Canonised Father of the Church
Cyril of Jerusalem
Bishop of Jerusalem whose catechetical lectures to candidates for baptism are the fullest picture we have of how the fourth-century Church taught the faith.
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- Dates
- around 313 - 386 — Exiled three times in the Arian controversies; the chronology of his episcopate is contested in detail.
- Region
- Palestine
- See
- Jerusalem
- Language of composition
- Greek
- Commemoration
- 18 March (Orthodox Church in America and other Orthodox jurisdictions) — Julian-calendar jurisdictions observe the date thirteen days later on the civil calendar.
Life
Cyril was bishop of Jerusalem for most of the second half of the fourth century, with three periods of exile. His relations with the Nicene party were uneasy for a time — he was ordained in circumstances that made Athanasius's supporters suspicious — and he was received at the Council of Constantinople in 381.
His lasting importance is his teaching. The catechetical lectures were delivered in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre during Lent to candidates preparing for baptism at Pascha; the mystagogical lectures were delivered in the week after, to explain the sacraments they had just received.
Works
Generally accepted as authentic
- Catechetical Lecture 4: On the Ten Points of Doctrine
- Catechetical Lecture 18: On the Resurrection and the Catholic Church
- Catechetical Lecture 20 (Mystagogic 2): On Baptism
Disputed, spurious or lost
- The five Mystagogical Lectures —
Theological and spiritual contribution
Cyril's fourth lecture sets out the faith point by point and then turns to the Scriptures, telling the catechumens which books the Church reads and warning them against apocryphal writings. It is a valuable canon witness precisely because it is catechesis rather than controversy: it tells us what an ordinary candidate in Jerusalem was told, in the 340s or 350s.
The mystagogical lectures describe the rites of initiation in detail — the renunciation, the anointings, the threefold immersion, the chrism, the first communion — and interpret each. They are the primary evidence for the shape of baptism and chrismation in fourth-century Jerusalem.
His pastoral manner is worth noticing. He speaks to people who are frightened, curious and half-informed, and he does not condescend to them.
Related in this archive
-
The Mysteries
Baptism, chrismation, the Eucharist and the Church's other sacramental acts.
-
How Scripture was formed
A gradual ecclesial process, not a single decision — and certainly not one taken at Nicaea.
-
Baptism, chrismation and entry into the Church
How a person becomes an Orthodox Christian, and what the fourth-century sources show us about it.
-
Cyril of Jerusalem instructs catechumens
A bishop telling candidates for baptism which books the Church reads — catechesis rather than controversy, which is what makes it valuable.
Your notes
Sources for this page
- Tier C Cyril of Jerusalem and Gregory Nazianzen Catechetical Lecture 4 translated edition of primary texts The doctrinal summary and the list of Scriptures. Source record (opens in a new tab)
- Tier C Cyril of Jerusalem and Gregory Nazianzen Catechetical Lecture 18 translated edition of primary texts On the resurrection and on the Church. Source record (opens in a new tab)
- Tier C Cyril of Jerusalem and Gregory Nazianzen Catechetical Lecture 20 (Mystagogic 2) translated edition of primary texts On baptism. Source record (opens in a new tab)
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