Cyril of Alexandria (review)

Norman Russell. Cyril of Alexandria. The Early Church Fathers. New York: Routledge, 2000. Pp. x + 272. $25.99.

For uncivil dealings with his adversaries Cyril of Alexandria attracted adverse treatment not only from his contemporaries but also from ours, and from numerous others in between. Norman Russell does not dispute Cyril's aggressive ecclesiastical politics. But whereas many scholars' judgments of Cyril and his theology are still largely colored by his unscrupulous behavior, Russell joins a growing chorus (e.g., M.-O. Boulnois, J. M. McGuckin, L. J. Welsh) which seeks to do justice to this first-rate theologian.

Cyril of Alexandria is a beautifully written volume, one of the latest in The Early Church Fathers series that aims to make patristic theologians more accessible to students of the early Church. This work falls into two parts, a four-chapter introduction followed by lucid translations of five texts. "The Making of a Bishop" is the first chapter in the thoroughly researched, well-documented, and extensive introduction (sixty-three pages). Russell outlines Cyril's education, his eventual succession to his uncle Theophilus, the bishop of Alexandria, and the episcopal policies that Cyril practiced, largely in continuity with those of his predecessor. The next chapter overviews Cyril's theology with reference to his critiques of Judaism and Arianism prior to the outbreak of the Nestorian controversy. Russell draws our attention to the importance of spiritual exegesis for Cyril's theological enterprise and outlines the dominant features of Cyril's soteriology, including the important role which the sacraments and the ministry of the Holy Spirit play in the schema of salvation. He also provides a clear synopsis of Cyril's trinitarian theology in his debate with the form of Arianism current in the early fifth century, perceptively noting how Cyril uses both images and concepts in his attempts to elucidate the Trinity. The third chapter offers an historical narrative of the Nestorian controversy through and beyond the Council of Ephesus, a sketch of the theological issues at stake in the Nestorian controversy, and a brief account of Cyril's episcopal activities at the end of his life. Russell closes his introduction with a brief chapter on "The Cyrillian Legacy" in some of the christological debates during the century following Cyril's death.

Russell translates five texts, each of which is prefaced by an introduction and is amply documented with endnotes. Except for the Explanation of the Twelve Chapters, which McGuckin also recently translated (St. Cyril of Alexandria: The Christological Controversy [1994]), the texts translated by Russell complement McEnerney's rendering of the letters (Fathers of the Church, vols. 76-77 [1987]) and the selections already published by Wickham (Cyril of Alexandria: Selected Letters [1983]) and McGuckin. Included in this volume are portions from two works not previously translated into English, the Commentary on Isaiah and Against Julian, as well as excerpts from the Commentary on John and from the Five Tomes Against Nestorius. Both of these latter were last translated into English in the nineteenth century. The selections from the two commentaries are particularly felicitous because they introduce us to Cyril as a biblical commentator, provide a window into Cyril's theology prior to the outbreak of the Nestorian crisis in 429, and offer rich and extended reflections on soteriological and eucharistic themes. Both the Five Tomes (spring of 430), written concurrently with the Second Letter to Nestorius, and the Explanation (summer 431), written in defense of the Third Letter, are most helpful for clarifying and expanding upon the terse christology expressed in Cyril's dogmatic letters. Finally, Against Julian, a work written in the twilight of his episcopacy, presents some golden reflections on the life of the true philosopher.

This volume is accessible to a wide range of students interested in Cyril. Scholars in particular will be drawn by the extensive multi-lingual bibliography, which includes helpful information on critical editions and English translations.