Though
Cyril’s birthplace is unknown, he was certainly brought up in
Jerusalem. His parents, very probably Christians, gave him an excellent
education.
St. Jerome relates that Cyril was ordained to the
priesthood by St. Maximus, the Bishop of Jerusalem, who thought so
highly of Cyril's teaching that he was charged with the important duty
of instructing the catechumens. Nineteen of these catechetical
discourses, delivered without a book, have come down to us. These are
invaluable as an exposition of the teaching and ritual of the Church in
the fourth century.
Upon the death of St. Maximus, Cyril was
elected to his episcopal see. Not long after his consecration as Bishop
of Jerusalem, however, misunderstandings arose between Cyril and Bishop
Acacius because of the latter’s leanings to Arianism – a heresy that
denied the divinity of Christ. He was summoned before a council convened
by Acacius but refused to appear. Accused of rebellion, and of
distributing Church goods to the poor – which he justifiably did – Cyril
entered a crucible of suffering through persecution.
His life as
bishop was plagued with charges by the Arians and consequent exiles by
Arian-supporting emperors. Sixteen of the thirty-five years of his
episcopate were spent in exile. With the accession of Emperor Theodosius
he was recalled and ruled undisturbed for the last eight years of his
life.
Cyril participated in the great Council of Constantinople,
when the Nicene Creed was promulgated in its amended form. He is thought
to have died in 386 around the age of seventy. He was declared a Doctor
of the Church in 1882.
Thursday, March 18, 2021
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment