Saint Cyril of Jerusalem was an early (fourth century) Church Father who left significant volumes of writings about the training of catechumens in the early Church as well as notes on the liturgy in his time. He was declared a Doctor of thew Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1883. Saint Cyril is one of those few early saints that we know a bit about and whose life is surrounded by very few "legends". Join me as we take a glimpse into the life of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem!
Image retrieved from https://www.monasteryicons.com/product/saint-cyril-of-jerusalem-original-icon-pmc05/original-icons-of-the-saints-and-angels and used as being in the public domain.
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem was born around the year 313. The year of his birth is conjecture from various sources including Father Alban Butler in his Lives of the Saints. Saint Cyril was ordained to the diaconate by Saint Macarius of Jerusalem (feast day March 10) around the year 335. He was ordained to the priesthood by Saint Maximus of Jerusalem (feast day May 5) about eight years after being ordained a deacon, so around 343. Seven years later, in 350, Saint Cyril of Jerusalem succeeded Saint Maximus as Bishop of Jerusalem.
During his bishopric, Saint Cyril would be banished from Jerusalem three times (by a Church council under the influence of Arian Acasius of Caesarea in in 357 and returned in 359 by order of the Council of Seleucia; in 360 by Emperor Constantius, returned in 361 by Emperor Julius; and in 367 by the Arian emperor , but returned after the death of Valerie in 378). Saint Cyril remained in Jerusalem from 378 until his death in 386. When Saint Cyril returned to Jerusalem in 378, he found the city destroyed by heresy and was never able to set the city completely right.
In the year 380, Saint Gregory of Nyssa (feast day January 10) was sent to visit with Saint Cyril. It was recommended that he visit Saint Cyril by the Council of Antioch. Saint Gregory found the Church in Jerusalem to be in good shape, although he found the city to be corrupt in morals and prey to parties. The Council of Constantinople, which Saint Cyril attended in 381, affirmed Saint Cyril's position as Bishop of Jerusalem, among other things. This council was the first to adopt the term homoouisios, which defined the relationship between "God the Father" and "God the Son" as being of the same nature and that Jesus was both divine and human.
Saint Cyril is particularly famous for the -three lecture he gave to catechumens. The first eighteen lectures are commonly known as the Catechetical Lectures, Catechetical Orations or Catechetical Homilies, while the final five are often called the Mystagogic Catechesesis, because they deal with the mysteries of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist.
Image retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_of_Jerusalem#/media/File:Cyrillus_Hierosolymitani_Catecheses.jpg and used as being in the public domain.
The above image is the cover page of the written version of the Catechetical Lectures of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem with Greek and Latin appearing side by side. Latin is on the left.
Saint Cyril died in 386, possibly on March 18, since a saint's feast day is generally celebrated the day he or she died. He was declared to be a saint before the existence of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, so there is no specific canonization date for him. He was declared to be a Doctor of the Church in 1883 by Pope Leo XIII.
Image retrieved from. https://www.nationalshrine.org/blog/st-cyril-of-jerusalem-a-peaceful-soul/ and used as being in the public domain.
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