Cyril of Jerusalem
Personality
St. Cyril is
characterized by a pastoral gentleness and tenderness: such that, even when he
exhorts or rebukes us, we are encouraged and filled with joy. St. Cyril is so eloquent, that we would
happily name him Chrysostomos (349-407), were that name not already in use; we
would present to you Chrysostomos Ⅱ, were it not for the fact that St. Cyril is
St. John’s predecessor by nearly forty years, old enough in that era to be St.
John’s grandfather: so Chrysostomos the elder will need to suffice. St. Cyril also was possessed of a generosity
akin to St. Nicholas (270-343): for here is one who is guilty of selling church
baubles to feed the poor: hence, he may rightly be called Nicholas Ⅱ.[i] Finally, St. Cyril may be the prophetic
precursor of Handel’s Messiah: for as Messiah
strings and weaves together, one verse of Scripture after another in wondrous
and delightful composition; so, St. Cyril reciting, connects one verse of
Scripture after another. It’s as if he
were reciting from a Nave’s Topical Bible or a concordance: we are simply
amazed that anyone, extempore, could have such knowledge of the Bible.
[i]
We cannot help but admire the spirit of obedience to James 2:16, which St.
Nicholas and St. Cyril so evidently shared.
Would to God that such a heart prevailed in the churches today; rather
than the all-to-frequent grasping after rank, status, and supremacy… as if the kingdom
of God could ever be established by one-up-man-ship. Incidentally, St. Nicholas is old enough to
be St. Cyril’s grandfather.
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