St Cyril of Alexandria is probably best remembered for his christological clash with Nestorius and, the editors suggest, being something of an ecclesiastical thug. The authors of this book believe that Cyril of Alexandria’s theology is neither fully understood nor fully appreciated, perhaps because there is no single book offering a comprehensive survey of his thought in English. This collection of essays attempts to rectify this by painting a broader, less polemical portrait of Cyril. Robert Wilken examines Cyril’s OT commentaries, showing that, for Cyril, the whole Bible aims at Christ. Of course, this belief was not peculiar to him but it illustrates his breadth of concern and Biblical method. Thomas Weinandy discusses Cyril’s Christology within its historical setting, but also addresses contemporary issues and misconceptions. He argues against those who think that Cyril’s emphasis on Christ’s unity and divine personhood is not balanced by attention to his full humanity. He also attacks contemporary passibilists who hold that the divine nature truly suffers. Those familiar with Weinandy’s earlier works on Christology and divine suffering will see the concepts contained therein applied in some detailed exegesis of Cyril’s work. Frances Young shows that the title of Mary as Theotokos, ‘God-bearer’, is not merely a focus of polemic with Nestorius, but is integral to Cyril’s soteriology and his understanding of fall and redemption. Cyril’s view of the humiliation and ascent of God demanded that he be one, divine subject, mirroring the fall and redemption of humanity. Young shows that Cyril shares the view of Mary as the new Eve, common in the Church of this time, and sees her as the means through which salvation is achieved. Marie-Odile Boulnois shows how Cyril’s Trinitarian thought connects with his Christology, soteriology and pneumatology. Trinitarian belief was, for Cyril, the first article of faith and he defended the mystery against Arianism and modalism and pagan criticisms. Though Cyril sometimes states that the Spirit proceeds from the Son (the filioque) he also talks of his proceeding through the son. Pneumatology is central to Brian Daley’s study, the fulness of the saving God. He demonstrates that Cyril draws on Athanasius’ and Cappadocian teaching on the Trinity to present a rich, biblical doctrine of the Spirit. Daniel keating looks at Cyril’s theology of sanctification, examining its sacramental and moral implications, concluding that Cyril’s stress on the saving power of Christ imparted through the sacraments is balanced by a stress on the essential role of the believer’s faithful response to God in the process of divinisation. John O’Keefe investigates Cyril’s eschatology. We are destined for incorruptibility and, through the incarnation we experience transformation towards this in the present. John McGuckin offers case studies exploring Cyril’s highly controverted accomplishments as bishop and pastor. These paint him as an effective strategist operating in a difficult situation of competition and conflict, who has suffered from biased, anachronistic and polemical critiques. The ‘thug’ caricature is contextualised but not entirely erased. Finally, Norman Russell traces the christological legacy of Cyril after the Council of Chalcedon, noting that his approach offers hope of reconciling Monophysite Christians but challenges more ‘Nestorian’ followers of Theodore of Mopsuestia in the ancient Church of the East.

While they are willing to recognise imperfections and development in his thought, the authors generally take a sympathetic view of Cyril and defend him against misconceptions. Several of the essays overlap: the editors’ claim that these overlaps show how interconnected and integrated is Cyril’s theology may not always excuse them. Evangelicals might note that the portrait of Cyril’s theology that arises is deeply informed by Scripture and much is in the form of Biblical commentary. The narrow caricature of a thuggish opponent of Nestorius is placed in a broader context that nonetheless helps one understand how it might arise.

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