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Journal of Early Christian Studies 10.2 (2002) 298-299



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Book Review

Cyril of Jerusalem


Edward Yarnold, S.J. Cyril of Jerusalem. The Early Church Fathers. London and New York: Routledge, 2000. Pp. xiii + 221. $80 hb; $25.99 pb.

This welcome study on Cyril of Jerusalem (bishop ca. 350-387) by a liturgy scholar (The Study of Liturgy, 1976 and 1992; The Awe-Inspiring Rites of Initiation, 1994) provides a concise background to Cyril and fourth-century Jerusalem and new translations of virtually all of Cyril's texts: Sermon on the Paralytic, Letter to Constantius, Procatechesis-Catecheses, and the more controversially attested Mystagogic Catecheses.

Yarnold begins with a brief biography, considering Cyril's homoiousion position, political conflicts, and exiles. He gives a detailed description of the church complex at Golgotha, the site of Cyril's addresses, and compares Cyril's texts with Egeria's narrative in light of the changes during Cyril's time, particularly as they relate to the Anastasis.

Chapters 3 to 5 introduce the texts. Yarnold dates the Procatechesis-Catecheses to ca. 350, soon after Cyril became bishop. He dates the Mystagogics, often attributed to Cyril's successor, John, to the late 380s, shortly before Cyril's death. For his argument he points the reader to the newly published thesis of his student Alexis Doval (Cyril of Jerusalem, Mystagogue: The Authorship of the Mystagogic Catecheses, Patristic Monograph Series 17, Washington, DC: Catholic University Press, 2001), noting that the Mystagogics read like sermon notes, that they might have been unknown until Cyril's death, that the content and style best fit Cyril's Catecheses, and that the Mystagogics lack John's known enthusiasm for Origen.

Chapter 4 explores Cyril's "liturgical creativity," particularly his intentional use of liturgy to induce a heightened sense of mystery, giving initiates an "awe-inspiring" or "spine chilling" experience. Cyril's liturgy was influenced by Constantine, as well as by Jerusalem's Greek- and Syriac-speaking populations and by the lectionary for the Old Armenian community. Indeed, considering the fact that Cyril knew Meletius of Antioch, a native of Armenia, and that Cyril came from the north to stop at Meletius's "inn" on one of his returns from exile, the broader Armenian influence remains an enticing question Yarnold does not address.

Chapter 5 considers Cyril's exegesis "Antiochene" for its preoccupation with historicism and "proofs." Yet Cyril seems little concerned with precise theological language. He affirms Christ's full divinity, full humanity, and the divinity of [End Page 298] the Holy Spirit, but beyond this says, "For in what concerns God the height of knowledge is to admit one's ignorance" (Cat. 6.2).

Yarnold's translations are clear and eminently readable, and the notes, bib-liography, and index supply a useful guide for students, scholars, and liturgists alike. In fact, this reader was disappointed to come to the end of the book so soon. And herein lies the rub. Yarnold gives us a complete text for three works but limits the reader to a significantly abridged Catecheses. Eight entire chapters are omitted (1, 2, 7-9, 15-17), and large chunks are missing from at least five others. Yarnold explains that passages were selected to follow the theme of "the series; we have concentrated especially on addresses concerning Christ because of their relevance to the setting of Jerusalem" (88). Clearly the publisher is the culprit, but the decision to abridge was unfortunate. No complete text of Cyril's work in English exists, and his corpus is well within the range of one volume, probably under 300 pages. Had Yarnold been permitted to include the entire Catecheses, the book would stand alone as a priceless "complete" Cyril for the English reader. Instead, the chance to read Cyril in full context dangles just out of reach.

Notwithstanding, this is a vital text with delightful translations by an eminent liturgist. The publishers should be commended for simultaneously issuing it in both hardcover and an affordable paperback. It is a must for libraries and students of early Christianity, the history of Jerusalem, and the development of...

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