Saint Cyril was born, in all likelihood, in 313 AD in Jerusalem. From his pious and orthodox parents he received as a sacred heritage piety and correct doctrines, at a time when the heresy of Arius was actively and expansively manifesting itself in the area of faith. At the age of only twenty, and while his spiritual maturity was widely known, he was ordained deacon and – after ten years – elder by Bishop Maximus of Jerusalem, whose throne and ministry he assumed immediately after his death (349 A.D.). As bishop he acted and defended correct doctrines against heresies, despite the apparent support of Arianism on the part of the Emperor Constantine. The Arianist metropolitan of Caesarea, Acarius (through whom the Saint had received the last degree of the priesthood) hoped that Cyril would embrace his own views. He, however, reacted and remained firm and unmoved in his positions. His brave, heroic and saintly attitude led to his persecution and marginalization. In particular, he was exiled by the emperor, after being first of all slandered by Metropolitan Acacia, who ecclesiastically owned the bishopric of Jerusalem. Cyril spent decades in exile. However, after Constantine’s demise and the rise of Julian the transgressor to power, the plight of both Cyril and all the Orthodox bishops and clergy who were persecuted was radically altered. Julian hoped to win the favour of all the bishops whom his predecessor had disgraced. This led to the happy, for Orthodoxy, result that all the exiles were revoked and the bishops returned to their sees, which was done by St. Cyril, who resumed his bishopric. This advantageous situation did not last long because, after Julian’s death, the heretic Oualis ascended to the throne of the regency. He, following the tactics of Constantius, repeated the sentence of exile to Cyril. In the year 378 A.D., after the end of Wallace, the Saint returned again to Jerusalem. In the last eight years of his life, the bishop of the Holy City, Jerusalem, devoted himself on the one hand to the work of cultivating his flock – to missionary activity within the boundaries of his diocese by catechizing and baptizing – and on the other hand to fighting heresies. He rested in peace in 387 AD and his memory is commemorated on 18 March each year.
Apolytikon Sound c’. The beauty. The garb of the inmost, doubting, the pillar of the whole light, the ear of faith, the apostles in Sion, the grace of the christened, wherefore thou hast been impressed, pious in doctrine, and faithfully scattered, the talent of wisdom. And now for our sake, Cyril, Father Hierarch.
Catechesis and mission
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem was particularly concerned with the catechism of his flock or, in other words, with the internal mission of the citizens of his province. The tangible evidence of this ministry is the ‘Catechisms’ he delivered in the Church of the Resurrection during Lent 350 AD in Jerusalem, addressed to the enlightened and the newly converted. So we also seize the opportunity to deal in our article with the link between catechesis and mission, while quoting several of the choicest passages from the Saint’s “Catechisms”. Shortly before his Ascension, the Lord exhorted his disciples with the words, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). In other words, he asked them to catechize the whole world. The word “catechesis” is probably derived from the Pentecostal incident and the descent of the Holy Spirit (“from heaven”) as a sound (“as a violent breath”) (Acts 2:2). However, its meaning is sketched extremely aptly and intelligibly by St. Cyril:
“Catechesis is edification. If we do not dig deep and lay a foundation, and if we do not then tie the whole building with construction joints, lest something loose should be found and the building should pile up underneath, we have no benefit from the effort we made before. That is, we must tie one stone to another in a row, and one corner must follow the other, and by scraping away all the unnecessary things, we shall raise the building perfectly. Thus we offer you, in a manner of speaking, the stones of knowledge. You must hear all that is said about the living God; you must hear all that is said about judgment; you must hear all that is said about Christ; you must hear all that is said about the resurrection, and much more” (Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechisms, vol. 1, H.P.E., pp. 25-27).
Therefore, catechesis is the offering of the Word of God to the people, it is the talks, the catechetical schools, the youth catechetical fellowships, the Bible study circles and, of course, the sermons of the priests and preachers from the pulpit of the church. Here we must make a clarification. In the early Christian years and today – in the countries where the divine work of missionary work is carried out – we had and still have “catechumens”, that is, people who know orthodoxy for the first time and are discerningly led to baptism. They are “catechized”, that is, they are taught the doctrines of the Church as well as the principles of the Gospel even after their baptism. On the other hand, in our country, Orthodox Greece, although the majority of us are Christians, we also need catechesis.
Adopting Christ’s teaching, “Search the scriptures, that in them you may have eternal life; and they are the witnesses for me” (John 5:39), the holy father considers catechisms so important that he urges:
“Attend the catechisms regularly, although we prolong them a lot by saying too much, so that your mind does not become lax. For here you take weapons against the energy of your enemy. Thou takest arms against the heresies, against the Jews and the Samaritans and the idolaters. You have many enemies; take many arrows; for you have many to strike with your spear, and you must learn how to deal with the heathen, how to fight against the heretic, the Jew, the Samaritan. And weapons, of course, are ready, but even more ready is the sword of the Spirit; but you must stretch out your right hand with good intentions, to fight in the war of the Lord, to defeat the opposing forces, to become invincible before everything heretical” (Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechisms, vol. 1, H.P.E., pp. 23-25).
So, in his advice to all, regarding the evil desire that rises in our hearts, he emphasizes:
“But you may say; I am faithful and cannot be defeated by desire, though I often bring it to mind. But are you ignorant that the root that persists often breaks even a stone? Do not accept the seed, for it will break the stone of faith. Pluck out the evil from its root before it has blossomed, for, if at first you are indifferent, there is fear of needing an axe and fire. When you begin to have discomfort in your eyes, cure them in time, so that you will not come to seek the doctor when you are completely blinded” (Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechisms, vol. 1, H.P.E., pp. 55-57).
But even if we are defeated by sin, it teaches us not to despair:
“He, my man, who raised Lazarus, who was four days dead and stinking, could he not more easily raise you who are alive? He who shed his honest blood for us, he shall save us from sin. Let us not despair, my brothers. Let us not throw ourselves into a state of despair. For it is terrible not to have confidence in the hope of salvation; for he who does not expect salvation, throws himself wholeheartedly into evil; while he who hopes in his own healing, takes too much care of himself. For even the thief who does not expect grace comes to despair, while when he hopes for forgiveness, he is often led to repentance. Then the serpent casts off his aged skin, and shall we not cast off sin? And the thorn-filled earth, when well ploughed, becomes fruitful, and for us salvation is impossible? Our nature, then, is amenable to salvation; but predestination is also required” (Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechisms, vol.)
And it goes on:
“So what should we do? And what are the fruits of repentance? “He who has two robes, give to him who has none (He was trustworthy who taught these things, for he was the first to apply those things he taught. He had no difficulty in saying them, for conscience did not hinder him by restraining his tongue), and he who has food should do the same.” Do you want to enjoy the grace of the Holy Spirit, and do you not want to give the poor material food? Do you ask for the great and do not give the small?” (Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechisms, vol. 1, H.P.E., pp. 119-121).
And while St Cyril clearly stresses the great importance of charity, St Chrysostom, for his part, highlights the primary need for catechesis:
“Thou art not worthy of any soul, neither is the world worthy of thee. So that no man that hath seen money fall, shall work no such thing as returneth one soul. For he that hath extracted honesty from unworthy, as my mouth is, so say you. Great indeed is the love and mercy of the afflicted, but none that delivereth from error: for he that doeth this, according to Paul, is made like unto Peter” (1 Corinthians 3. EPE 18,80. PG 61,29-30).
The Bishop of Jerusalem’s emphasis on faith is also noteworthy. At the sound of the word “faith”, the trust in God that each one closes in his heart for himself comes spontaneously to mind. Subversively, however, the Saint emphasizes one’s faith for another! Let us enjoy him:
“So great is the power of faith that not only the one who believes is saved, but many others have been saved through the faith of others. The paralytic of Capernaum was not himself a believer, but those who carried him and brought him down from the tiles believed. For along with the body, the paralytic’s soul was sick. And do not think that I am accusing him unjustly; that is what the Gospel says; “when Jesus saw”, not the faith, but “the faith of those, he said to the paralytic, ‘Get up’. Those who lifted him up believed, and the paralytic enjoyed healing. Do you want to make sure that others are saved by the faith of others? Lazarus died. He spent a day and a second and a third. His nerves were shattered and his body began to rot. How could a man who had been dead four days believe, and plead for himself to the Redeemer? So what was missing from the dead man , his real sisters did. For when the Lord came, his sister fell at his feet, and to Jesus’ question, “Where have you buried him?” she answered; “Lord, he already smells, for he has been dead four days.” And the Lord said to her, “If you believe, you will see the glory of God.” That is, as if he were saying to her, “Thou hast replaced the faith that is lacking in the dead man. And the faith of the sisters had such power that it brought the dead man back to life from the gates of hell. Since, then, other men, believing on behalf of others, have been able to raise the dead, will you, if you believe for yourself sincerely, not benefit more? But even if thou art still unbelieving or of little faith, the Lord is charitable and accepts thy repentance. Only say thou also with gratitude; “I believe, O Lord, help my unbelief.” If again you think you are a believer, but you do not yet have perfect faith. It is therefore necessary for you, like the apostles, to say, “Lord, add faith to us”. So you have a part of faith, but you will receive most of it from him” (Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechisms, vol. 1, H.P.E., pp. 189-191).
In conclusion, St. Cyril – not only for converts but for all of us, teachers and students, preachers and catechumens – states:
“Take heed not to those things which are now done, but to those things which are written. Nor if I who teach you perish, you perish with me. But the hearer may become better than his teacher, and he who came last may become first, for the Bishop also receives those who arrive at the eleventh hour” (Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechisms, vol. 2, E.P.E., p. 131).
Finally, aiming to awaken the faithful so that they may be comforted in this life, he reminds them of the irreversible judgment of unrepentant people:
“God does not need to test them long, but as soon as the wicked are raised, they will be punished immediately. And when he says, “The dead shall not praise thee, O Lord,” it means, that only in this life is there the possibility of repentance and remission of sins, during which those who enjoy these things “shall praise thee.” But they will not be able to praise God after their death as blessed, those who died in sins, for they will mourn. So then the righteous will praise, while those who died in sins will no longer have an opportunity for confession” (Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechisms, vol. 2, H.P.E., p. 291).
