Cyril of Alexandria and Gregory Nazianzen: Tradition and Complexity in Patristic Christology

This article demonstrates Gregory Nazianzen's profound yet complicated influence on the Christology of Cyril of Alexandria. Although Athanasius is usually considered to be the main patristic source for Cyril's work, Cyril in fact derived the central principles of his unitive Christology and exegesis primarily from Gregory. Moreover, after the Formula of Reunion in 433 Cyril introduced certain elements from Athanasius and the Antiochenes that conflicted with the basic Gregorian framework. While Cyril remained a committed Gregorian in his late On the Unity of Christ, the intervening combination produced several tensions that threatened to compromise his legacy and posed major difficulties for later theologians. This study of Cyril's use of Gregory Nazianzen highlights the complex character of Cyril's Christology, resolves the problem of his alleged Apollinarianism, and suggests a major reevaluation of the development of post-Chalcedonian Christology.