St. Cyril of Alexandria

St. Cyril of Alexandria

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St. Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444). Born around 376 in Alexandria, Egypt, likely in Theadelphia, Cyril was a Christian theologian, bishop, and Doctor of the Church renowned for defending Christ’s divinity. Raised in a devout family—his uncle Theophilus was Alexandria’s patriarch—he studied Scripture and rhetoric, possibly under Didymus the Blind, and was ordained a priest. In 412, succeeding Theophilus as patriarch, he led the influential See of Alexandria, wielding authority in a turbulent era. His preaching, delivered in Greek, clarified Trinitarian and Christological doctrines, notably against Nestorius, whose teachings Cyril opposed at the Council of Ephesus (431), securing the title Theotokos (Mother of God) for Mary and affirming Christ’s unified divine-human nature. Cyril’s extensive writings include On the Unity of Christ, Against Nestorius, and commentaries on John, Luke, and Hebrews, shaping Eastern and Western theology. Earlier, he faced criticism for expelling Jews from Alexandria in 415 amid riots and for his role in the mob killing of philosopher Hypatia, though direct responsibility is debated. A skilled apologist, he refuted Julian the Apostate’s Against the Galileans. Unmarried, as a celibate bishop, he died on June 27, 444, in Alexandria, leaving no family but a vast legacy. Cyril said, “Christ is one person, uniting in Himself the fullness of God and man.”
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