Book Review: Romans, 1–2 Corinthians, Hebrews (ACT), Cyril of Alexandria

The purpose of this series is:

1. To show how a particular Church Father dealt with the problems of understanding, reading, and teaching the meaning of a book of Scripture;
2. To make available the whole argument of the ancient Christian interpreter of Scripture so that we may read and understand Scripture alongside them;
3. To extend the base of the biblical studies and Christian teaching and preaching to include classical Christian exegesis;
4. To stimulate Christian historical, biblical, theological and pastoral scholarship toward deeper inquiry into early classic practitioners of scriptural interpretation (ix).

This series is intended for anyone who studies the Bible regularly, not merely for academics alone, though they and pastors are certainly included in the audience. Their purpose for us is not even for academic use, but primarily for daily meditation on Scripture and our spiritual formation. These patristics fathers “sought to illuminate the plain sense, theological wisdom, and moral and spiritual meaning of an individual book of Scripture. They were not written for an academic audience, but for a community of faith shaped by the sacred text” (x).

The biblical criticism that came from the Enlightenment has led many to treat the Bible as a book to be dissected rather than one that dissects and transforms us. While many separate Old Testament books into different layers and sources, or they deny half of Pauls letters as being written by him only to speculate over who could have written any particular letter and when, these ancient exegetes were unaware of those methods. They seek to understand Scripture as a holistic unit and to offer spiritual counsel and understand to their readers. In fact, it is accurate to say that “the Western literary genre of the commentary (and especially the biblical commentary) has patristic commentaries as its decisive pattern and prototype” (xii). The patristic authors allow Scripture to speak for itself, often weaving texts together to relate them to other texts and themes of Scripture, using typological reasoning, much like the rabbis did.

Cyril of Alexandria

Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376 – 444) was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. Cyril wrote many works and commentaries and was a major player in various Christological controversies (such as Nestorianism) of the late-4th and 5th centuries. According to Wikipedia, “The Nestorian bishops at their synod at the Council of Ephesus declared him a heretic, labelling him as a ‘monster, born and educated for the destruction of the church.’” It was Cyrial who argued for called Mary “theotokos,” that is, “Mother of God.” This was not to glorify Mary to to glorify Jesus.

Cyril’s commentaries revealed a “full-bodied theology” on soteriology, the Christian life, and pastoral care. Cyril also had “an encyclopedic knowledge of the Scriptures” (xvii). This volume presents the first English translation of Romans, 1–2 Corinthians, and Hebrews. Although offered in fragmentary form, the fragments were “significant enough in their length and wide-ranging enough in their content” that the editors believed they were worth making available (xvii). There are two main sources for Cyril’s comments on 1 Corinthians—Codex Vaticanus Graecus 762 and Codex Athous Pantokratoros 28—and where these two main source manuscripts cover the same material, the texts are laid out side by side so you can see the difference.

Dating his Commentaries

Cyril’s letters that were written before 424 were concerned with the Christian life. Cyrials main opponents were Jews and pagans. His letter in 424 shows a great concern and preoccupation with the Arians, and his writings afterwards deal with them. In 428 Cyril began writing against Nestorius and the Nestorian controversy.

Cyril probably wrote his commentary on Romans prior to 424, because his main opponents are the Jews, the Origenists, and the pagans. The commentaries on 1–2 Corinthians appear to have been written during or after 428, as it touches on themes and terms from the Nestorian controversy. His commentary on Hebrews would likely have been written between 428 and 432, as it deals with Nestorian themes and terms and is also mentioned in a letter written by Alexander of Hierapolis in 432.