St. Cyril of Jerusalem

Q: What is St. Cyril of Jerusalem the patron saint of?

St. Cyril of Jerusalem is the patron saint of catechists (religious teachers) and catechumens (people receiving religious instruction).

Q: Who was St. Cyril of Jerusalem?

St. Cyril of Jerusalem was an early Christian bishop of Jerusalem and who played a key role in developing Jerusalem as a pilgrimage center for Christians . In 1883 he was declared a doctor of the church , a title granted to saints of the Roman Catholic Church whose writings and teachings are considered especially significant.

Q: What is St. Cyril of Jerusalem’s primary surviving work?

St. Cyril of Jerusalem ’s primary surviving work is Catecheses , a 4th-century collection of 23 catechetical lectures that were delivered to candidates for baptism .

Q: Why was St. Cyril of Jerusalem exiled from his see?

St. Cyril of Jerusalem was exiled three times from his see between about 357 and 378, primarily because of political and theological conflicts with bishops associated with the heretical belief of Arianism , specifically Acacius of Caesarea . Cyril was accused of selling church property to give to the poor and of insubordination, although this accusation was fueled by the disputes over authority and ideology.

Q: What was the miracle of St. Cyril of Jerusalem?

The miracle associated with St. Cyril of Jerusalem was the appearance on May 7, 351, of a luminous cross in the sky over Golgotha (the site of Jesus ’ Crucifixion ) that extended to the Mount of Olives . The apparition was reportedly witnessed by the entire population of Jerusalem and was documented by Cyril in a letter to Emperor Constantius II . It was interpreted as a divine sign affirming orthodox Christianity against the Arian heresy (to which Constantinus had become sympathetic). The Greek Orthodox Church commemorates this event annually on May 7.

Christian bishop

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History

What is St. Cyril of Jerusalem the patron saint of?

Who was St. Cyril of Jerusalem?

What is St. Cyril of Jerusalem’s primary surviving work?

Why was St. Cyril of Jerusalem exiled from his see?

What was the miracle of St. Cyril of Jerusalem?

St. Cyril of Jerusalem (born c. 315, Jerusalem—died 386?, Jerusalem; feast day March 18) was an early Christian bishop of Jerusalem who fostered the development of the city as a pilgrimage center for all Christendom. He is venerated as the patron saint of catechists (religious teachers) and catechumens (people receiving religious instruction). In 1883 he was declared a doctor of the church, a title granted to saints of the Roman Catholic Church whose writings and teachings are considered especially significant.

A senior presbyter when he succeeded Maximus as bishop (c. 350), Cyril was exiled about 357 and at two later times from his see by the Arians, a heretical sect. Many years later at the Council of Constantinople (381) there was evidence that he might have been suspected by the strictly orthodox for his associations with the Homoiousians (moderate Arians), who had reinstated him as bishop at the Council of Seleucia (359). He retained his bishopric during the reign of Emperor Julian the Apostate (361–363).

Cyril’s primary surviving work is Catecheses, a collection of 23 catechetical lectures delivered to candidates for baptism. The first 18, based on the Jerusalem baptismal creed, were given during Lent, and the concluding 5 instructed the newly baptized during the week after Easter.