The Exiled Bishop of Jerusalem

This is the opening paragraph at one of my website resources on saints for today's saint:

"Make your fold with the sheep; flee from the wolves: depart not from the Church," Cyril admonished catechumens surrounded by heresy. These were prophetic words for Cyril was to be hounded by enemies and heretics for most of his life, and although they could exile him from his diocese he never left his beloved Church.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem

Feast day: March 18
Birth: 315
Death: 386
Jerusalem

We know little about Cyril's early life. Historians estimate he was born about 315 and that he was brought up in Jerusalem.  He most likely came from a caring family and he loved them deeply.  He exhorted catechumens to honor parents "for however much we may repay them, yet we can never be to them what they as parents have been to us."

He was part of a group of men who lived in their own houses in the cities but practiced a life of complete chastity, asceticism, and service.  They were known as the Solitaries.

Soon after he was ordained as a priest, his bishop asked him to be in charge of instructing the catechumens.  Many of his instruction is written and we still have these lessons to enjoy today.  Imagine an attentive pupil of the faith furiously writing notes on Cyril's lectures.  I can see myself doing the same thing...may my notes from my many classes one day be read by others as the only source of our faith!  WOW!

On one occasion, Cyril had anticipated a pupil (the same who took care to write notes so diligently?) asking how they would ever be able to remember all the mysteries of the faith.  So Cyril stated:

"But some one will say, If the Divine substance is incomprehensible, why then do you discourse of these things? So then, because I cannot drink up all the river, am I not even to take in moderation what is expedient for me? Because with eyes so constituted as mine I cannot take in all the sun, am I not even to look upon it enough to satisfy my wants? Or again, because I have entered into a great garden, and cannot eat all the supply of fruits, would you have me go away altogether hungry?.. I am attempting now to glorify the Lord, but not to describe him, knowing nevertheless that I shall fall short of glorifying God worthily, yet deeming it a work of piety even to attempt it at all."

Trapped between the two sides of the Arian heresy of the time, Cyril was appointed to the position of bishop upon the death of the previous bishop.  Then add to this a famine that led to mass poverty.  Cyril cared for his flock and sold church property to feed the hungry.  This greatly enraged many who were already distressed by Cyril's actions.

To further bring stress to Cyril's situation, another bishop (Acacius) began to over step his position and jurisdiction, overlapping into Cyril's diocese.  Cyril argued that his authority did not include Jerusalem because Jerusalem was an "apostolic see" -- one of the original sees set up by the apostles. When Cyril did not appear at councils that Acacius called, Acacius accused him of selling church goods to raise money and had him banished.

The situation did not go as Acacius had planned.  The result of the council was the Acacius and the other Arian bishops were condemned. There's no final judgment on Cyril's case but it was probably thrown out when Acacius refused to testify and Cyril returned to Jerusalem.

Unfortunately, Acacius chose to appeal to the emperor and embellished stories of the wrongs that would bring shame to the empire.  Cyril was banished by the emperor and this lasted until a new emperor was in place some years later.

Through his exile, Cyril remained faithful to his diocese and was allowed to return to his position.  When Acacius died, each of the bishops nominated their own replacement for Caesarea. Cyril appointed his nephew Gelasius, which may seem like nepotism, except that all orthodox sources spoke of Gelasius' holiness. A year later both Cyril and Gelasius were driven out of Palestine again as the new emperor's consul reversed the past emperor's ruling.

Eleven years later, Cyril was allowed to go back to find a Jerusalem destroyed by heresy and strife. He was never able to put things completely right. He did attend the Council at Constantinople in 381 where the Nicene Creed and orthodoxy triumphed and Arianism was finally condemned. Cyril received justice at the same Council who cleared him of all previous rumors and commended him for fighting "a good fight in various places against the Arians."

Cyril had eight years of peace in Jerusalem before he died in 386, at about seventy years old.