also, and learn from the Church which are the books of the Old Testament, and which indeed are the New, and in number 35: Meditate diligently and turn over only those books which we also read in the Church with certain confidence. Much more prudent and religious than you were the ancient bishops, the presidents of the Churches, who handed them down. Since you are a son of the Church, do not pervert the laws that have been set. Therefore, he did not permit everyone, scorning the judgment of the Church, to form a judgment about divine books out of a private spirit, or rather out of caprice. And in number 36: Whatever is not read in the churches, do not read those even in private. Concerning the symbol of the faith, in cat. 5, n. 12: Embrace and keep that faith alone which is now handed down to you by the Church, fortified from all the Scriptures. He orders that doctrine to be received and held by the authority of the one Church, whose examination they were unable to institute for the Scriptures which they could not read, hindered by ignorance or occupation. He teaches that the Church can never fail; whether, as in cat. 18, n. 25, he says that the Savior said to Peter concerning it: *I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it*, or whether he calls it, after Paul, the pillar and ground of the truth; or whether he affirms that it will remain firm even during the times of Antichrist, in cat. 15, n. 16: *For I do not despair*, he says, *of the strength and sinews of the Church*. Rivet ought rather to have meditated upon these principles of Cyril than to have rashly attempted to support the preconceived opinions of his sect by laying hold of the sentences of this holy doctor; and to object to the Roman Church a discrepancy in his decrees with the Cyrillians that is falsely conceived. A
TESTIMONIES OF THE ANCIENTS REGARDING ST. CYRIL OF JERUSALEM AND HIS WRITINGS
—
[CCLI-CCLII] St. Basil, homily 13, page 413, has a sentiment which exists in exactly the same words in Cyril, Procat., no. 16.
The Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople, 381 or 382, in the letter to Damasus and the Westerns, in Theodoret, *Eccl. Hist.*, bk. v, ch. 9.
B Hierosolymitanæ autem Ecclesiæ, quæ mater est omnium Ecclesiarum, reverendissimum Deoque dilectissimum Cyrillum episcopum esse notum facimus: qui et canonice ab episcopis provinciæ olim ordinatus fuit, et plurima variis in locis contra Arianos certamina subiit. We make known that the most reverend and God-beloved Cyril is bishop of the Church of Jerusalem, which is the mother of all Churches: who was also canonically ordained of old by the bishops of the province, and has undergone many struggles in various places against the Arians.
St. Epiphanius, *Heresies*, 66, § 20.
A quo tempore ad hodiernam diem hi episcopi numerantur: Bazas, Hermon, Macarius, Maximus, Cyrillus, Herennius, Cyrillus alter, Hilarionus, qui nunc Ecclesiæ præsidet, qui cum Arianis habuisse communionem accusatus est. From that time to the present day these bishops are numbered: Bazas, Hermon, Macarius, Maximus, Cyril, Herennius, another Cyril, Hilarion, who now presides over the Church, who has been accused of having had communion with the Arians.
The same, *Heresies*, 73, § 23.
C Nam Acacius Palæstinus Cæsareæ episcopus, cum Meletio, et Uranio Tyrio, et Eutychio Eleutheropolitano, pro eo, quo in Cyrillum Hierosolymitanum odio et invidia flagrabat, Basilio ac Georgio Laodiceno, Sylvano Tarsensi, Eleusio Cyziceno, Macedonio Constantinopolitano, Eustathio Sebasteno, et Aniano Antiocheno seipsum opposuit; qui tum constituti cum essent, suas in eos vires collegit Acacius, ac turbarum plurimum concivit. For Acacius the Palestinian, bishop of Caesarea, together with Meletius, and Uranius of Tyre, and Eutychius of Eleutheropolis, because of the hatred and envy with which he was inflamed against Cyril of Jerusalem, set himself against Basil and George of Laodicea, Silvanus of Tarsus, Eleusius of Cyzicus, Macedonius of Constantinople, Eustathius of Sebaste, and Anianus of Antioch; and when they were then established, Acacius gathered his forces against them and stirred up very many disturbances.
And a little later in the same section.
Nam Eutychius Eleutheropolitanus, utpote a beato Maximo Hierosolymitano episcopo ac confessore catholicæ fidei institutis edoctus, propter Cyrilli...
A hatred for Cyril, [did not] join those around Acacius; though he held the orthodox faith for a time, he dissembled for the sake of his own throne. For what each one thought, the other also held, yet they were divided into factions against one another, whether out of some hatred toward each other—because Cyril of Jerusalem held anger against Eutychius, and Eutychius against Cyril—or because Cyril was on the side of Basil of Galatia, and Anianus who was ordained for Antioch, and George of Laodicea. B And § 37. For out of this flock, Euzoius, a disciple of theirs in Caesarea, emerged, who presided over that see after Acacius, although before him Philumenus had been appointed to it by Cyril of Jerusalem; and then Cyril senior had been placed there by Eutychius; and finally Gelasius had been installed again by Cyril of Jerusalem, whose sister’s son he was. For when these three had been ordained there, and had resigned their dignity on account of their mutual rivalries, subsequently Euzoius obtained that see.
*Rufinus, Hist. Eccl.,* lib. 1, cap. 23, ed. 1526, or ed. 1580. In Jerusalem, however, Cyril, after Maximus, having received the priesthood through a confused ordination, was at times variable in faith, and more often in communion.
*Idem, lib. 1, cap. 37.* Cyril, after Maximus the Confessor, was regarded as Bishop of Jerusalem. Foundations, therefore, were opened, and lime and foundations were applied. Nothing was lacking so that on the following day, the old ones having been torn down, they might lay new foundations. Since, however, C the bishop, having taken diligent consideration—whether from those things which he had read in the prophecy of Daniel concerning the times, or what the Lord had predicted in the Gospels—persisted that it could in no way come to pass that a stone should be placed upon a stone there by the Jews. The matter was in expectation, etc.
*Idem, lib. 2, cap. 21.* At Alexandria, upon the death of Peter, Timothy, and after him Theophilus; in Jerusalem, however, after Cyril, John restored the apostolic sees.
*Idem.* Rufinus, in his exposition of the creed, translated much from the Catecheses of Cyril, especially 13, 14, and 18, without naming him.
*S. Jerome, in the Chronicle for the year 349.* The fortieth, Maximus, dies as Bishop of Jerusalem after Macarius. After him, the Arians invade the Church, that is, Cyril, Eutychius; again Cyril, Irenaeus; thirdly Cyril, Hilary; fourthly Cyril. Of these, when Cyril—having been ordained presbyter by Maximus, and after his death [permitted the bishopric] by Acacius, the Bishop of Caesarea, and the other Arian bishops if he would repudiate the ordination of Maximus—served as deacon in the Church; on account of which impiety, weighed down by the wages of the priesthood, he variously solicited by fraud Heraclius, D whom the dying Maximus had substituted in his place, and degraded him from bishop to presbyter.
*Idem, in the Catalog of Ecclesiastical Writers, cap. 112.* Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, often driven from the Church and received back, finally under the Emperor Theodosius held the bishopric undisturbed for eight years. His Catecheses are extant, which he composed in his youth.
Testimonies of the Ancients
Saint Nilus transcribed many of Cyril’s sentiments from almost all of his catecheses into his own epistles. Philostorgius, *Ecclesiastical History*, Book IV, ch. 12. A Bishops acting as the secondary rank were Maris, etc. And also Acacius of Caesarea in Palestine, who feigned agreement with them in order to annoy Basil and his companions in return, because they continued to hold in honor Cyril of Jerusalem, who had been deposed by him. Saint Proclus, Bishop of Constantinople, and Saint Basil of Seleucia appear to have transcribed some things from Cyril’s catecheses into their own orations, or at least to have imitated them. Socrates, *Ecclesiastical History*, Book II, ch. 38. For Acacius and Patrophilus, having expelled Maximus of Jerusalem, had installed Cyril against him. *Idem*, Book II, ch. 40. The bishops of the other side, having separated and gathered in the church, called for Acacius, so that the case of Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, might be judged. It must be known that Cyril had already been accused beforehand, though for what matter I cannot say. He was deposed, however, because being B called to judgment many times, he avoided it for two successive years, fearing the accusations. When he was deposed, however, having sent a letter of appeal to those who had deposed him, he invoked a higher tribunal, in which appeal the Emperor Constantius also concurred. Cyril, therefore, was the first and only one of all who, contrary to the custom of ecclesiastical canon, interposed an appeal just as is wont to be done in public trials. At that time, indeed, he was present at Seleucia, prepared to undergo judgment, and for this reason the bishops summoned the Acacians to a meeting, as I said a little before, so that after the matters had been examined, they might deliver a verdict by common vote. *Idem*, *Ecclesiastical History*, Book II, ch. 42. They also deposed Neon of Seleucia, in which city the synod had been held; C they also removed Sophronius, bishop of Pompeiopolis, which is a city of Paphlagonia; Elpidius of Satala in Macedonia; and Cyril of Jerusalem, and others for other causes. *Idem*, *Ecclesiastical History*, Book II, ch. 45. In Jerusalem, however, Arrhenius was substituted in the place of Cyril. It should be known, moreover, that after this bishop, Heraclius was ordained, and then Hilarius; eventually, in time, Cyril returned to Jerusalem and recovered his own Church. *Idem*, *Ecclesiastical History*, Book III, ch. 20. D At which time Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, mindful of the prophecy of the prophet Daniel (Dan. ix, 26), which Christ also confirmed in the holy Gospels (Luc. xxi, 6), declared openly to the many standing by that it would happen shortly that in that temple no stone would remain upon stone, but the oracle of the Savior would be fulfilled. And when the bishop had said these things, in the night a hugeearthquake occurred, which tore the stones of the ancient foundations of the temple from their place and scattered them all, together with the adjacent buildings. A
*Idem, Hist. eccl., lib. iv, cap. 4.* At that time Liberius presided over the Church in Rome... and Cyril again held control at Jerusalem.
*Idem, Hist. eccl., lib. v, cap. 8.* There gathered then of those who professed the consubstantial faith, Timothy, bishop of Alexandria, and Cyril of Jerusalem, who at that time, led by repentance, adhered to the consubstantial faith.
*Sozomen, Hist. eccl., lib. iv, cap. 5.* At this same time, when Cyril was administering the Church of Jerusalem after Maximus, a sign of the Cross appeared in the heavens, shining brilliantly; it was not like a comet diffusing rays, but consisted of a great deal of light gathered into a dense and transparent form, in length reaching from the place of Calvary to the Mount of Olives, that is, about fifteen stadia, covering the whole sky that is over that region; its breadth was proportional to its length. B Struck with wonder at such a strange and unexpected occurrence, fear seized everyone, and leaving their houses and the marketplace, and whatever work each person had in hand, all together with their wives and children flocked to the church, with one accord praising Christ and readily confessing Him to be God. The report regarding this not a little shocked all the provinces of the Roman world, and in a short time it was announced everywhere. For since there were pilgrims present at Jerusalem from all parts of the world, as is their custom, some for the sake of prayer and others to visit the holy places, they reported to their own people what they had seen with their own eyes. The emperor himself also was informed of this, both by the report of many others and by the letters C sent to him by Bishop Cyril. Men skilled in such matters asserted that these things had been foretold long ago by a certain divine prophecy in the holy books. And indeed this sign drew very many Gentiles and Jews to the Christian religion.
*Idem, lib. iv, cap. 17.* He wrote to the bishops who were then gathered at Ariminum and Seleucia, ordering them first to settle the controversies regarding the faith; and finally, to examine the cases of the bishops who complained that they had been unjustly deposed or sent into exile, among whose number was Cyril of Jerusalem. D
*Idem, lib. iv, cap. 20.* For those around Acacius and Patrophilus, having expelled Maximus, entrusted the Church of Jerusalem to Cyril to be ruled.
The same, of the same book, chapter 22.
From this, some said it was necessary first to examine the doctrine, while others said it was necessary to investigate the lives of those accused among them (of whose number was Cyril of Jerusalem and Eustathius of Sebaste). They neither wished to profess the same faith, nor were they willing to offer a defense regarding the charges brought against them, nor would they agree to be present for the examination regarding Cyril, whom they themselves had deposed.Idem, Histor. ecclesiast., lib. iv, cap. 25.
In addition to these things, they also deposed Cyril, the bishop of Jerusalem, on the grounds that he had communicated with Eustathius and Elpidius, who had striven to abrogate the decrees of the synod in Melitina, at which he himself had also been present; and because, after his deposition in Palestine, he had entered into communion with Basil and George, the bishop of Laodicea. For after he had entered upon the bishopric of Jerusalem, he had carried on a controversy regarding metropolitan rights against Acacius, the bishop of Caesarea, as if holding an apostolic see. From this, they became hostile and slandered one another, as though they did not think rightly concerning God. For indeed, each of them had previously been under suspicion: Acacius, because he promoted the dogmas of Arius, and Cyril, because he followed those who proposed that the Son is of like substance (homoiousion) to the Father. Acacius, therefore, holding such an opinion, along with those bishops of the region who thought as he did, managed to depose Cyril under a pretext of this sort: A famine having seized the region of Jerusalem, the multitude of the needy, destitute of necessary food, looked to Cyril, as to a bishop. Since there were no funds with which he might aid the needy, he sold the treasures and sacred veils [of the church]. Because of this, it is said that someone recognized their own donation on a woman of the stage who was clothed in it, and having inquired curiously where she had it, discovered the merchant who had sold it to the woman, and that the bishop had sold it to the merchant. Acacius, using this as a pretext, deposed him.Idem, lib. iv, cap. 30.
Cyril having been deposed, as has been said, Herennius receives the Church of Jerusalem, and after him Heraclius, and following him, Hilarius. For we find that these, at that time, ruled this church until the reign of Theodosius, at which time Cyril returned to that same see.The same, book vii, chapter 7.
There gathered, then, of those who worshipped the Trinity as consubstantial, about one hundred and fifty; and of those of the heresy of Macedonius, thirty-six, of whom the greater part were from the cities around the Hellespont. Those who led them were Eleusius of Cyzicus and Marcianus of Lampsacus. Of the others, Timotheus, who occupied the see of the Alexandrians, not long before...had succeeded Peter his brother, who had been taken from this light, in the episcopate; and with him Meletius, bishop of Antioch, who not long before had arrived at Constantinople for the sake of the ordination of Gregory; and Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, who was then led by repentance because he had previously favored the opinion of Macedonius. A
*Idem, lib. VII, cap. 14.*
Not long after, Timotheus and Cyril having fulfilled their destiny, Theophilus succeeded to the Alexandrian see, and John to that of Jerusalem.
*Theodoretus, Histor. ecclesiast., lib. II, cap. 26.*
The priesthood of Jerusalem, after that Macarius of whom I have already made mention, was taken up by Maximus, a man who had become illustrious in the struggles for the defense of piety; for he had been deprived of his right eye, and had been maimed in his right hip. When he was translated to the immortal life, Cyril, a most active champion of the apostolic doctrine, merited the episcopal grace. When they contended with one another for the primacy, they provided the cause of most grievous evils for the Christian commonwealth. B For Acacius, having seized upon a certain trifling occasion, had deposed Cyril and driven him from Jerusalem. Cyril, indeed, passed by Antioch, seeing it bereft of a shepherd; but having traveled to Tarsus, he lived with the admirable Silvanus, for he was at that time administering that Church. When Acacius learned this, he wrote letters to Silvanus and notified him of the deposition of Cyril. But he, both revering Cyril and fearing the people (as they were very greatly delighted by the discourses of Cyril), did not hinder him in the least from ecclesiastical ministry. Furthermore, when they had convened at Seleucia, Cyril sat together in the council with Basil, Eustathius, Silvanus, and the rest of the priests. Acacius himself also approached the bishops gathered there, who were one hundred and fifty in number. But he refused to take counsel with them unless Cyril were removed from the assembly, inasmuch as he had been stripped of his bishopric. C And some of those who were studious of peace begged Cyril to withdraw from the council, promising that after the discussion of the doctrine of faith they would examine his case. But since Cyril would not comply, Acacius, leaving them, departed.
*Et paulo post eodem lib. II, cap. 27.*
But what Acacius had feigned against Cyril especially moved the mind of the emperor. For he said that Cyril had sold the sacred robe which Constantine, who is to be celebrated with every praise, had given to Macarius, the prelate of that city, to adorn the church of Jerusalem, so that clothed in it he might perform the ministry of the divine baptism (that robe was woven with golden threads), and that a certain man from among those who are accustomed to dance in the theater had put it on, D
A and having danced, he fell, was crushed, and delivered unto death. “Using this man as an associate,” he said, “they undertake to judge and pass sentence upon others.”
[CCVII] The same, *Hist. ecclesiast.*, book III, chap. 14. He delivered me to the bishop of Jerusalem, who at that time was called Cyril. And so, by night, we set out for Palestine.
The same, *Hist. ecclesiast.*, book V, chap. 8. There was present also Pelagius, bishop of Laodicea, and Eulogius of Edessa, and Acacius, and our own Isidore, and Cyril of Jerusalem, and Gelasius of Caesarea in Palestine, a man conspicuous for his doctrine and the holiness of his life, and many other athletes of virtue besides.
*List of the bishops who presided over great cities. In Theodoret, Hist. ecclesiast., book V, chap. 40.* Bishops of Jerusalem: Macarius, Maximus, B Cyril, Joannes, Praylius, Juvenalis.
The same in the *Dialogue which is entitled Inconfusus*, page 106. From the fourth catechetical sermon of Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, *On the ten dogmas*, concerning the birth from the Virgin: “Believe, however, that he himself,” etc. These are found in cat. 4, n. 9, p. 56.
Gelasius, author of the book *On the Two Natures*, under the name of Gregory Nazianzen, cites the testimony of our Cyril from cat. 4, n. 9, p. 56.
Marcellinus comes in the *Chronicon*. In the 9th indiction, in the consulship of Eucherius and Evagrius (that is, in the year 381), one hundred and fifty holy Fathers having been gathered in the imperial city against Macedonius, who had made shipwreck regarding the Holy Spirit, the holy synod (the Nicene) was confirmed by the same bishops; Damasus being at that time in the See of Blessed Peter; and at Constantinople, through Timotheus of Alexandria, and Meletius of Antioch, and Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, Nectarius was baptized from a pagan state and immediately ordained pontiff in the aforementioned synod.
St. Ephrem of Antioch, patriarch, in his oration *To Domnus and Joannes*, in Photius, *Biblioth.* cod. 229, page 805, while bringing forth the testimonies of the Fathers concerning the two natures in Christ, cited our Cyril also among them, with these words: “Besides these, also Cyril of Jerusalem.”
Eustratius in his book *On the Utility of Prayers for the Dead*, edited by Leo Allatius in the work *De Purgatorio*, says at num. 8, page 569: Agreable to these things, Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, also teaches C in his fifth *Mystagogy*, the beginning of which is: “The loving-kindness of God,” with these words: “Then we make remembrance,” etc. *Catech.* XXIII, n. 9 and 10.
Leontius, book I *against Nestorius and Eutyches*, whose Greek words the learned and my friend P. Michael Le Quien communicated to me: D From the fourth oration of the *Catecheses* of Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem: “Christ was double; man, indeed, in what was seen, but God in what was hidden.” *Ex cat.* 4, n. 9, pag. 56.
The same, in an unpublished book *against the Monophysites*, communicated to me by the same Father. From Cyril of Jerusalem, from a sermon, in these words: “I go to my father, that he may appear,” etc. See fragm. pag. 357, 358.
Anastasius Sinaita, monk, in *Hodegos*, chap. 10, page 196, referring to the authorities of the Fathers against the Monophysites, said these things: Of Gregory the Theologian in *Theophania*, and of Cyril of Jerusalem, and similarly of Cyril of Alexandria.
Idem, or whoever the author of the *Questions and Answers on Various Matters* might be, quest. 1. Cyrill of Jerusalem, from the catechetical works: "Nothing shall profit us," etc. Cat. 7, num. 14, p. 118. Idem, to quest. 3. Cyrill of Jerusalem, from the catechetical works: "Flee, therefore, from evil works; for if you succumb to them," etc. Cat. 19, n. 8, p. 509, or as I have seen in the Coislin manuscripts, quest. 3. [CCLVIII] In the catalogue of the ms. codex of the Coislin Library, where the Patriarchs of Rome are listed up to Honorius, and the Jerusalem patriarchs up to Sophronius inclusive, the Jerusalem patriarchs in the time of Cyril are as follows, p. 225: 39. Maximus, 6 years. 40. Cyril, 12 years. 41. Heraclius, 6 years. Isti omnes ex circumcisione. [All these were of the circumcision.] 42. Helladius, 12 years. 43. Cyril, 35 years. 44. John, 6 years.
S. Maximus the Abbot, in *Tome on Dogma* to Stephen of Dora, tom. II, p. 88. B Also, the venerable Cyril, prelate of Jerusalem, in his oration on the evangelical words where the Lord turned water into wine, whose beginning is: "A miracle, and this also a miracle": "He was born, He performed miracles," etc. See the fragment on pp. 357, 358.
Idem, in *Sermons by Excerpts*, serm. 23. Of Cyril: "The first virtue of Christians is to honor one's parents," etc.; as in cat. 7, num. 16, p. 119.
The Lateran Council, celebrated under Martin I in 649, act. v, tom. VI of Labbé’s *Concilia*, p. 305. Of Saint Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, from a homily delivered on the Gospel where the Lord turned water into wine: "He strove entirely neither to make manifest his own divinity," etc.; as in the fragment on the ibid. page. The same place, with another taken from the same oration, cited above by Maximus in his epistle to Stephen of Dora, seems to have been praised by S. Sophronius in his synodical epistle to Pope Honorius, in Photius, cod. 251, in which that Jerusalem patriarch cited many testimonies of the Fathers which would prove the dual operation in Christ our God. Among the Fathers whom he alleged, one was the victory-bearing Cyril. Since these can in truth refer to the Alexandrian, nothing prevents them from being spoken regarding our Cyril by his successor. Both passages cited by the Lateran Council are referred to in the same way, but the first is much longer, by the author of a certain inedited collection, who lived at least at the beginning of the eighth century. For the Royal Codex num. 2951, in which it is contained, was written in the year 1291, from another codex which was written in the year 759.
S. John Damascene, *Orat. 3 on Images*, p. 383, of the new edition of the Reverend Father Le Quien. D Cyrill, Patriarch of Jerusalem, from the twelfth catechesis: "If, therefore, you seek," etc.; as in cat. 13, num. 5, p. 165. Idem, who in his own works transcribes many of the sentences of our Cyril without mentioning his name, which I have taken care to indicate in their proper places. I record here one which escaped me at that time: it is taken from catech. 1, n. 5, p. 19, and is held in book IV, *On the Orthodox Faith*, ch. 9: "For the remission of sins is given equally to all; but the communion of the Holy Spirit is bestowed according to the proportion of each one's faith."
Council of Nicaea II, Oecumenical VII, Act. v, tom. II of Labbé’s *Concilia*, p. 348. Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem, the second catechesis, whose beginning is: "Grave." And after other things: "For what opinion do you have concerning Nebuchadnezzar?" etc.; as in cat. 2; in another example num. 17, p. 37.
TESTIMONIES OF THE ANCIENTS
Elias Cretensis in his notes on the oration of St. Gregory Nazianzen (not. 1) cites a long sentiment of St. Cyril from Catechesis 18, num. 23 and 24, not indeed by his name specifically expressed, but by calling him generally by the name of the divine Fathers.Theophanes in his *Chronographia*, p. 34, for the year of Christ as he computes it, 335. A In this year Acacius of Caesarea and Patrophilus of Scythopolis, prelates infected with the Arian contagion, deposed Maximus the bishop of Jerusalem; and they substituted Cyril in his place, whom they hoped would think as they did. About this time, while Cyril was acting as bishop, the sign of the life-giving cross, gleaming with great light, appeared in the heavens on the holy day of Pentecost, and it passed from Golgotha, where Christ was fixed to the cross, to the Mount of Olives, where he was assumed into heaven. A crown, having the appearance of a rainbow, circled the sign that appeared; and on the same day the same vision was manifested to Constantius: concerning which a letter of Cyril to the emperor Constantius is circulated, in which he calls him "most pious." For this reason, some slander this same Cyril as being of Arian opinion, and allege that he suppressed the term "consubstantial" in the Catecheses which he explained for the benefit of the numberless multitude B seeking holy baptism on account of the portent of the life-giving cross. But they are mistaken, and they sin in their judgment. For it was necessary, out of simplicity of heart rather than by any preconceived plan, to call "most pious" the emperor who had been led into heresy by the guile of the Arians—especially when paganism was not yet fully abolished—and it was fitting to pass over the term "consubstantial," which still offended the ears of many and which, due to the controversies of adversaries, would have deterred the ignorant from holy baptism, and instead to express the knowledge of the "consubstantial" more clearly by words of equal meaning: which indeed was accomplished by blessed Cyril, who, having explained word-for-word the published norm of the Nicene faith, preached "true God from true God."
Idem, *Chronographia*, p. 47. C This year Liberius, bishop of Rome, and Athanasius of Alexandria, and Meletius of Antioch, and Eusebius of Samosata, defenders of the right faith, were recalled from exile by the prince Jovian and shone forth in the right word; as did Cyril of Jerusalem and many others, champions of orthodoxy.
Idem, *Chronographia*, p. 58. Of the holy one hundred and fifty Fathers, the presidents were Timotheus of Alexandria, Meletius of Antioch, the most holy Cyril of Jerusalem, and the divine Gregory, bishop of Constantinople.
Nicephorus, Patriarch of CP, in his *Chronographia* reviewing the patriarchs of Jerusalem, has these things in the edition of Lapara, p. 410. (Those things enclosed in brackets I have taken from the Nicephorean exemplar of the *Chronographia* ms. Bibl. Reg. 1194, p. 407.) D Cyril, who was cast out by the Arians. In his place there were three: Arsenius, Heraclius, and Hilarius [12 years]. Again recalled under Gratian, he was found in the second synod at Constantinople. [Collected] years total 62.
Freculphus, Bishop of Lisieux, under Louis Augustus, *Chronic.*, tom. II, lib. iv, cap. 29. Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, was often driven from the Church and received back; at the end, under the prince Theodosius, he held the episcopate for seven years in peace. His small works which he composed in his adolescence are extant. The words are almost those of Jerome in his *Catalogue*.
TESTIMONIES OF THE ANCIENTS
*Petrus Siculus, History of the Paulicians, p. 20.*
Thus I shall begin, by writing down what was said by the Blessed Cyril in his Catecheses: "Manes of the ill-omened name is not of the Christians," etc.; as in cat. 6, n. 21 and following, p. 100 and following.
*Photius, invader of the Constantinopolitan see, in his History of the Manichaeans, published in the Coislinian Library, p. 354.*
If any desire to see from the beginning the impiety of these men, and whence the first seeds were sown: Cyril, who held the helm of the holy city, will be the guide of the history. "Scythianus was a certain man," etc., as contained in cat. 6, n. 22, p. 101 and following.
*The same, in his Compendia concerning bishops and metropolitans; of which unpublished work the following fragment, transcribed by Isaac Casaubon and presented by Thomas Milles among the testimonies of the ancients concerning Cyril, states the following regarding Cyril:*
This man is now held and named as a saint by all; he is the one who wrote the Catecheses for the illuminandi, filled with exalted theology.
*The same, in the work mentioned above, cod. 89, pp. 209, 210, speaking of Gelasius, bishop of the Church in Caesarea of Palestine, writes:*
He says, moreover, that he was a relative of Cyril of Jerusalem on his mother's side, and that he had him as the encourager to write this history [ecclesiastical]. B But we, by reading the writings of others, have discovered that Cyril himself and this Gelasius translated the history of Rufinus the Roman into the Greek language, but did not compose a history of their own. It is clear, however, that the latter was older than the aforementioned, provided that he flourished in the time of Cyril of Jerusalem.
*The author of the libellus synodicus, which is found divided into parts in the collection of the Councils, tom. II, Conc. Labbaei, p. 92.*
THE JERUSALEM [COUNCIL] OF THE ARIANS
When Athanasius and Paul were traveling honorably to their own sheepfolds, the champions of impiety gathered a heretical synod in Jerusalem; and they cast out the confessor Maximus, but chose Cyril the catechist as an Arian; yet the synod celebrated under Damasus at Rome, and the one under Nectarius at Constantinople, extol him with many praises; and Acacius of Caesarea Philippi, disciple and successor of Eusebius Pamphili, drove him out on account of the primacy of this see. C *Simeon Metaphrastes in the Life of St. Athanasius, tom. I, p. 149, ed. Paris 1698.*
Acacius and Patrophilus, followers of Arius, when they had expelled the holy Maximus from Jerusalem, substituted Cyril in his place.
*An uncertain author of the Life of St. Athanasius, tom. I, p. 120, ed. Paris.*
Again Acacius, famous for his malice, and Patrophilus, the friend of Arius the father of impiety, proceeding to Jerusalem and having expelled Maximus, set up Cyril—a man who was as possessed by zeal for impiety as that great man [Maximus] was possessed by zeal for piety.
*Eutychius, Patriarch of Alexandria (a), author of the Annals, in Arabic, published at Oxford, 1659, p. 475.*
In the twentieth year of his reign [namely that of Constantius, whom he incorrectly calls Constantine the Younger], Cyril was appointed Bishop of Jerusalem; where, when he had sat for five years, he fled... In that time, over the [place of the] Skull, which is Golgotha, at midday, a cross appeared from the light, D
whose splendor surpassed the splendor of the sun itself. And by his own letters he persuaded him not to embrace the opinion of Arius and his followers, as they were men who had fallen away from the truth into infidelity; whom the council of three hundred and eighteen bishops had cursed, along with all those who would assert the same things as them. The emperor, therefore, having received Cyril’s letters, was filled with great joy for the things that had been written to him, and having returned to the truth, forbade the opinion of Arius from being admitted.
*Idem, pag. 483.*
In the first year of his reign [that is to say, of Julian the Apostate], those of the inhabitants of Jerusalem who followed the party of Arius set upon Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, with the intent of murdering him. When he had escaped from them by flight, they appointed Heraclius as bishop of Jerusalem. He was an Arian, held the see for three years, and then died.
*Idem, pag. 488.*
In the first year of his [the emperor's] reign (he means Valens—whom the translator writes as Valentius), one B was appointed Arian bishop of Jerusalem, who was also a Manichaean; and when he had sat for five years, he died. In the seventh year of the same reign, Hilarius was made bishop of Jerusalem, who was an Arian; he sat for four years, then died. On his death, Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, returned, who had fled from the Arians, to his own place, where he sat for sixteen years, then died. The whole space of time in which Cyril performed his episcopal duty was thirty-three years. In the twenty-seventh year of his episcopate was the second Council of Constantinople.
*Idem, pag. 508.*
King Theodosius, by letters written to Timothy, patriarch of Alexandria, Meletius, patriarch of Antioch, Damasus, patriarch of Rome, and Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, ordered them to be present at Constantinople together with their bishops, that they might inquire into the Christian faith. The patriarchs gathered therefore in Constantinople with their bishops, with the exception of Damasus, the Roman patriarch, who did not come himself... The presidents of the council were Timothy, patriarch of Alexandria, Meletius of Antioch, and Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem.
*Idem, pag. 536.*
In the eighth year of the same reign [of Theodosius the Elder], John was appointed patriarch of Jerusalem, where he sat for sixteen years, then died.
[CCLXI] John of Nicaea, in a writing published by Combefis, *Auctuarium* tom. II, pag. 502. C
Cyril once wrote—[not] he who wrote the letter to Constantine, but he who succeeded him in his throne—to Julius, bishop of Rome, etc.; as in the supposititious works.
Nicon the monk, in the unpublished *Pandects*, library of the King, cod. 1994, regarding this question: "I ask of you, what can now help the souls of the dying after death?" adds after other testimonies of the Fathers the testimony of Cyril in these words, fol. 328.
Of holy Cyril of Jerusalem. We make memorial indeed for the holy dead, both for the Fathers and the bishops, etc.; as in *Catech.* 23, n. 9.
George Cedrenus, *Compendium of Histories*, pag. 301. D
In the 19th year of Constantius, on the day of Pentecost, there appeared in Jerusalem in the heavens a sign of the life-giving cross, in a luminous form, stretched from Mount Golgotha, where Christ was crucified, as far as the Mount of Olives, from whence also He was taken up into heaven. And it was encircled by a crown like a rainbow in appearance. On the same day it was seen by Constantius, Cyril being at that time bishop of Jerusalem.
A
Idem, page 316.
In the sixth year, the great and holy second ecumenical council of the one hundred and fifty orthodox bishops was gathered at Constantinople, for the confirmation of the decrees of Nicaea, and against Macedonius the Spirit-fighter. The presiding bishops were: Timothy of Alexandria, Meletius of Antioch, Cyril of Jerusalem, and Gregory the Theologian.
*The same author, on the same page, at the bottom, repeats the same in other words.*
In the sixth year of the reign of Theodosius the Great, the holy and ecumenical second council of the 150 holy Fathers took place in Constantinople, under Damasus, Pope of Rome. Those who presided over it were: Timothy of Alexandria, Meletius of Antioch, Cyril of Jerusalem, and Gregory the Theologian.
Philippus Solitarius in the *Dioptra*, lib. 1, cap. 1, which work exists as a manuscript in the Royal Library, cites under the name of Cyril a sentiment from Catena 7, no. 14, p. 118, as we have indicated in the same place.
Michael Glycas, *Annal.*, part iv, page 252.
During his lifetime, the bishop of Jerusalem was Cyril, an illustrious man, who wrote to Constantius in these words: B "In the time of your father, the cross was found upon the earth. But in your time, the cross has been revealed from heaven." For on the site of Golgotha, about the third hour of the day, on the very feast of Pentecost, the sign of the cross was seen, composed of most resplendent light. And it was seen not by one man, and not by way of a mere phantasm, but by all, and for many hours.
*Idem, Annal., part iv, page 271.*
The presiding bishops of this [Constantinopolitan] synod were: Timothy of Alexandria, Meletius of Antioch, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory the Theologian of Constantinople, and Pope Damasus of Rome; who anathematized Macedonius, who spoke contumeliously and impiously against the Holy Spirit, and with him Sabellius, and Apollinarius, the prelate of Laodicea. C
Antonius Melissa lib. 1, serm. 20, p. 25; and lib. 11, serm. 34, p. 157, of the Greek edition, Zurich, in the year 1546.
Cyrilli. We shall be raised, then, having eternal bodies, etc.; as in cat. 18, n. 19.
[CCLXII] An anonymous author of an unpublished tract, *Concerning Divine Mysteries*, Royal Library cod. 2428, page 112.
Of Cyril of Jerusalem, from the fourth mystagogical catechesis: Do not, therefore, attend to the bread or the wine as if they were naked things, etc.; as in cat. 22, n. 6.
*Idem, shortly after.*
From the fifth mystagogical catechesis: But the holy bread is supersubstantial: that is, suited [or converted] to the substance of the soul, etc.; as in cat. 23, n. 15. D
That author lived not before the twelfth century, since he cites John of Antioch in his book *Concerning Sacred Mysteries*.
Various testimonies of our Cyril exist in Greek Catenae, both manuscript and printed; in manuscripts on Genesis, on John; in printed editions on Luke; which we have taken care to indicate in their proper places.
Theophanes Cerameus transcribes a long sentiment from Cyril—or rather from the Catena on John—with his name suppressed, from cat. 13, n. 21, page 193, in his homily 27, page 212.
St. Thomas Aquinas, in his first Opusculum *Against the Errors of the Greeks*, tom. XVII, page 7: Cyril of Jerusalem, patriarch, says: The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, and exists from the deity of the Father and the Son. See the appendix, cat. 16, page 262.
TESTIMONIES OF THE ANCIENTS
Item from the same booklet, chap. 67, page 9. Item: Cyril of Jerusalem, the patriarch, speaking in the person of Christ [to Peter], says: You with an end, and I without an end with all, etc. See among the supposititious works, page 388.
Nicephorus Callistus, Ecclesiastical History, book IX, chap. 14.
A Above all those who in the East defended the sounder doctrine with great boldness, Paulus of Constantinople and Athanasius held most tenaciously to the Nicene decrees. ... Many other men of note also flourished in the same years, and shone in the Churches of God; among whom, in knowledge of the word, Eusebius, bishop of Emesa, who ruled in priestly fashion, was distinguished from the others..., and Cyril, who governed the throne of Jerusalem after Maximus.
Idem, book IX, chap. 32.
At that same time, when he was entering Antioch, the sign of the cross again appeared in the sky, outshining the sun, encircled by a great arc, which they call the rainbow, like a crown; at the third hour of the day, as the feast of Pentecost was beginning, with Cyril at that time governing ecclesiastical affairs in Jerusalem after Maximus. However, this light of the cross did not diffuse itself scatteredly, as happens with a comet, but stayed dense and clear in a great and B magnificent radiance. It occupied the expanse of the sky, spreading for about fifteen stadia; its length, as far as could be conjectured, reached from the Mount of Calvary to that which is called the Mount of Olives; its width was in proportion to its length. At the miracle, fear also entered into everyone at such a strange and unexpected event. Therefore, all with their wives and children fled to the great temple, praising God, abandoning whatever work they happened to be doing at the time. And the news of this wonder, having spread to all parts of the earth, struck men with astonishment, because those who had come from all provinces to Jerusalem for the sake of prayer spread it everywhere. It certainly led many, both from among the Jews and the Greeks, to Christianity. The emperor also became better informed about it through the letters of his associates and of Cyril himself.
Idem, book IX, chap. 46.
After all these, they condemned Cyril of Jerusalem as the thirteenth person, a man of great virtue and an C outstanding teacher of the people, whose writings the Church calls Cyrillian. Now the causes for his condemnation were these: first, that he had held communion with Eustathius and Elpidius, who had opposed the synod of Melitene, of which he himself had been a leading part; and that he had likewise received into communion Basilius and George of Laodicea, after they had been deposed from the order of bishops in Palestine. Furthermore, because, once he had been created bishop of Jerusalem, holding the apostolic throne, he disputed with Acacius of Palestine regarding the boundaries of ecclesiastical jurisdiction and metropolitan right. For which cause, being brought into mutual hatred, each accused the other of not thinking rightly about God; D for indeed the one had previously been dogmatizing the doctrine of Arius, while Cyril from the beginning followed those who praised the consubstantial. For this reason, basely towards him, Acacius, having gathered the bishops around Palestine, who were of [the same]
A one mind with him, succeeded in suspending him from his priestly functions, alleging especially this cause: famine was afflicting Palestine, and the multitude, in need of the necessities of life, looked to the bishop. And when, after the money, even the grain failed him, he sold the offerings of the temple and the sacred hangings, and, as far as he was able, relieved the need. And it is said that a certain man recognized his own offering, to wit, a garment with which a woman, one of the stage-performers, was clothed. When the matter was investigated, it was discovered that it had been bought from a certain merchant, who had previously purchased it from the bishop. Under this pretext, Acacius forced Cyril to depart from his episcopate. Such indeed I heard was the cause of his deposition, yet it does not seem to me sufficiently certain, since the famine and need were the cause of the sale.
*Joannes Cyparissiotus, Decade VI, cap. 4, de apparitionibus divini luminis.*
Ad B these things, Cyril of Jerusalem in the tenth catechesis says: "Inasmuch as no one could see the face of God and live, He assumed the face of humanity, that seeing Him we might live: and when He wished to show it with moderate dignity, when His face shone like the sun, then the disciples fell terrified." And if the face having been made splendid, not in as much as He could make it shine, He who had created splendor in it, but in as much as the disciples could bear, terrified them, and they could not endure it, how could anyone have been able to look upon the dignity of His divinity? It is held in cat. 10, n. 7, p. 10.
*Martyrologium Romanum ad XVIII Martii.*
Hierosolymis sancti Cyrilli episcopi [Natalis] qui ab Arianis multas fidei causa perpessus injurias, et ab Ecclesia sua sæpe pulsus, tandem sanctitatis gloria clarus in pace quievit; cujus intemeratæ fidei synodus œcumenica Damaso scribens, præclarum testimonium dedit.
*Menæum Græcorum ad XVIII diem Martii.*
Cyrillus piis prognatus erat parentibus, qui fidem orthodoxam tuebantur, ipse autem eadem fide erudiebatur. Sub regno Constantii, episcopo Hierosolymorum ad immortalem vitam translato, beatus iste C Cyrillus ad episcopalem dignitatem erectus fuit, apostolicæ doctrinæ non segnis propugnator. Acacius autem Cæsareæ in Palæstina episcopus, quamvis synodo Sardicensi damnatus fuerit, quod noluerit profiteri Filium Patri consubstantialem esse, sententiam damnationis in se a Patribus latam subire detrectans, et adhuc sedem episcopalem retinens; quia imperatori familiariter notus erat, ab imperatore potestatem adeptus, beatum Cyrillum ab episcopatu deposuit, et ex Hierosolymis expulit. Cyrillus autem Tarsum perveniens, cum admirando vixit Sylvano. Synodo autem Seleuciæ congregata propter injuriam Cyrillo illatam. Acacius celeriter indicio se proripit, et Constantinopolim perveniens, accusationibus imperatoris iram eo usque contra Cyrillum accendebat, ut illum exsilio multaret. Mortuo autem Constantio successit Julianus, qui cum animos horum omnium sibi conciliare studeret, episcopos, qui a Constantio in exsilium mittebantur, ad proprias sedes reverti jussit. D Cyrillus ergo simul cum cæteris omnibus propriam sedem capessiit. Pulchre autem, pro amore suo erga Deum, gregem sibi demandatum pascens, Catecheses quæ sub ejus nomine circum
TITULI CATECHESEON SANCTI CYRILLI. PREFACE TO THE CATECHESES OF SAINT CYRIL.
A ...which he left to the Church as a perpetual memorial of himself. After he had returned from exile, he did not live long, but passed away in peace. As for his physical form, he was of medium stature, pale, with long hair, a flat nose, a wide mouth, eyebrows growing in a straight line, white down covering his cheeks, his beard divided into two parts, and in all his manners he exhibited a certain rusticity.
[CCLXIV] *Type of St. Sabas for the 18th of March.* *Of our holy Father Cyril, Patriarch of Jerusalem.* *From the manuscript Synaxarion of the College of Clermont of the Society of Jesus in Paris, for the 11th day. See Bollandus, Vol. II of March, appendix, page 748.*
*The Memorial of our holy Father Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem.*
Hic fuit sub Constantino Magno B. This man lived under Constantine the Great. Having first become a monk and exercising himself strenuously in that profession, he was later ordained bishop of Jerusalem on account of the excellence of his life. He conducted himself so holily and laudably in that dignity that he was even summoned to the synod, where, by refuting and confounding the impious Manes, and his delirious companion who attacked the Holy Spirit, Macedonius, he filled the assembly of the orthodox with spiritual joy and exultation. Fighting rightly in all respects for the Christian dogmas, and having performed many miracles for the glory of God, and having governed well the flock entrusted to him by God, he migrated to the Lord, receiving the eternal kingdom and life, and exulting with the saints.
TITULI CATECHESEON SANCTI CYRILLI. HEADINGS OF THE CATECHESES OF SAINT CYRIL.
The headings set out here are in the edition of Prevotius, taken from the Vatican codices which the Anglican edition judged should be omitted. They are found with some variations in codex XXII of the Augustan library, the catalog of which library, first edited by M. Welser, was reprinted with new care by David Hoeschel in the year 1595, and at the beginning of the Ottobonian codex of the Catecheses XXI, or a more recent one. However, it is missing in the greater number of codices. I have edited the titles as the edition of that year presents them, with the addition of the variations of the Augustan codex, from which codex I have sometimes supplied missing items. C
1. Procatechesis, regarding not tempting [God], page 1.
...numbers marked with letters of the alphabet, which are prefixed to each title. The Procatechesis is inscribed "On not tempting," because it is almost entirely concerned with ensuring that those who approach baptism with a corrupted mind and intent do not wish to tempt divine grace and explore it to their own ruin.
TITLES OF THE CATECHESES OF SAINT CYRIL
2. A catechesis for those about to be illuminated in Jerusalem, containing an introduction for those who are approaching baptism, composed for the occasion; and a reading from Isaiah: *Wash yourselves*, etc., cat. 1, p. 16.
3. On repentance and the remission of sins, and on the Adversary, and a reading from Ezekiel: *Righteousness to the righteous*, etc., cat. 2, p. 21.
4. On baptism; and a reading from the Epistle to the Romans: *Do you not know*, etc., cat. 3, p. 39.
5. On the ten dogmas briefly; and a reading from the Epistle to the Colossians: *See that no one*, etc., cat. 4, p. 51. A
[CCLXV] 6. On faith; a reading from the Epistle to the Hebrews: *Now faith is*, etc., cat. 5, p. 72.
7. On the monarchy of God, and on the phrase, *I believe in one God*, and on heresies; and a reading from Isaiah: *Be renewed toward me, O islands*, etc., cat. 6, p. 86. B
8. On the Father; and a reading from the Epistle to the Ephesians: *For this cause*, etc., cat. 7, p. 112.
9. On the Almighty; and a reading from Jeremiah: *God, the great Lord and strong*, etc., cat. 8, p. 121.
10. On the phrase, *Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible*; and a reading from Job: *Who is this*, etc., cat. 9, p. 126.
11. On the clause, *And in one Lord Jesus Christ*; and a reading from the first Epistle to the Corinthians: *For even if there are*, etc., cat. 10, p. 136. C
12. On the clause, *And in Christ the Son of God, the only-begotten, who was born of the Father before all ages*, etc.; and a reading from the Epistle to the Hebrews: *At various times and in various ways*, etc., cat. 11, p. 149.
13. On the clause, *Was incarnate and made man*; and a reading from Isaiah: *And the Lord added further*, etc., cat. 12, p. 163.
14. On the clause, *Crucified and buried*; and a reading from Isaiah: *Lord, who has believed*, etc., cat. 13, p. 182.
15. On the clause, *And rose again from the dead on the third day, and ascended into the heavens*; and a reading from the first Epistle to the Corinthians: *Now I make known to you*, etc., cat. 14, p. 205. D
15. A On the phrase, *And shall come to judge the living and the dead*, and concerning the Antichrist: and a reading from Daniel: *I beheld until thrones were placed*, and the rest, cat. 15, p. 221.
16. Regarding the holy Spirit the Paraclete: and a reading from the first to the Corinthians: *Now concerning spiritual gifts*, and the rest, cat. 16, p. 242.
17. The remaining points regarding the holy Spirit: and a reading from the first to the Corinthians: *For to one is given the word*, and the rest, cat. 17, p. 263.
18. B On the phrase, *And in one holy, catholic Church; and the resurrection of the flesh, and in life everlasting*: and a reading from Ezekiel: *And the hand of the Lord was upon me*, and the rest, cat. 18, p. 283.
Index of the same Cyril’s Mystagogical Catecheses.
To the neophytes: a reading from the first catholic Epistle of Peter, from the words: *Be sober, be vigilant*, and the rest, cat. [19 mystag.] 1, p. 303.
On baptism: and a reading from the Epistle to the Romans, from the words: *Do you not know, that as many as*, and the rest, cat. [20 mystag.] 2, p. 310.
On chrism: and a reading from the first catholic Epistle of John, from the words: *And you have an anointing*, and the rest, cat. [21 mystag.] 3, p. 314.
On the body and blood of Christ: and a reading from the Epistle to the Corinthians: *For I have received from the Lord*, and the rest, cat. [22 mystag.] 4, p. 318.
From the catholic Epistle of Peter: *Wherefore laying aside*, and the rest, cat. [23 mystag.] 5, p. 322.
In the Augustan codex, after the titles of the former catecheses, there is this chronological note, which was also read in the Grodecius codex, and rendered into Latin by him, though with some diversity. In the Ottobonian codex, this note is held after both sets of Catecheses. C
Many other catecheses were spoken each year, both before baptism and after the baptism of the neophytes. But these alone, as they were being pronounced, were taken down by certain studious listeners, who wrote them out in the year 352 of the advent of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In which you will find in detail, according to the glorious second coming of Christ, and his kingdom without end, and concerning the Antichrist […]. On the catholic Church, and on the resurrection of the dead: and on life eternal: and on other catecheses, and an epilogue on temperance. D Five Mystagogical Catecheses of John, Bishop of Jerusalem. On baptism, chrism, body and blood of Christ. In the second year.
NOTICE ON THE PROCATECHESIS
I. This is a preliminary discourse, falling outside the order of the catecheses; in it, having had names given at the beginning of Lent for baptism, he teaches his hearers about the excellence and duties of their new state (nn. 1, 6, 8); and in what manner they ought to spend that novitiate of Christianity, preparing for baptism diligently and from the heart. First, he requires a sincere desire for baptism, unfeigned by any evil intent, the lack of which would make the reception of this gift not only useless, but pernicious. How great a danger it is to experience the thing wrongly without a sincere movement of the spirit, he shows (nn. 2, 3), adducing the examples of Simon Magus and of the guest coming to the wedding without a wedding garment*; then he exhorts (nn. 4, 5) that if anyone has entered with an ill intent, he should immediately cast off the corrupt disposition and take up a better one; and that he should be moved to this by the order and majesty of the observed ecclesiastical assemblies, recalling that many who had approached wrongly were changed for the better. He notes the distinction between catechumens and the enlightened (n. 6): the latter being already called faithful, a name in which God Himself rejoices; [he notes] that baptism, which is not to be repeated if it has been received unworthily, should be received well once, for only heretics are rebaptized, because what they had received before was nothing. He commands that all diligence of a good will—than which God requires nothing—be applied (n. 7). Let them diligently receive the exorcisms, by which the soul is purified from sins through the Holy Spirit as in a furnace, and is liberated from demons (nn. 8, 9). Let them be assiduous in attending the catecheses (n. 10): for in these are taken up those weapons against Jews, Samaritans, Gentiles, and heretics (n. 11); and let no one be permitted to miss them without the loss of the whole doctrine taught therein in order; moreover, they should diligently guard what is heard there before the catechumens, even those who ask curiously. He prescribes what is to be done before the hour of the exorcisms by those who have entered the church before others, and what during the time of the exorcisms (nn. 13, 14). Finally, with the celebration of the paschal night, on which they were to be baptized, being commended, and the goods of baptism having been shown (nn. 15, 16), he concludes the sermon with a diligent and assiduous exhortation to the practice of all good works (nn. 17, 18).
II. There are many things in this oration worthy of the attention of the learned. The custom of giving names for baptism at the beginning of Lent (nn. 1 and 4): there is the end of the catechumenate and the start of the title of "faithful" (n. 12): which is almost peculiar to the Church of Jerusalem: the force of the exorcisms (n. 9), the nullity of baptism given by heretics (n. 7), the silence concerning the mysteries before the catechumens (n. 12), the hard and laborious exercise of those to be baptized for forty days (nn. 4, 13, 15, 16). The vigilance and zeal of the clerics toward them, etc.
III. This oration was delivered at the beginning of Lent, according to these words in n. 4: "You have no small interval of time: forty days of penance are given to you." I surmise it was delivered on the first Sunday of Lent for these reasons: 1st, because the following four catecheses were said at the beginning of Lent when the whole of it was still to be run (ex cat. IV, n. 3); 2nd, because it was pronounced before the whole assembly of the Church and in the synaxis itself, I believe; for with these words he addresses him who had approached with an evil mind, n. 4. Do you see this venerable appearance of the Church? Do you see the order and discipline, the reading of the Scriptures, the presence of canonical persons, the order and sequence of teaching? while, as I interpret, several presbyters were preaching, and the bishop in the last place. Furthermore, this oration lacks the reading of Scripture prefixed to the beginning of the other catecheses: for which fact I find no other cause than that the other catecheses were held in their own assembly specially deputed for that purpose; this one [was held] at the dismissal of the Illuminandi, before the mass of the faithful began. The church was closed (n. 14), and the catechumens excluded (n. 12). The Illuminandi had already given their names for baptism, all at once, and perhaps on that very day, as I conclude from what was said in nn. 1, 3, and 5. They had already received at least the first exorcism, the rite of which he describes in n. 9.
ADMONITION CONCERNING THE PROCATECHESIS
IV. It is called the Procatechesis, as if to say "spoken before the catecheses," and serving as a preparation for hearing them. It is of a similar subject matter to that first of the six books of *Institutions*—which Gennadius (Catalog. cap. 23) says were written by a bishop of the city of Rome, perhaps Anicetus, or rather by some presbyter of that church of a similar name—the first of which contained how *Competentes* ought to conduct themselves, because they desire to attain to the grace of baptism. It is also similar to the Augustinian sermon 216, addressed to the *Competentes*. Since this Cyrilline work of Catecheses is singular and unique, I have nowhere else found the word "Procatechesis" used in the same sense as here; the word itself also rarely occurs in ecclesiastical writers. I remember reading one place in Cyril of Alexandria (lib. XI, in Joan., ad cap. III, vers. 22, p. 157 A), where he says that the Mosaic law was a certain preliminary exercise and prior instruction for the spiritual worship of the new law, "a certain preparatory exercise and *procatechesis* of the worship in the Spirit."
V. Although the other catecheses have a preliminary subject in their inscription, indicating the matter treated in each, none is ascribed to the Procatechesis in the manuscripts and published codices. In the Augustan index, which I edited above, this is found: *Περὶ τοῦ μὴ πειρᾶσθαι* (On not tempting); nor rashly, since the address turns almost entirely on this, so that an auditor might not approach baptism with a corrupt disposition and unprepared, as if about to incur danger to the loss of his own salvation. Why no special reading of Scripture precedes this, as is done in the following sermons, I have assigned my conjecture in nn. 3 and 4. Yet customary readings from the Scriptures had been made in the assembly (Procat. n. 4), and it seems that the chapter from the Epistle to the Romans, chapter VI, was specifically read; for it is said in n. 5: "You have heard the Apostle saying: 'Dead indeed to sin, but living to justice.'"
VI. In the codex of Grodecius and Prevotius, after the words of the title, there are found these: *Κύριε, εὐλόγησον*, "Lord, bless," which neither exist in our Royal codex, nor seem to have existed in the Anglican ones. Whether this request for a blessing belongs to the librarians or to the author, I do not know. Presbyters who were preaching before the bishop, as Cyril was then doing, were accustomed to say, *Εὐλόγησον, Πάτερ*, "Bless, Father," as Chrysostom does in the presence of Flavian at the beginning of homily 23, tom. I. Readers also in the church, before they read either Scripture or any homily, requested a blessing from the presiding officer. Whence it perhaps came about that the formula *Εὐλόγησον, Κύριε*, "Bless, Lord," is found prefixed to many of the orations of the Greek Fathers, unless, which I think more probable, it is a formula of the librarians requesting a blessing from God for the work begun.
VII. We have revised this oration against the Latin version of Grodecius, and the Greek editions of Prevotius and Millesius, and against the Anglican codices, whose variants are accurately exhibited by Millesius; and furthermore against one more recent Ottobonian codex, whose various readings were transmitted to me by the Very Reverend Father Philippus Raffier, then procurator general of our congregation in the Roman Curia. In another old Ottobonian codex, the beginnings of both the Procatechesis and the first catechesis are so tattered and confused from antiquity that nothing could be extracted from them. Moreover, I have used the Royal codex, formerly 260, now 1284, p. 254, which is from about the twelfth century, in which this Procatechesis is held under the name of St. Basil, with many variants, which I have indicated in the notes in the margin; and there is a great lacuna which begins from the word *λεγόμενα* in n. 11, p. 1, up to the words *εἰ μὴ κέκλεισται* in n. 14, p. 10. Among the other works of St. Basil contained in that book, this Procatechesis of ours is described continuously with the rest, with this inscription: *Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ὁμιλία περὶ φωτίσματος* (Homily of the same on illumination, or baptism). But in the same place in the margin, this scholion has been added by another hand: "The style of the proposed discourse demonstrates to us evidently that it is not of St. Basil." And that most appropriately; for besides the fact that the matter, the sentiments, the words, and the manner of the oration are clearly Cyrilline, repeated verbatim in other catecheses, and especially in the first; the end of the catechumenate in the inscription of names; the appellation of "faithful" taken from those who gave their names; the catecheses of those to be baptized continued throughout the whole of Lent; Lent defined by forty days; the rebaptism of heretics only, etc.—these are things partly proper to the Church of Jerusalem, and partly foreign to Basil and the Cappadocian Church. And in truth, although the oration is not unworthy of being attributed to the father Basil, it must be confessed that the power of the Basilian orations is different, as is the elegance and a certain majesty of discourse, conjoined with purity, discernment, and propriety of words.