Emperor [[Theodosius II]] convoked the [[First Council of Ephesus|Council of Ephesus]] (in 431) to solve the dispute. Cyril selected Ephesus<ref name="st-takla.org"/> as the venue since it supported the veneration of Mary. The council was convoked before Nestorius's supporters from Antioch and Syria had arrived and thus Nestorius refused to attend when summoned. Predictably, the Council ordered the deposition and exile of Nestorius for heresy.

However, when [[John I of Antioch|John of Antioch]] and the other pro-Nestorius bishops finally reached Ephesus, they assembled their own Council, condemned Cyril for heresy, deposed him from his see, and labelled him as a "monster, born and educated for the destruction of the church".<ref name="ReferenceA">Edward Gibbon, ''Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', 47.</ref> Theodosius, by now old enough to hold power by himself, annulled the verdict of the Council and arrested Cyril, but Cyril eventually escaped. Having fled to Egypt, Cyril bribed Theodosius's courtiers, and sent a mob led by [[Dalmatius of Constantinople|Dalmatius]], a [[hermit]], to besiege Theodosius's palace, and shout abuse; the emperor eventually gave in, sending Nestorius into minor exile (Upper Egypt).<ref name="ReferenceA" />
Cyril died about 444, but the controversies were to continue for decades, from the [[Second Council of Ephesus|"Robber Synod" of Ephesus]] (449) to the [[Fourth Ecumenical Council|Council of Chalcedon]] (451) and beyond.

==Theology==
[[File:Icon St. Cyril of Alexandria.jpg|thumb|Icon of St. Cyril of Alexandria]]
Cyril regarded the embodiment of [[God]] in the person of [[Jesus Christ]] to be so mystically powerful that it spread out from the body of the [[God-man (Christianity)|God-man]] into the rest of the race, to reconstitute human nature into a graced and deified condition of the saints, one that promised immortality and [[Transfiguration of Jesus|transfiguration]] to believers. [[Nestorius]], on the other hand, saw the incarnation as primarily a moral and ethical example to the faithful, to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Cyril's constant stress was on the simple idea that it was God who walked the streets of Nazareth (hence Mary was ''[[Theotokos]]'', meaning "God bearer", which became in Latin "Mater Dei" or "Dei Genitrix", or Mother of God), and God who had appeared in a transfigured humanity. Nestorius spoke of the distinct "Jesus the man" and "the divine [[Logos]]" in ways that Cyril thought were too [[dichotomy|dichotomous]], widening the ontological gap between man and God in a way that some of his contemporaries believed would annihilate the person of Christ.

The main issue that prompted this dispute between Cyril and Nestorius was the question which arose at the Council of Constantinople: What exactly was the being to which Mary gave birth? Cyril affirmed that the Holy Trinity consists of a singular divine nature, essence, and being (''ousia'') in three distinct aspects, instantiations, or subsistencies of being (''hypostases''). These distinct hypostases are the Father, the Son or Word (''Logos''), and the Holy Spirit. His christology is a topic of debate. He taught of "μία φύσις τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου σεσαρκωμένη", meaning "one physis of the Word of God made flesh". This resulted in the [[miaphysitism|miaphysite]] slogan "One Nature united out of two" being used to encapsulate the theological position of this Alexandrian bishop.

According to Cyril's theology, there were two states for the Son of God: the state that existed ''prior'' to the Son (or Word/Logos) becoming enfleshed in the person of Jesus and the state that actually became enfleshed. The Logos Incarnate suffered and died on the Cross, and therefore the Son was able to suffer without suffering. Cyril passionately argued for the continuity of a single subject, God the Word, from the pre-Incarnate state to the Incarnate state. The divine Logos was really present in the flesh and in the world—not merely bestowed upon, semantically affixed to, or morally associated with the man Jesus, as the [[adoptionism|adoptionists]] and, he believed, Nestorius had taught.

===Mariology===
Cyril of Alexandria became noted in [[Church history]] because of his spirited fight for the title "[[Theotokos]]<ref>{{cite journal| url = https://independent.academia.edu/EIRINIARTEMINationalandCapodistrianUniversityofAthens/Papers/1721697/The_rejection_of_the_term_Theotokos_by_Nestorius_Constantinople| title = The rejection of the term Theotokos by Nestorius Constantinople| journal = Γρηγόριος Παλαμάς 845 (2012) 153-177| date = January 2012| last1 = Artemi| first1 = Eirini}}</ref>" during the [[First Council of Ephesus]] (431), establishing the ecclesiastically settled basis for all subsequent [[mariology|mariological]] developments.<ref name="HarperOne">{{cite book |last1=Gonzalez |first1=Justo L. |url=https://archive.org/details/storyofchristian01gonz |title=The Story of Christianity, Volume 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation |date=1984 |publisher=HarperOne |isbn=9780060633158 |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/storyofchristian01gonz/page/254 254] |url-access=registration}}</ref> Prior to the controversy over the theology of [[Nestorius]], Cyril rarely if ever used the Mariological title, but theo-political circumstances compelled him as Archbishop of one of the Empire's chief sees, to become involved and develop his theology."{{sfnp|O'Carroll|2000|pp=111–114}}

Beginning in 429 Cyril wrote a series of letters to various ecclesiastical authorities in which he espoused the orthodoxy of "Theotokos". The propriety of the term was justified through appeals to earlier theologians who had used it, like [[Athanasius of Alexandria|Athanasius]], [[Cappadocian Fathers|the Cappadocians]], and [[Atticus of Constantinople|Atticus]].{{sfnp|Constas|2003|p=35}} Following an epistolary exchange with the increasingly unpopular archbishop of Constantinople, in 430 Cyril wrote his famous [[12 Anathemas of Saint Cyril|12 Anathemas]] in which anyone who refused to call Mary Theotokos was condemned. The following year over 100 bishops met in council at Ephesus to rule on the disputes. In between sessions at the Council Cyril delivered a number of sermons; some of those attributed to his hand are of disputed authorship, but 6 are recognised as genuine. Homily IV delivered upon the late arrival of western delegates is a particularly striking example of Cyril's developed Mariology.{{sfnp|Wessel|2004|p=191}} It is the foremost expression of Cyril's devotion to Mary, and is one of the first historical attestations of the salutation Χαῖρε ("Hail") being used to invoke the Virgin, a practice later standardised in Byzantine homiletics and hymnography such as the sermons of [[Chrysippus of Jerusalem|Chrysippus]] and [[Basil of Seleucia|Basil of Selecucia]], and the [[Akathist|Akathist hymn]]. Mary, who is credited with calling the council fathers together, embodies for Cyril the paradoxes of orthodox Christology, "container of the uncontained" and "the place for the infinite", among other lauded descriptions.{{sfnp|Wessel|2004|pp=224–225}} Cyril's notions of the identity of Christ, therefore, have direct bearing on the identity of Mary. Wessell explains how "Cyril's spatial metaphors construed Mary as a sacred place" and how he "applied metaphors depicting royalty and exaltation to Mary: she was the treasure of the world, the crown of virginity, and the sceptre of orthodoxy."{{sfnp|Wessel|2004|p=230}} Subsequently, such praise would become normative in Marian theology.

In several of his works, Cyril focuses on the love of Jesus for his mother. On the [[Cross]], he overcomes his pain and thinks of his mother. At the wedding in [[Cana]], he bows to her wishes. The conflict with Nestorius was mainly over this issue, and some have argued that it has often been misunderstood. "[T]he debate was not so much about Mary as about Jesus. The question was not what honors were due to Mary, but how one was to speak of the birth of Jesus."<ref name="HarperOne" /> Wessell notes that in Homily V delivered at the council, Cyril argued that Nestorius' refusal to acknowledge God's incarnate birth from Mary was a blasphemy against Christ.{{sfnp|Wessel|2004|pp=217–218}} At the same time, the close relationship between Christological and Mariological formulations going back to the [[Cappadocian Fathers]] created a climate wherein intellectual argumentation over disputed theology overlapped with blossoming lay piety. When the Council of Ephesus convened under Cyril's presidency it did so in the newly constructed [[Church of Mary]],{{sfnp|O'Carroll|2000|p=111}} a venue that contributed to the devotional matrix of the debates. Whereas in the past scholars have often argued that Marian piety and theology only developed in the wake of the conciliar decrees, Shoemaker considers this to be refuted by the picture emerging from liturgical and archaeological evidence.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shoemaker |first=Stephen J. |url=https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/F/bo46740709.html |title=The First Christian Hymnal: The Songs of the Ancient Jerusalem Church |publisher=Brigham Young University Press |year=2018 |isbn=9781944394684 |location=Provo, Utah |pages=xi, xxxix-xxx}}</ref> The substance of Cyril's arumentation was Christological in orientation. His mature Mariology was chiefly in service to this, and to the end of discrediting Nestorius.{{sfnp|Wessel|2004|p=224}} Yet Wessel, quoting Homily IV, notes that the enthusiastic praises go beyond the strictly Christological. "She was not only valuable as a vessel storing something sacred but was herself precious and venerated: ‘Is it even possible for people to speak of the celebrated Mary? The virginal womb; O thing of wonder! The marvel strikes me with awe!’" Such sentiments served to further distinguish what Cyril believed to be orthodox theology from that which Nestorius taught, characterising the latter as subversive to both church and empire. As "scepter of orthodoxy", Mary became the standard of Christological fidelity in Cyril's theology; Nestorius's denial of "Theotokos" became the identifiable sign of his impugning of the divinity of Jesus.{{sfnp|Wessel|2004|pp=230–232}}

St. Cyril received an important recognition of his preachings by the [[Second Council of Constantinople]] (553 d.C.) which declared;
:"St. Cyril who announced the right faith of Christians" (Anathematism XIV, Denzinger et Schoenmetzer 437).

==Works==
Cyril was a scholarly archbishop and a prolific writer. In the early years of his active life in the Church he wrote several exegetical documents. Among these were: ''Commentaries on the Old Testament'',<ref>Cyril of Alexandria, [http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/cyril_on_luke_00_intro.htm Commentary on Luke (1859)], Preface, pp.i-xx.</ref> ''Thesaurus'', ''Discourse Against Arians'', ''Commentary on St. John's Gospel'',<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/cyril_on_john_00_eintro.htm| title = Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on John, LFC 43, 48 (1874/1885). Preface to the online edition}}</ref> and ''Dialogues on the Trinity''. In 429 as the Christological controversies increased, the output of his writings was so extensive that his opponents could not match it. His writings and his theology have remained central to the tradition of the Fathers and to all Orthodox to this day.
* ''[http://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/fathers/cyril-temples.asp Becoming Temples of God]'' (Ναοὶ θεοῦ χρηματιοῦμεν) (in Greek original and English)
* ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20060912150448/http://www.monachos.net/patristics/christology/cyril_to_nestorius_2.shtml Second Epistle of Cyril to Nestorius]''
* ''[http://booksfromarmenia.com/item.php?item_id=1540&cur=USD# Commentary on the Letter to Hebrews]''
* ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20120112203517/https://www.monachos.net/content/patristics/patristictexts/135-cyril-of-alexandria-third-epistle-to-nestorius-including-the-twelve-anathemas Third Epistle of Cyril to Nestorius (containing the twelve anathemas)]''
* ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20060910222342/http://www.monachos.net/patristics/christology/cyril_john_union.shtml Formula of Reunion: In Brief (A summation of the reunion between Cyril and John of Antioch)]''
* ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20051222065429/http://monachos.net/patristics/christology/cyril_johnantioch.shtml The "Formula of Reunion", between Cyril and John of Antioch]''
* ''[http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/cyril_against_nestorius_00_intro.htm Five tomes against Nestorius (Adversus Nestorii blasphemias)]''
* ''[http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/cyril_christ_is_one_01_text.htm That Christ is One (Quod unus sit Christus)]''
* ''[http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/cyril_scholia_incarnation_01_text.htm Scholia on the incarnation of the Only-Begotten (Scholia de incarnatione Unigeniti)]''
* ''[http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/cyril_against_diodore_01_text.htm Against Diodore of Tarsus and Theodore of Mopsuestia (fragments)]''
* ''[http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/cyril_against_synousiasts_01_text.htm Against the synousiasts (fragments)]''
* ''[http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/cyril_on_luke_00_intro.htm Commentary on the Gospel of Luke]''
* ''[http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/cyril_on_john_00_eintro.htm Commentary on the Gospel of John]''
* ''[http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/index.htm#Cyril_Against_Julian Against Julian the Apostate]''
* [http://roderic.uv.es/uv_ms_0733 ''Cyrilli Alexandrini liber Thesaurus adversus hereticos a Georgio Trapesuntio traductus''] (in Latin and Greek)

===Translations===
* ''Cyril of Alexandria: Select Letters'', edited and translated by Lionel R. Wickham (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1983).
* ''Letters 1-50'', translated by John I. McEnerney (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1987).
* ''Letters 51-110'', translated by John I. McEnerney (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1987).
* ''St. Cyril of Alexandria: The Christological Controversy'', translated by John A. McGuckin (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1994).
* ''On the Unity of Christ'', translated by John A. McGuckin (New York: St Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1997). 
* ''Cyril of Alexandria'', by Norman Russell (London: Routledge, 2000) - contains translations of selections from the ''Commentary on Isaiah'', ''Commentary on John'', ''Against Nestorius'', ''An Explanation of the Twelve Chapters'', and ''Against Julian''.
* ''Against Those who are Unwilling to Confess that the Holy Virgin is Theotokos'', edited and translated by Protopresbyter George Dion. Dragas (New Hampshire: Orthodox Research Institute, 2004)
* ''Commentary on the Twelve Prophets: Volume 1'', translated by Robert C. Hill (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2007).
* ''Commentary on the Twelve Prophets: Volume 2'', translated by Robert C. Hill (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2008).
* ''Commentary on Isaiah'', translated by Robert C. Hill (Massachusetts: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2008).
* ''Festal Letters: 1-12'', edited with introduction and notes by John J. O'Keefe and translated by Philip R. Amidon, S.J. (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2009). 
* ''Commentary on the Twelve Prophets: Volume 3'', translated by Robert C. Hill (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2012).
* ''Festal Letters: 13-30'', edited with introduction and notes by John J. O'Keefe and translated by Philip R. Amidon, S.J. (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2013). 
* ''Commentary on John: Volume 1'', edited by Joel C. Elowsky and translated with introduction and notes by David R. Maxwell (Illinois: IVP Academic, 2013). 
* ''Three Christological Treatises'', translated by Daniel King (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2014).
* ''Commentary on John: Volume 2'', edited by Joel C. Elowsky and translated with introduction and notes by David R. Maxwell (Illinois: IVP Academic, 2015). 
* ''Glaphyra on the Pentateuch, Volume 1: Genesis'', translated by Nicholas P. Lunn with introduction by Gregory K. Hillis (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2018).
* ''Glaphyra on the Pentateuch, Volume 2: Exodus through Deuteronomy'', translated by Nicholas P. Lunn (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2019).
* ''Christological Dialogue on the Incarnation of the Only-Begotten'', edited by Ramez Mikhail, translated with introduction by Emmanuel Gergis, and foreword by Fr. Michel Najim (Burke, Virginia: Agora University Press, 2020). 
* ''Commentary on the Letter to the Hebrews'', translated by Khachik Grigoryan (Yerevan: Ankyunacar Publishing, 2021). 
* ''Commentaries on Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, and Hebrews'', edited by Joel C. Elowsky and translated with introduction and notes by David R. Maxwell (Illinois: IVP Academic, 2022). 

==See also==
* [[Coptic Orthodox Church]]
* [[Council of Ephesus]]
* [[Nestorius|Nestorius of Constantinople]]
* [[Dyophysitism]]
* [[Miaphysitism]]
* [[Monophysitism]]
* [[Portal:Catholic Church/Patron Archive/June 27|Saint Cyril of Alexandria, patron saint archive]]

==Citations==
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
{{Refbegin|2}}
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.patriarchateofalexandria.com/index.php?module=content&cid=001003&id=101&lang=en |title=Cyril I (412–444) |publisher=Official web site of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa |access-date=8 February 2011}}
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* {{Cite book |first=Nicholas |last=Constas |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/801325432 |title=Proclus of Constantinople and the cult of the Virgin in late antiquity : homilies 1-5, texts and translations |publisher=Brill |year=2003 |isbn=90-04-12612-0 |oclc=801325432}}
<!-- D -->
* {{cite book | last=Dzielska | first=Maria | title=Hypatia of Alexandria | publisher=Harvard University Press | publication-place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | date=1995 | isbn=0-674-43775-6 | oclc=31295206 |series=Revealing Antiquity, 8}}
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* {{cite book |last=Fortescue |first=Adrian |year=2007 |title=The Greek Fathers: Their Lives and Writings |publisher=[[Ignatius Press]]}}
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* {{citation |last=Haas |first=Christopher |date=1997 |title=Alexandria in Late Antiquity: Topography and Social Conflict |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cVHKPW5MRaQC |location=Baltimore, Mississippi and London |publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press |isbn=978-0-8018-5377-7}}
<!-- M -->
* {{cite book |last=Mosshammer |first=Alden A. |year=2008 |title=The Easter Computus and the Origins of the Christian Era |location=Oxford |isbn=9780199543120 |publisher=Oxford University Press}}
<!-- N -->
* {{citation |last=Novak |first=Ralph Martin Jr. |title=Christianity and the Roman Empire: Background Texts |date=2010 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |location=Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |isbn=978-1-56338-347-2 |pages=239–240 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LuhZyh1_j6oC&pg=PA240}}
<!-- O -->
* {{Cite book |last=O'Carroll |first=Michael |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/47771920 |title=Theotokos : a theological encyclopedia of the Blessed Virgin Mary |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |year=2000 |isbn=1-57910-454-1 |oclc=47771920}}
<!-- W -->
* {{citation |last=Watts |first=Edward J. |author-link=Edward J. Watts |date=2008 |orig-year=2006 |title=City and School in Late Antique Athens and Alexandria |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MKolDQAAQBAJ |location=Berkeley and Los Angeles |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0520258167}}
* {{citation |last=Watts |first=Edward J. |date=2017 |title=Hypatia: The Life and Legend of an Ancient Philosopher |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0KL_DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA119 |location=Oxford, England |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0190659141}}
* {{Cite book|last=Wessel|first=Susan|title=Cyril of Alexandria and the Nestorian Controversy: The Making of a Saint and of a Heretic|date=2004|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199268467|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YcgSDAAAQBAJ}}
<!-- Z -->
* {{cite book |last=Zuidhoek |first=Jan |year=2019 |title=Reconstructing Metonic 19-year Lunar Cycles (on the basis of NASA's Six Millennium Catalog of Phases of the Moon) |location=Zwolle |isbn=9789090324678 |publisher=none}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin|2}}
* Artemi, Eirini, « The mystery of the incarnation into dialogues "de incarnatione Unigenitii" and "Quod unus sit Christus" of St. Cyril of Alexandria », Ecclesiastic Faros of Alexandria, ΟΕ (2004), 145-277.
* Artemi, Eirini, [https://independent.academia.edu/EIRINIARTEMINationalandCapodistrianUniversityofAthens/Papers/1216348/Cyril_Orestes_and_Hypatia «St Cyril of Alexandria and his relations with the ruler Orestes and the philosopher Hypatia »], Ecclesiastic Faros of Alexandria, τ. ΟΗ (2007), 7-15.
* Artemi, Eirini, [https://independent.academia.edu/EIRINIARTEMINationalandCapodistrianUniversityofAthens/Papers/1189604/_ « The one entity of the Word Incarnate. α. Apollinarius' explanation, β. Cyril's explanation »], Ecclesiastic Faros of Alexandria, τ. ΟΔ (2003), 293–304.
* Artemi, Eirini, [https://independent.academia.edu/EIRINIARTEMINationalandCapodistrianUniversityofAthens/Papers/1189593/The_historical_inaccuracies_of_the_movie_AGORA_by_Alejandro_Amenabar The historical inaccurancies of the film Agora about the murder of Hypatia], Orthodox Press, τεύχ. 1819 (2010), 7.
* Artemi, Eirini, [https://independent.academia.edu/EIRINIARTEMINationalandCapodistrianUniversityofAthens/Papers/1189599/_ The use of the ancient Greek texts in Cyril's works, Poreia martyrias], 2010, 114-125.
* Artemi, Eirini, [https://independent.academia.edu/EIRINIARTEMINationalandCapodistrianUniversityofAthens/Papers/1721697/The_rejection_of_the_term_Theotokos_by_Nestorius_Constantinople The rejection of the term Theotokos by Nestorius Constantinople more and his refutation by Cyril of Alexandria]
* Artemi, Eirini, Свт. Кирилл Александрийский и его отношения с епархом Орестом и философом Ипатией by EIRINI ARTEMI (6 January 2014) Kindle Purchase. ''ASIN: B00ENJIJ20''
* {{Cite journal|last=Kalantzis|first=George|title=Is There Room for Two? Cyril's Single Subjectivity and the Prosopic Union|journal=St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly|year=2008|volume=52|number=1|pages=95–110|url=https://www.academia.edu/13113987}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Kalantzis|first=George|title=Single Subjectivity and the Prosopic Union in Cyril of Alexandria and Theodore of Mopsuestia|journal=Studia Patristica|year=2010|volume=47|pages=59–64|isbn=9789042923744|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q1ZDAQAAIAAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Loon|first=Hans van|year=2009|title=The Dyophysite Christology of Cyril of Alexandria|publisher=Basil BRILL|place=Leiden-Boston|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BVDsO6IbdOYC|isbn=978-9004173224}}
* {{Cite book|last=McGuckin|first=John A.|author-link=John Anthony McGuckin|title=St. Cyril of Alexandria: The Christological Controversy: Its History, Theology, and Texts|year=1994|location=Leiden|publisher=Brill|isbn=9789004312906|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q-p5DwAAQBAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Meyendorff|first=John|author-link=John Meyendorff|title=Imperial unity and Christian divisions: The Church 450-680 A.D.|year=1989|location=Crestwood, New York|publisher=St. Vladimir's Seminary Press|isbn=9780881410563|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6J_YAAAAMAAJ}}
* Konrad F. Zawadzki, Der Kommentar Cyrills von Alexandrien zum 1. Korintherbrief. Einleitung, kritischer Text, Übersetzung, Einzelanalyse, Traditio Exegetica Graeca 16, Leuven-Paris-Bristol, Connecticut, 2015
* Konrad F. Zawadzki, Syrische Fragmente des Kommentars Cyrills von Alexandrien zum 1. Korintherbrief, Zeitschrift für Antikes Christentum 21 (2017), 304-360
* Konrad F. Zawadzki, "Keiner soll die Lektüre der Schrift durcheinanderbringen!" Ein neues griechisches Fragment aus dem Johanneskommentar des Cyrill von Alexandrien, Biblica 99 (2018), 393–413
* Konrad F. Zawadzki, Der Kommentar Cyrills von Alexandrien zum 2. Korintherbrief. Einleitung, kritischer Text, Übersetzung, Einzelanalyse, Traditio Exegetica Graeca 18, Leuven-Paris-Bristol 2019
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{EB1911 poster|Cyril (bishop of Alexandria)|Cyril of Alexandria}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/index.htm Early Church Fathers] Includes text written by Cyril of Alexandria
* [http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/20_30_0370-0444-_Cirillus_Alexandrinus,_Sanctus.html Multilanguage Opera Omnia (Greek Edition by Migne Patrologia Graeca)]
* [http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=100220 St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria] Eastern Orthodox [[icon]] and [[synaxarion]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100524104154/http://earlyfathers.com/cyril-of-alexandria/ Early Church Fathers: Cyril of Alexandria]
* [https://www.academia.edu/11541648/THE_MONOPHYSISM_OF_St._CYRIL_OF_ALEXANDRIA/ The Monophysism of St Cyril of Alexandria] paper by Giovanni Costa on academia.edu
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Cyril of Alexandria}}
* {{Librivox author |id=3254}}
* [https://www.janzuidhoek.net/Reconmeton.htm Five Metonic 19-year lunar cycles]
* [https://www.janzuidhoek.net/Recondiony.htm Dionysius Exiguus' Paschal table]

{{S-start}}
{{s-rel|grt}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Theophilus I of Alexandria|Theophilus]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Patriarch of Alexandria|Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria]]|years=412–444}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Pope Dioscorus I of Alexandria|Dioscorus I]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Patriarchs of Alexandria}}
{{Coptic saints}}
{{Catholic saints}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cyril Of Alexandria}}
[[Category:376 births]]
[[Category:444 deaths]]
[[Category:5th-century popes and patriarchs of Alexandria]]
[[Category:Ancient Christian anti-Judaism]]
[[Category:5th-century Christian saints]]
[[Category:5th-century Christian theologians]]
[[Category:Christologists]]
[[Category:Church Fathers]]
[[Category:Doctors of the Church]]
[[Category:Saints from Roman Egypt]]
[[Category:Opponents of Nestorianism]]
[[Category:Catholic Mariology]]
[[Category:People from El Mahalla El Kubra]]
[[Category:Hypatia]]
[[Category:5th-century Byzantine writers]]
[[Category:Anglican saints]]
[[Category:Participant in the Council of Ephesus]]