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Cyril was born at or near the city of Jerusalem and was well-read in both the writings of the early Christian theologians and the Greek philosophers. Cyril is best known for his Catechetical Lectures, a series of talks that helped new believers understand the basics of Christianity. Cyril explained important topics like the Creed, the sacraments, and what it means to live as a Christian.
In 313 CE, Emperor Constantine and his co-emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan, which decriminalized Christianity and granted religious freedom to all citizens, including Christian, but the Church continued to suffer. Politics entered the Church, emperors inserted themselves into doctrine, and theological and territorial divisions became fierce. The theological divisions in the fourth century centered on Jesus’ nature. Arius, a priest from Alexandria in North Africa, believed that the Father created the Son, making the Son subordinate to the Father and neither co-eternal nor co-equal with the Father. These teachings came to be known as the Arian Heresy.
Others believed that the Son was begotten of the Father, meaning He existed from all eternity with the Father and was of the same divine nature. Thistheological battle was initially addressed in the year 325 at the Council of Nicaea. This ecumenical council was the first of many efforts to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all Christendom. Its main accomplishments were settlement of the Christological issue of the divine nature of God the Son and his relationship to God the Father, the construction of the first part of the Nicene Creed, mandating uniform observance of the date of Easter, and promulgation of early canon law.
The dispute was not settled until 381 by the Council of Constantinople. The First Council of Constantinople, convened in 381 by Emperor Theodosius I, was the second ecumenical council of the Christian church, aiming to solidify the Nicene Creed and address theological disputes, particularly regarding the Holy Spirit
It was in this fifty-six-year period of Church history and controversy that today’s saint was born, lived, and fought for the true faith.
Cyril was born in or near the city of Jerusalem around 315. He was well-educated in the Scriptures and philosophy prior to his ordination as a deacon and then to the priesthood at age twenty-eight. His superior, Bishop Maximus, assigned Cyril the responsibility of assisting him as a preacher and catechist. Cyril preached every Sunday and catechized those preparing for the Sacraments of Initiation. A surviving set of twenty-four of his catechetical instructions are remarkable for their content and clarity. The first eighteen lessons explained what catechumens needed to know about baptism, how to change from pagan morals, the meaning of the Creed, and the errors of Arianism. Cyril’s last six lessons led the newly baptized in how to live the new life they received from the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Most Holy Eucharist, as well as lessons on prayer, especially found in the Lord’s Prayer.
About the end of AD 350, he succeeded Maximus as Bishop of Jerusalem, but was exiled on more than one occasion due to the enmity of Acacius of Caesarea, and the policies of various emperors. Cyril left important writings documenting the instruction of catechumens and the order of the Liturgy in his day.
Soon after Cyril became bishop, a miraculous sign appeared over the holy site of Jesus’ crucifixion. A large cross of light, surrounded by a rainbow, appeared in the sky and stretched for about two miles over the city, perhaps an affirmation of Cyril or a sign of the suffering he would endure in office. Cyril encountered opposition from bishops sympathetic to Arianism and persecution from emperors. Cyril was deposed and exiled from Jerusalem three times during his almost forty years as a bishop.
Even so, Bishop Cyril was a true shepherd of his flock, preaching and catechizing just as he had done as a priest. His gentle, pastoral, conciliatory, and humble approach to his ministry led some more orthodox bishops to suspect him of being sympathetic to the Arians. He was finally declared orthodox in his faith in 378. In 381, the Council of Constantinople gave further clarity on the Arian Heresy, clarified the Creed of Nicaea, and affirmed Bishop Cyril’s office of Bishop of Jerusalem. He remained a holy shepherd of his people until his death six years later. An eyewitness to Bishop Cyril’s catechetical lessons that were delivered in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre said that whenever Cyril completed a lesson, all of the people would enthusiastically applaud.
Saint Cyril, you never wavered from the Truth, not even during persecution and exile, but proclaimed Christ Jesus to your flock. Please pray for me, that I will always remain firm in my faith in a hostile world and will lovingly proclaim the truth to those who need it most. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, pray for me.
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