Cyril of Jerusalem was one of the most important Christian thinkers of the first half of the third century. He was born in the Roman province of Achaia. He studied at first under his father, St. Basil, and then at Caesarea under St
Read more
Macrina the Elder, the first female teacher in any early Christian school, who had been educated by St. Gregory Nazianzen. After studying various branches of philosophy for five years under various teachers, he went to Alexandria to study theology under St.
Athanasius, who at that time was very much occupied with controversy against Arius and his followers.
Shortly after this he accepted a call to the church of Jerusalem, the see which had been vacant for two years due to the martyrdom of St. James the Just. He served as bishop for about twenty-five years until his death in 254 CE.
During his episcopate Cyril wrote several works against heresies which were very influential in combating their adherents in both East and West.
One of his most famous works is "The Letter of Cyril to Nestorius", which has become an important Orthodox encyclical regarding ecumenism and stands as one of the greatest achievements of Byzantine theology.