via 



CYRIL, ST. 



CYRUS I. 



470 



discourses delivered during Easter week to the neophytes after baptism, 

 called Mystagogic, being explanatory of the mysteries of the Christian 

 sacraments ; a treatise on words, and the letter to Congtantius ; besides 

 which, several homilies and epistles are sometimes improperly included. 

 Rivetus, in his 'Criticus Sneer' (lib. iii., c. 8, 9, 10, 'De Cyrilli 

 Catecheeibus), considers the five Mystagogics, and the letter to Con- 

 stantius, as supposititious ; but by Vossius, Cave, Mill, Whittaker, and 

 Bishop Bull, they are received as genuine. The books of Catecheses 

 are crowded with quotations from Scripture, and the style is dull and 

 tiresomely prolix ; but the facts they contain relating to the doctrines 

 and discipline of the Eastern church in the 4th century are extremely 

 interesting to the student of Christian antiquities. In the first Catechesis 

 are described the effects of baptism. The fourth gives an exposition 

 of all the Christian doctrines, and treats of numerous questions 

 concerning the body, goul, virginity, marriage, &c. The subsequent 

 discourses exhibit and enjoin a belief in the miraculous virtues of the 

 relics of saints, which are represented 03 worthy of all veneration ; in 

 the efficacy of prayers and sacrifices for the dead ; in the powers of 

 cxorciim, consecrated unction, oil, and water. Christians are exhorted 

 to cross themselves on every occasion and action throughout the day. 

 The enthusiastic adoration of the cross displayed by St. Cyril was 

 probably owing to big officiating in the church of the Holy Cross in 

 Jerusalem, where, after the ' Invention of the Cross," it was deposited 

 in a silver case, and shown by the archbishop to thousands of pilgrims, 

 who each took a little chip of it without occasioning any diminution 

 of its bulk; hence one of his proofs of the truth of the gospel history 

 of the Crucifixion is the fact of the world being full of chips of the 

 cross. A description of this cross is given by Doui ToutttSe at the end 

 of his edition of Cyril's works. 



The doctrine of the uninterrupted and perpetual virginity of Mary 

 is taught by Cyril. The state of virginity in general is extolled ta 

 equal to that of angels, with an assurance that, in the day of judgment, 

 the noblest crowns will be carried off by the virgins. The resurrection 

 is proved aud illustrated by the story of the Phconix. That Cyril's 

 superstitious credulity and love of the marvellous was remarkably 

 great ia apparent not only from such instances as the above, but by 

 liis relating, without suspicion of their truth, the most puerile and 

 absurd stories. In the five Mystagogics are described the ceremonies 

 which precede baptism ; the anointing with oil the forehead, face, 

 ears, and nose ; the forms of exorcism, the holy chrism, confirmation, 

 the eucharist, liturgy, and communion. The dogma of transubstanti- 

 ation ia most explicitly < nforceil : we are said to^je made concorporeal 

 and con-auguineal with Christ by his body anil blood being distributed 

 through our bodies, and extremely minute directions are given for the 

 mode of receiving the eucharist bread and wim;. 



jlille's edition of the 'Opera Omnia,' Grsece et Latine, foL, 1703, 

 i outruns notes, three indices, and the various readings ; but the editio 

 optima h that by Augustus Toutte'e, a Mauri.st monk, Qr. et Lak, 

 fol., 1720. 



(Live* of Saintt, by the Rev. Alban Butler, vol. iii. ; Dr. Adam Clarke, 

 Riiccttrim Sac. Lit., vol. i. ; Lardner, vol. iv. ; Grodecius, Vita St. 

 "' ; Tillemont, Quericke, &c.) 



CYRIL, ST. (CYRILLUS), of Alexandria, was educated under his 

 uncle Theophilu, the bishop of Alexandria, by whom St. Chrysostom 

 was persecuted and deposed. On the death of Theophilug in 412, 

 Cyril was elected patriarch, that is, archbishop of Alexandria. His 

 pal power was first displayed in abutting up and plundering the 

 churches of the puritan sect founded by Novatian. Cyril next 

 exhibited his zeal against heretics by heading a furious mob of fanatics, 

 who drove out all the numerous Jewish population from Alexandria, 

 where, iince the time of Alexander, its founder, they had enjoyed 

 many privileges, and wore politically important as contributors to the 

 public revenue. This arrogant proceeding therefore highly excited 

 the anger of Orestes, the governor of the city, and made him hence- 

 forth tiie implacable opponent of the bishop, who, in the name of the 

 Holy Trinity and Gospels, in vain implored a reconciliation. In con- 

 sequence of the enmity thus created, and of Cyril's resentment of the 

 checks opposed to his ambitious encroachments on the jurisdiction of 

 the civil power, a murderous attack was made on the governor in 

 his chariot by a band of 500 monks; and one who severely wounded 

 him having suffered death on the rack, Cyril, in his church, pronounced 

 a pompous eulogy over his body as that of a glorious martyr. (Soc., 

 1. vii., c. 14.) By the philosopher Eunapius (' Vita JEdesii ') theie 

 monks are described as swine in human form. The tragic story of 

 HypatU, the daughter of the mathematician Theon of Alexandria, 

 furnishes further evidence of the revengeful disposition of St. Cyril. 

 This lady, whoe wonderful abilities enabled her to preside over the 

 Alex mdrine school of Platonic philosophy, was the especial object of 

 the bishop's enmity, partly, as is said, arising from envy at the depth 

 and extent of her knowledge, which drew to her lectures the greatest 

 philosophers and statesmen, and a crowd of students from Greece and 

 Asia; but chiefly because of her intimacy with the governor and 

 her great influence over him, which Cyril and his clergy suspected was 

 exerted against them. The consequent murder of Hypatia is circum- 

 stantially related by several ecclesiastical historians. (Soc., 1. vii., c. 

 13 and 15; Nicophonw, 1. xiv., c. 16; Damascius, in ' Vita Isidori;' 

 Hesychius and Suidas, in 'Tiror/a; Photius, ' Annot. ad Socrat.,' 1. vii., 

 c. 15.) In these accounts it is stated that Cyril, having vowed the 



destruction of this accomplished woman, a party of infuriated wretches, 

 whom Nicephorus (ubi supra) expressly declares to have been Cyril's 

 clergy, led on by Peter, a preacher, seized her in the street, and having 

 dragged her into a church, completely stripped her, tore her to pieces, 

 carried the mangled fragments of her body through the streets, aud 

 finally burnt them to ashes, 415. (See Toland's 'Hypatia, or the 

 History of a most beautiful, virtuous, learned, aud accomplished Lady, 

 who was torn to pieces by the Clergy of Alexandria, to gratify the 

 Cruelty of their Archbishop, undeservedly styled St. Cyril,' 8vo, 1730. 

 The story of Hypatia has been made, as will be remembered, the 

 subject of a sort of philosophical novel by the Rev. Charles Kingsley.) 



The titles of Doctor of the Incarnation and Champion of the Virgin 

 have been given to Cyril, on account of his long and tumultuous dis- 

 pute with Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople, who denied the mystery 

 of the hypostatic union, and contended that the Divinity cannot be 

 born of a woman that the divine nature was not incarnate in, but 

 only attendant on Jesus as a man, and therefore that Mary was not 

 entitled to the appellation then commonly used of Mother of God. 

 (Pluquet.) The condemnation and deposition of Nestorius having 

 been decreed by Pope Celestine, Cyril was appointed his vicegerent to 

 execute the sentence, for which he assembled and presided at a council 

 of sixty bishops at Ephesus. But John, the patriarch of Autioch, 

 having a few days afterwards held a council of forty-one bishops, who 

 supported Nestorius and excommunicated Cyril, the two parties 

 appealed to the Emperor Theodosius, who forthwith committed both 

 Cyril and Nestorius to prison, where they remained for some time 

 under rigorous treatment. Cyril, by the influence of Celestiue, was at 

 length liberated and restored (431) to the see of Alexandria, which he 

 retained until his death, which occurred in 444. 



The works of Cyril are numerous, and chiefly on subjects connected 

 with the Arian controversy, the incarnation, consubstantiality of the 

 Son, and similar difficult points, which are involved in additional 

 obscurity by an intricate perplexity of style and the use of barbarous 

 Greek. The following are some of the principal treatises : ' Thesau- 

 rus on the Trinity,' intended as a complete refutation of Ariauism. 

 In 'Dialogues on the Incarnation,' in ' Five Books against Nestorius,' 

 and in an ample ' Commentary on St. John's Gospel," the same subject 

 is continued. Ten books against Julian contain replies to that em- 

 peror's three books against the Gospels, which, if Cyril's quotations 

 are faithful, were as weak and absurd as the answers. Seventeen 

 books ' On Worship in Spirit and Truth,' show that all the Mosaical 

 institutions were an allegory of the Gospel ; " a proof," says Dr. Adam 

 Clarke, " how Scripture may be tortured to say any thing." Thirteen 

 books on the Pentateuch and the Prophets are written with a similar 

 view. Thirty paschal Homilies, announcing, as customary at Alex- 

 andria, the time of Easter. Sixty-one Epistles nearly all relate to the 

 Nestorian controversy. Cyril's 'Synodical Letter' contains twelve 

 solemn curses against Nestorius, who as solemnly replied with twelve 

 curses against Cyril. In a treatise against the Authropomorphites, or 

 those Egyptian monks who taught that as man is made in the express 

 image of his Maker, God has the form and substance of a human body 

 Cyril reproves them for their gluttony and idleness, and answers with 

 great metaphysical skill a series of perplexing queries, but such as 

 were moat unworthy to be either asked or answered by Christian 

 divines. Cyril throughout his works enforces the adoration of Mary 

 as the mother of God, and explicitly teaches the doctrine of trausub- 

 stantiation, declaring that by taking the Lord's body we become con- 

 corporeal with God, being blended together like two portions of 

 melted wax. "The history of none among the Christian fathers," 

 says Dr. Adam Clarke, "is more disgraceful to the Christian character 

 than that of St. Cyril of Alexandria a man immoderately ambitious, 

 violent, and headstrong ; a breeder of disturbances ; haughty, impe- 

 rious, and as unfit for a bishop as a violent, bigoted, unskilful theolo- 

 gian could possibly be but resolved thajfc if the meek inherit the 

 earth, the violent should have possession of the sees." The editio 

 optima of the ' Opera Omnia' of Cyril is that in 7 torn, fol., Greek aud 

 Lat., Paris, 1638. Spanheim's edition of Julian's works contains 

 Cyril's work against Julian. 



(Clarke, Succession Sac. Lit., vol. ii. p. 137 ; Cave, Hist. Lit., vol. i. ; 

 Socrates, 6t tupra ; Tillemout, torn. xiv. p. 272 ; Butler, Lives of 

 Saints; Ceillier, torn. xiii. p. 241; Rivetus, Critic. Sac.; Lardner; 

 Neander, Ac.) 



CYRILLUS, the author of a Greek glossary, which some have 

 attributed to the bishop of the same name. It is printed in the 

 appendix to the London edition of H. Stephen's Greek Lexicon, 

 1826. 



CYRUS I., founder of the Persian monarchy, began to reign about 

 n.c. 559. Even in the time of Herodotus the history of Cyrus was 

 so obscured by legendary tales that the truth could not be separated 

 from the fiction. His original name appears to have been Agradatos 

 (Strabo, p. 729 d.) : the word Cyrus is said to have signified the sun, 

 and this name was probably assumed by him when he became king. 

 (Hneren, ' Ideen.') Cyrus was the son of Cambyses, a Persian, aud 

 Mandane, daughter of Astyages, king of Media, aud hence was called 

 by the oracle a mule. (Herod, i. 91.) In consequence of a dream of 

 As lyages, which portended that the offspring of his daughter would 

 tal e the throne of the Medes, he ordered Cyrus to be destroyed as 

 soon as he was born. Harpagus, a person of rank in the king's 



