Cyril of Alexandria
Patriarch of Alexandria and Doctor of the Church
Cyril died on June 27, 444, according to the Schaff-Herzog encyclopedia.[1] Cyril held the position of Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 until 444, following his maternal uncle Theophilus in that role.[2][1]
Quick Facts
- Born
- c. 376
- Birthplace
- Didouseya, Province of Egypt, Byzantine Empire
- Died
- 444, 376
- Place of death
- Alexandria, Province of Egypt, Byzantine Empire
- Venerated
- Catholic Church
- Eastern Orthodox Church
- Oriental Orthodoxy
- Anglicanism
- Lutheranism
- Patronage
- Alexandria
- Predecessor
- Theophilus of Alexandria
- Successor
- Pope Dioscorus I of Alexandria
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
He was born circa 376 in Didouseya, Egypt, and his maternal uncle Theophilus became Patriarch of Alexandria.[3] Cyril began his authority by closing Novatianist churches and seizing their vessels.[4] Cyril's conflict with Nestorius centered on the title Theotokos for Mary.[5][6] Cyril died about 444, but the controversies continued for decades.[7]
Scholars have very limited certain knowledge about Cyril's early years.[3] In 403, Cyril traveled with his uncle Theophilus to Constantinople for the Synod of the Oak.[8][1] Theophilus passed away on 15 October 412; after a conflict between Cyril's backers and those of Archdeacon Timotheus, Cyril assumed the patriarchate on 18 October 412.[9] The prefect Orestes refused to accept Cyril's attempts to extend church authority into areas traditionally governed by secular officials.[10]
During March 415, a Christian mob killed the philosopher Hypatia.[11]
What the cited sources add
The Schaff-Herzog encyclopedia states that Cyril's administration shows Alexandrian bishops at the height of their power and influence.[1] Schaff notes that Cyril's literary activity was in the dogmatic and exegetical field.[1] As an apologist, Cyril became famous for his refutation of Emperor Julian's attack on Christianity in thirty books.[1] The Schaff-Herzog account says Cyril not unjustly bears the title "Seal of the Fathers" for fixing the true doctrine of the Trinity.[1]
The Catholic Encyclopedia entry on Theophilus describes him as extremely violent and unscrupulous in choosing his means.[12] According to that same source, Theophilus led soldiers against monks, set their homes on fire, and mistreated those he took prisoner.[12]
References
- Schaff, Philip. "Cyril of Alexandria", The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. III.. facts only, no text reused. ccel.org
- Wikipedia, "Cyril of Alexandria" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Henry Palmer Chapman (1908). "St. Cyril of Alexandria". In Catholic Encyclopedia. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company.; Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cyril (bishop of Alexandria)". Encyclopædia Britannica. 7. (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 706. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cyril of Alexandria" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Norman Russell, "Cyril of Alexandria: The Early Church Fathers", Routledge, 2002, p. 204; Farmer, "The Oxford dictionary of saints", Oxford Univ. Press, 1997, p. 125 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cyril of Alexandria" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Burning of the Library of Alexandria" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cyril of Alexandria" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Artemi, "The rejection of the term Theotokos by Nestorius Constantinople", Γρηγόριος Παλαμάς 845 (2012) 153-177, January 2012; Gonzalez, "The Story of Christianity, Volume 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation", HarperOne, 1984, p. 254; O'Carroll 2000, p. 111–114 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cyril of Alexandria" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Constas 2003, p. 35 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cyril of Alexandria" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Edward Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 47. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cyril of Alexandria" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Schaff, Philip. "Cyril of Alexandria", The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. III.; ""Saint Cyril of Alexandria", Franciscan Media" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cyril of Alexandria" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Henry Palmer Chapman (1908). "St. Cyril of Alexandria". In Catholic Encyclopedia. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cyril of Alexandria" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wessel 2004, p. 34 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cyril of Alexandria" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Novak 2010; Watts 2017; Haas 1997; Watts 2008; Novak 2010; Haas 1997; Novak 2010; Dzielska 1995; Watts 2017; Watts 2008; Novak 2010; Socrate Scolastico, vii.15.; Giovanni di Nikiu, 84.88-100. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Chrysostom Baur (1912), "Theophilus, The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. XIV (New York: Robert Appleton Company). facts only, no text reused. newadvent.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Cyril of Alexandria (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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