Nicene · c. 313 – 386
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Jerusalem
Biography
Cyril became Bishop of Jerusalem around 350 and is remembered chiefly for his Catechetical Lectures, a series of instructions given to candidates preparing for baptism at Easter. He suffered several exiles amid the Arian controversies of his day but was ultimately vindicated, taking part in the Council of Constantinople in 381. His lectures give an unmatched window into how the fourth-century Church initiated new converts into the sacraments.
Historical background
Delivered in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre around AD 350 to those about to be baptized, Cyril's Mystagogical Catecheses explain step by step the meaning of baptism, chrismation, and the Eucharist, giving precious eyewitness detail of fourth-century sacramental practice in the Holy City.
Major writings
Catechetical Lectures
Instructions to catechumens on the creed and Christian doctrine.
Mystagogical Catecheses
Post-baptismal explanations of baptism, chrism, and the Eucharist.
Important teachings
Cyril teaches that in the Eucharist the bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ, so that communicants should not judge by taste but by faith. He instructs the newly baptized to approach the sacrament with reverence, holding their hands as a throne to receive the King.
Quotations
“Do not, therefore, regard the bread and wine as simply that, for they are, according to the Master's declaration, the body and blood of Christ.”
“Approaching, therefore, come not with your wrists extended, nor your fingers spread; but making your left hand a throne for the right... receive the body of Christ.”
“The Catholic Church... is called Catholic because it extends over all the world... and because it universally teaches all the doctrines which ought to come to men's knowledge.”