Christological images in the early exegesis of St. Cyril of Alexandria. Christ Foretold in the Old Testament

Contents 1. Some features of Cyril’s Old Testament exegesis. 2. Soteriology of the Incarnation in Cyril’s Old Testament Commentaries. 3. Images of the suffering Messiah. 4. Images of the Church of Christ - partakers of the Divine nature. Brief conclusions. 1. Some features of Cyril’s Old Testament exegesis. As is known, it is the interpretations of the Old Testament books that make up the majority in the early exegesis of St. Cyril. In his Old Testament interpretations, Saint Cyril adheres to several methods, combining allegorical and representative methods with the historical. Thus, in the book “On Worship in Spirit and Truth,” he proves that the Mosaic Law has not been abolished, but with the coming of Christ it requires a completely different, spiritual rethinking. Accordingly, St. Cyril teaches, a Christian must “in all the books of Moses” look for prototypes concerning the mystery of Christ. At the same time, he should take into account that the prototype is not an exact reflection of the future. After all “When figurative speech, spiritual contemplations that have the highest spiritual-contemplative and mysterious meaning are presented, and at the same time some person is proposed and taken as a prototype of Christ, then a wise and knowledgeable person must determine, on the one hand, what is important here for the intended purpose, and, on the other hand, what is useful and necessary and will most of all serve for the edification of the listeners” 1. In other words, the allegories of the Bible must also be interpreted in a moral and edifying sense. In his commentaries on the minor prophets, St. Cyril of Alexandria devotes a lot of space to the historical conditions for writing each book and their literary features. “The prophetic word,” he writes, “was befitting and fully consistent with the events and circumstances of the known time.” Often Saint Cyril also turns to the Hebrew text for explanations and clarifications. He emphasizes the stylistic heterogeneity of the prophetic writings, linking it not with the conditions of compilation of the books, but with the dependence of the prophets on higher inspiration. “Usually, all prophets very quickly change their speeches at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that from history or sensory phenomena, as if before the eyes of people who are and are taking place, they quickly ascend to the inner, spiritual and, on the contrary, return again... to sensory phenomena” 2. Also worthy of attention is the image proposed by St. Cyril to understand how realistically the prophets saw the New Testament images behind the Old Testament reality. He compares the God who inspired the prophets to an artist who first sketches only faint outlines and outlines, then more precise outlines, and then gradually applies paint and only then draws out the smallest details. And if many researchers of the work of St. Cyril of Alexandria actively use the Commentaries on the Gospel of John in the study of Cyril’s theological heritage, then, being significant in its volume, Old Testament exegesis, as a rule, remains outside of wide attention. This was pointed out by Robert Wilken, 3 noting that what is the longest is not particularly readable. He gives only two examples of theological writings on this topic, one of which was written almost 60 years ago. Since then, little has changed, no fundamental works have appeared during this period, and therefore the study of the works of St. Cyril about Christ, foreshadowed in the Old Testament, may reveal some new aspects of his Christology. When identifying these aspects, it is necessary to take into account the following features of Cyril’s Old Testament exegesis: many researchers (for example, Archpriest I. McGuckin 4 5), first of all, note the presence of a Jewish community in Alexandria, which was hostile to the Christian one. The closeness and inevitable daily communication of these communities led to an accusatory tone towards the Jews who did not accept Christ as the promised Messiah. For example, the Commentary on the prophet Isaiah directly states that “As long as Israel did not dishonor against our Lord Jesus Christ, the glory of God filled the house that was in Jerusalem” 6. However, the matter here is not limited to an accusatory tone. As Archpriest John McGuckin writes in his article on Moses and the Sacrament of Christ, 7 St. Cyril consciously places his “doctrinal message” in his exegesis and it becomes more than interpretation. Thus, we are faced with the task of recognizing this message in numerous exegetical works. According to many Western researchers, the theology of St. Cyril is as deep in his early (before 428) works as in his later ones. John McGuckin even notes that it is in the well-researched early exegetical works that we see St. Cyril more sincere and accurate. This point of view is fully consistent with the idea cited by Catholic and Orthodox theologians that the early works of St. Cyril (before 428) were as complete as the later ones. And there is also a lack of attention of dogmatic researchers to this source. 2. Soteriology of the Incarnation in Cyril’s Old Testament Commentaries. The Incarnation, according to St. Cyril, has no other purpose than the salvation of humanity, and therefore it was in a certain sense “necessary.” After all, the gap between people and God, created by sin, cannot be filled without the intervention of a mediator who would be both God and man. Together with the divine state and the conditions of human life, the incarnate Word is the mediator between God and people (μεσίτης Θεού καὶ ἀνθρώπων 8). Many researchers of the work of St. Cyril refer to this, in particular, van Loon in his recently published monograph on the Dyophysite Christology of St. Cyril of Alexandria 9 . It is here, according to J. Liebert, that Cyril’s soteriology connects to his Christology 10 . In Cyrillic Old Testament interpretations, this theme of Christ the Mediator is one of its main ideas. And that is why St. Cyril insists on the perfection of the divinity of the Word or the fullness of its humanity, in order to be able to show in Christ Jesus the Mediator and Redeemer, long foretold in the Old Testament 11 . Salvation in Christ “is expressed (realized) as in Zerubbabel and Jesus: He is a king, like God, and also a high priest, like a man, and a mediator between God and people, for the priest mediates (intercedes)” 12. Beginning with the work “On Worship in Spirit and Truth,” St. Cyril illuminates some soteriological aspects of his Christology. First of all, I would like to highlight two of them: It is in Christ that salvation passes from one God's chosen people to all people. Christ was never conceived separately from humanity being saved and, above all, from the Church He created. Thus, we are talking about the unity with Christ of all deified people - saved and being saved. Perhaps it is precisely the hypothesis that St. Cyril conceived of incarnate nature as potentially including the humanity of all those being saved that allows us to understand his ambiguous expression μία φύσις τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγου σεσαρκωμένη (the one nature of God the Word incarnate) as the one nature of the multitude of those saved in Christ. This salvation is accomplished by Christ and in Christ not so much as the liberation of man from damnation in the legal sense, but as the sanctification and deification of human nature. Let us illustrate these aspects with relevant passages from the Old Testament interpretations of St. Cyril. First of all, “that the Word made man had to spiritually accomplish something like this, God the Father testified to this, saying: Behold, I am sending My angel, and he will prepare the way before Me, and suddenly the Lord, whom you seek, and the Angel of the covenant, whom you desire, will come to His church; Behold, He comes, says the Lord of hosts (Mal 3:1-3).” There is a well-known explanation for why the Son of God is called the Word - this is God’s word about Himself. Divine revelation took place in its entirety precisely at the Incarnation. Indeed, as St. Cyril writes, “The Lord of all, God, as it were, writes into us the knowledge of his will, using for this the Son in the Spirit as a reed: because that is what He called Him through David, saying: “My tongue is the reed of a scribbler” (Ps. 44:2) 13. The interpretation of the prophet Isaiah says that the Word is called the arm of God and the Father 14. The Old Testament sacrifices are understood as a prototype of a bloodless sacrifice that will be performed not only in Israel: “according to His words, all nations will offer Him incense and a pure sacrifice” 15 . This will be accomplished in the Church, “for the Church of Christ is wondrous and, being, as it were, on a mountain, known to everyone; and she is called true not as serving in images and shadows, on the contrary, as having accepted the truth, which is Christ, and serving in spirit and truth” 16 . It is also worthy of attention that St. Cyril’s views on Old Testament events as prototypes of New Testament events are used even by researchers of the survivals of Old Testament sacrifices in Byzantine parish Orthodoxy. Speaking about the slaughter of two calves, St. Cyril notes that here two peoples are meant - the people of Israel and the converted Gentiles, whose unification takes place in the ram - Christ 17. Thus, according to the author, “the interpretation of St. Cyril, whose authority in the Christian East was exceptionally high, gave the bloody sacrifice, at least in a spiritual rethinking, the opportunity to be integrated into theological thought” 18. It is quite natural that the author stipulates “that in this context it does not make sense to touch upon the Christian theology of sacrifice in the aspect of interpretation of the crucifixion of Christ” 19. The different, fundamentally new nature of this sacrifice is obvious: “It is not otherwise that they (the people of Israel) can return to their original state except through Christ, abandoning their legal customs” 20 . A similar thought is expressed by St. Cyril further: “the sacrament of Christ... calls everyone throughout the entire earth... to purification by water and blood and to life-giving through communion through the communion of holy flesh.” So, the Redeemer of all and the Savior is Christ 21. In addition, the limitations of the law are especially emphasized: its function is temporary and consisted “of foretelling about Christ, and it itself is not very sufficient to save anyone” 22. And, as Rev. I. McGuckin, mediation and its outcome play a central role in the connection between the Old and New Testaments. Salvific intercession is also one of the central points in the typology of Moses (as a prototype of Christ) in Cyrillic exegesis. However, in this typology, Christ for St. Cyril is not the “New Moses,” but the supreme Intercessor, replacing with Himself the outdated and incomplete image of Mosaic intercession. Saint Cyril directly says in his interpretation of the prophet: “childhood through Moses is lower than the Gospel and such was the purpose of the first, of which it was a shadow and an image” 23. The typology of Moses is developed in many episodes and images, but they often have a negative connotation when talking about Moses as a mediator and symbol of Israel, where St. Cyril is more inclined to outline the limitations and low effectiveness of the role of Moses than his strengths 24 . Moreover, according to L. Welch, St. Cyril contrasts Christ, who saves humanity through his intercession, and Moses, from whose intercession humanity received only condemnation 25 . A similar idea is contained in St. Cyril and in his interpretations of the Gospel of John, in which he touches on Old Testament prototypes: “in the image of mediation, ancient Moses, who faithfully conveyed Divine definitions to the sons of Israel, can be thought of as a type of Christ. But Moses’ mediation is auxiliary, while Christ’s is free and most mysterious, naturally touching the mediated parties and reaching both, I say – mediated humanity and the Father God” 26 . And here we can once again reveal the idea that St. Cyril means the natural union of the saving God and the saved humanity, conceived as a race, i.e. some totality and community. So, having abolished death, shaken the power of corruption and saved, together with the believers, those who were once taught under the law, who else but our one Lord Jesus Christ? 27 Thus, the limitations of the law and Moses as an intercessor and mediator also expresses the Christological truth - true mediation and intercession for salvation can only be given by the Son of God - Christ, united with humanity at the level of the race. It will be “from Osmago day” (Ezek 48:27), i.e. from the time of the Resurrection of our Savior, when burnt offerings began to be made, that is, the perfect and complete dedication to God of those who believed, pleasing to God, and the offering of spiritual gifts 28. And before that, “the law is tongue-tied in the sense that it cannot separately present the doctrine of the Existing One and is not able to secretly work towards the worshiped in the Holy Trinity, the venerable and ineffable nature” 29 . Indeed, “when the law turned out to be weak, and the Israelites were very rebellious, Christ was sent, the true Levite, the great High Priest, placed along with those under the law as their brother in humanity, who spoke to Moses as God, but instructed by the Father, as a prophet, although He is the Lord: I will raise up a prophet... (Deut. 18:18).” Here, not only the fullness of humanity is clearly indicated, but also the unity of the human race with Christ. The limitations of the law were also manifested in the fact that it could only be proclaimed to one people, “and even then with difficulty,” while the rest of the people remained in the darkness of ignorance 30 . So, it was “Christ who spoke to the people and became the mouth of Moses, explaining to us spiritually his law, and Moses, for his part, was His mouth, speaking to God” 31 . Further, you can see that St. Cyril clarifies the community of those saved by God - the human race - most clearly in the following words: “Let us think of the human race as one animal. Christ took him by the tail, i.e. for his last and final parts, for he came in the last times of the age.” Salvation extends not only in space, to all people living at the same time, but also in time. The grace given by Christ extends to the entire race: “although Christ took the last parts, the transformation through grace extends to the whole race and reaches the very head, that is, Adam... Thus, together with the last, the redemption of the first is accomplished” 32. In his commentary on the prophet Jonah, St. Cyril also writes that “before the foundation of the world, Christ was predestined and foreordained for the correction of all; for God and the Father deigned to lead all things in Himself, even in heaven and on earth (Eph. 1:10), but the accomplishment of these great works was left to the Only Begotten who became like us and rose in the world with the flesh” 33. Further, “He, being God by nature, became man in order to save the whole under heaven and them (the Jews) before all others” 34. The chapter concludes with the statement that Christ saved the entire human race: “Christ saved everyone, giving Himself as a ransom for the small and the great, the wise and the foolish, the rich and the poor, Jew and Greek” 35 . Salvation in Christ is conceived as the restoration of creation to its primitive state. God the Father, who was pleased with this, “sent to us from heaven the Only Begotten, His right hand, truly the creator and savior of everything, according to the Scripture: “The right hand of the Lord has created strength, the right hand of the Lord has exalted me” (Ps 117: 15-16). It was then that He raised up the human race lying on the earth and, having freed us from the bestial cruelty consisting of depravity and sins, through sanctification He elevated us to royal honor and meekness characteristic of virtue” 36. In other words, “since in Christ and through Christ we were again enriched with the divine Spirit, becoming partakers of His nature, according to the Scriptures; then we are returned to the primitive state and renewed and saved” 37. In addition, it is noted that salvation means, among other things, co-corporation with Christ: in contrast to the Jews who rejected Christ, “many pagans have been reborn, as it were, and Christ gives them a glorious and worthy to accept inheritance of heavenly blessings: for they have become fellow citizens of the angels and members of God, one body with Christ, by unity with Him they are enlightened by the Spirit and will enjoy a truly desired life in righteousness, holiness and immortality" 38. Let us note that here in separate phrases both our co-corporeality with Christ and our unity with Him as enlightenment in the Spirit are spoken of, which was noted by some researchers of the work “On the Incarnation of the Only Begotten” 39 . Thus, the phrase “in Christ and only [in Him]” coincides literally in the work “On the Incarnation of the Only Begotten” and the interpretations of the prophet Zephaniah: “... in Christ, and in Him alone (ἐν Χριστῷ δὴ καὶ μ ό ν ῳ) 40, the spiritual and holy one is justified Zion, that is, the church, or the holy multitude of believers. And through Him and by Him we are saved, having escaped harm from invisible enemies and having as a Mediator the very King of all things and God the Word, who is from God the Father, who appeared in a form similar to ours.”41 Thus, Christ is foreshadowed together with a great people, by which “we must understand, and in all justice, the holy multitude of those justified in Christ” 42. Justification is understood by St. Cyril not in a legal sense, but as the restoration of creation to a primitive state, as evidenced by the following quotes: “In the last times of the century, the Only Begotten became man not only in order to deliver Israel, but in order to free all nations from slavery to the devil, to make them free, to deliver them from the corruption and impurity of sin and, above all, from worshiping the creature instead of the Creator. When he became a man, he endured the cross, neglecting his shame (Heb. 12:2), in order to acquire with His blood to God and the Father both those who were still alive and those whom death had previously swallowed up, according to what is written: for this Christ both died and rose again, and possesses both the dead and the living (Rom. 14:9). Therefore, it was rightly said to the ancients: For this sake, bear with me, says the Lord, on the day of my resurrection as a testimony. Evidence of the abolition of death, as it were, is the rising of Christ from the dead, with whom we ourselves were resurrected, having been justified by faith and, together with death, having departed from the cause of death - sin” 43. Christ laid down His life for us and appeared for our sake among the dead, being by nature life and resurrected, transforming the nature of man (and not an individual person!) into renewal of life and restoring it to its original state: if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), for it was pleasing to God and the Father to lead all things in Him (Eph. 1:10), according to what is written. “What is headed is restored and raised to what it was in the beginning. When Christ renewed us, He rejoiced over us, as if in pleasure and as if on a day of celebration. How could God not rejoice at what had happened among us, when we were freed from sin and became conquerors of death and corruption and became partakers of the Spirit and sanctification? 44 Perhaps, by saying that Christ rejoiced over us, St. Cyril emphasizes His taking upon Himself of another characteristic property of human nature. Let us now turn to the interpretations of the prophet Isaiah. As you know, it is the prophet Isaiah who is called the “fifth evangelist.” Blessed Jerome believes that Isaiah should be called an evangelist, and not a prophet, because he describes all the mysteries of Christ and the Church so clearly that one might think that he is recounting what has already happened, and not prophesying about what will happen in the future. The prophecies of Isaiah contain the “mystery of the Lord” (in the sense of a plan, a secret plan, and not a sacred act) - the incarnation, redemption and salvation of all 45. At the beginning of his interpretations, Saint Cyril notes that the prophet Isaiah also had the advantages of an apostle 46, since the clarity of his sayings is akin to the clarity of the apostolic sermon. A common thread that runs through all of Cyril’s Old Testament exegesis is the idea that the shadow of the law cannot justify Israel, but only the Only Begotten Word of God who appeared to us in the flesh 47 . And It justifies from death and sin. In his interpretation of the verses read by Christ in the Capernaum synagogue (Isa. 61:1–3; Luke 4:18–19), St. Cyril describes the reason for the incarnation of God the Word: to free us from the captivity of the evil one and illuminate us with the light of the knowledge of God. And, since we are talking about anointing by the Spirit, he says that anointing is the deification of human nature in Christ: “For He, being God and at the same time man, according to divinity gives the Spirit to creation, and according to humanity receives it from God and the Father” 48. Healing of the broken-hearted Release of the broken-hearted (Isa. 61) The method of justification is traditional, through the Sacraments. After all, Christ justifies us, while simultaneously sanctifying: “We say that in another way the strength of bread and the strength of water are taken away from the Jewish synagogue. This saying has a mysterious meaning. For we, who have been called through faith to sanctification, have the bread that comes down from heaven, that is, Christ, or His body. And if anyone asks what his power is, we will answer that it is life-giving; for he gives life to the world" 49 . Christ restores us spiritually by bringing us into the same image with Him and leading us into the kingdom of heaven: “In the same way we receive through water the grace of holy baptism, which sanctifies you; We say that the power of water is the remission of sins, spiritual rebirth, so that you can be conformed to Christ himself, and, moreover, free entry into the kingdom of heaven” 50. Describing what the Jews lost by rejecting Christ, St. Cyril turns to the image of Christ as the foundation of the Church and emphasizes the aspect of our unity in Him: “Christ is the foundation and on Him we are all built, living and spiritual stones, joined and knit together spiritually into a holy church, the habitation of God in the Spirit, and in it we dwell” 51 . Repeatedly the saint calls Christ the Savior of all. After all, the grace of Christ “justified everyone and even granted forgiveness of sins to the murderers themselves” 52 . Our salvation is accomplished directly in Christ, says St. Cyril, interpreting the words of the prophet Isaiah, “I am the same who said: “Here I am” (Is. 52:6). We, being wild olives, are grafted into the good olive tree if Christ acts in us 53. In our opinion, our closeness to the Savior is indirectly expressed here. The following passage describes the entire economy of our salvation through the Incarnation: “He was born in the flesh through the Holy Virgin, being God by nature and the Word manifested from God: but from the womb and before it, or better yet, before every age, He was holy, like God, not deprived of His perfections due to the adoption of humanity, but not despising humanity, according to the economy, so that they would believe in Him as having become in truth like us, and so that He would thereby sanctify our very birth” 54 . As you can see, Saint Cyril brings here his often repeated idea that what saves us, on the one hand, is the holiness of God. But we are talking here about God, who did not neglect to take upon Himself what is human, about God who became like us and thereby sanctifies us, who are born in a carnal way. After all, “Our Lord Jesus Christ tasted death for all, but rose again on three days, and became the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep and the root of those who through Him are transformed into life, and, as it were, the beginning of human nature, freed from corruption, and we were enriched with the unshakable hope of eternal life. So, the dead will undoubtedly rise and the dominion of death will be completely abolished, but the time has not yet come in which there will be a resurrection; but for now, human nature submits to the need to die and awaits death, which in Christ is already powerless, and subsequently will lose power over us ourselves” 55. The saint also draws our attention to the names of the coming Messiah: Immanuel - because the real God by nature became with us, i.e. a man, Jesus, because he had to save the heavenly places, Himself being God and becoming a man. As already noted, in early exegesis St. Cyril does not try to avoid the term “man,” i.e. speaking of the Incarnation, he uses not only the term “flesh”. Christ is called Christ only after the Incarnation, because... “He who was not yet anointed, how could he be called Christ?” 56. The Son exists inseparably from God the Father and He became man 57. It is directly said that He appeared in our nature, that the Word was separated from the nature of humanity and became man 58. This is followed by the image of an arrow from the 49th chapter of the prophet Isaiah: and He made My mouth like a sharp sword; He covered Me with the shadow of His hand, and made Me a sharpened arrow; He kept Me in His quiver (Isa. 49:2). Following, apparently, the generally accepted exegesis (this is indicated by the capital letters in the text of Scripture), St. Cyril turns to the image of Christ as an arrow striking Satan and the evil forces with him. Moreover, this image correlates with the generally accepted image of Christ as the conqueror of Satan and hell. 3. Images of the suffering Messiah. If the image of Christ the victor is generally accepted in Orthodox theology, then the idea of ​​kenosis, the exhaustion of Christ, is not only as generally accepted as it is necessary for revealing the image of Christ foretold by the prophets. Incarnation is a voluntary act of kenosis. After all, “free by nature, the Word becomes a slave through the dispensation of the body or thought of the flesh” 59 . This is especially evident in St. Cyril’s interpretation of the 53rd chapter of the prophet Isaiah. The kenosis of Christ is clearly foreshadowed by the prophet: to the words of the second verse “there is no form lower than glory”, St. Cyril gives the following interpretation: under the Sinai theophany it was that “excited fear and trembling of the Israelites and a mediator was needed in this case, but Christ came ... in a diminished and humiliated position, so that he seemed lower than all people. He underwent every kind of humiliation in order to exalt the humble and make the worthless desirable.” Indeed, spiritual goods and values ​​represent values ​​of a different order. On the other hand: as the Lord and king of all, what human splendor could he need? 60 Let us further consider the interpretation of verse 3: “The man is in the plague...” “He began to be horrified and tormented; for although the Only Begotten Word of the Father by nature is God and is inaccessible to suffering and sorrow and everything like that, yet he is likened to our nature in that he does not remain insensitive to the temptation that befalls him, showing through everything that He became the same as us, and was not seen on earth as a shadow and a ghost, what some want to think, what some want to think, but in fact was a man” 61 . Here, as well as in the interpretations of the Gospel of John, we encounter the presence of a human soul in Christ as a powerful soteriological factor. Just as the presence of human feelings in Christ (regret, grief, crying), according to K. Dracellas, confirms the fullness of His human nature, then in the same way this fullness can be confirmed by the presence of a human soul in Christ. These texts confirm the point of view of L. Welch, who discovered the mistake of the researchers de Durand and Grillmayer, namely that St. Cyril, in their opinion, emphasized the soteriological significance of the presence of a human soul in the Savior only in his later creations 62 . And the properties of the human soul, first of all, weaknesses, assimilated by God himself, are emphasized by the saint: “So, the Only Begotten came in a form similar to us, and as for the flesh and humanity, He had the appearance of weakness characteristic of us, but, as God, He had in His hands all the horns, that is, all the kingdoms, against all the power of opposing forces” 63. However, it cannot be said, examining Cyril’s interpretations, that our redemption occurred only “by the grace of compassion” 64, since St. Cyril further mentions that it was “having suffered bodily death, he freed the whole of heaven from death and sin.” This saving passion is a prologue to the future glorification of the suffering Messiah: “for He alone, being more precious than all, suffered for all, in order to rule and reign over all” 65. And it is in His resurrection that Christ reveals to us human nature, “transformed into incorruptibility and the favor of God and the Father, already extending to the whole earth.” It is after this glorification that many peoples will be revealed who will move away from ancient error and be enlightened “to the knowledge of Himself and the Father” 66. After all, “saying: he will bear their sins; for in order to destroy the sin of the world, He took it upon Himself and, equal to all, He alone died for all and through this served many. And when he says: By many he means the Gentiles, for Israel was one (of all) nations” 67. St. Cyril suggests that the prophets, inspired by the Holy Spirit, “must have seen the Son, or His Face, not free from human sorrow, since the time was approaching in which He had to suffer in order to abolish death by the death of His flesh, blotting out the sins of the world.” And if to those who saw His suffering it might seem that Christ was suffering for his sins, 68 but in fact, “He suffered not for himself, not at all, but for the whole of heaven.” Perhaps here we can trace the idea found in Alexandrian theology - that Christ made an “equal” sacrifice for sin. Apparently, this can only be said if we assume that Christ is a superman or an all-man, that is, united with humanity at the level of the entire race. We can also cite as an example the passage that God in Christ saves all human nature, which has angered God, 69 that is, the community of people whose root is Adam. The salvific nature of Christ’s suffering is constantly emphasized by St. Cyril: “The Word became flesh, although He was God and Lord of all, as being revealed by nature from God the Father. But although It became flesh and became, according to the will of the Father, a propitiatory sacrifice, It did not cease to be what it was, that is, to be God; It even now possesses the power and glory due to God, and now He is surrounded by higher powers and fulfills the ministries entrusted to them” 70. That is, the Word, during the incarnation, did not cease to be what It was - God. This once again emphasizes the saving mediation of Christ between God and humanity. As we have already said, this mediation is not automatic, but is based primarily on faith. After all, “The Only Begotten Word of God, when he was born like us and in the form of a servant, that is, as a man, became a cleansing sacrifice through faith for those living on earth” 71 . The fact that human nature remained intact during the Incarnation, and did not turn into something else, is indirectly indicated by the following phrase: “So, although He became a purifying sacrifice, having accepted humanity through us and for our sake, nevertheless He is God and above every creature, visible, I say, and invisible; for his virtue covers the heavens, and the earth will be full of his praise” 72. Here the expression δι ΄ ἡμ ᾶ ς (through us) may indicate the preservation of human nature during the Incarnation. St. drew attention to a similar expression in his second letter to Sukkens. Ephraim of Antioch 73. 4. Images of the Church of Christ - partakers of the Divine nature. Closely related to the soteriological questions of Christology are questions about the Church of Christ, also foreshadowed by the prophets. The prophecy about the uprising of Zion and the endowment of glory on Jerusalem is a typical example of not even an allegory, but an anagogy of the Alexandrian school, elevating these cities of Judea to the spiritual concepts of the coming time of the coming and incarnation of Christ - to the assembly of “those called through faith, or to the church from Jews and Gentiles” 74 . The consolation will be commensurate with the punishment for apostasy - and even much more abundant than the sorrows 75 . After all, the glory of Jerusalem is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself 76. Further, Saint Cyril explains how we can all be clothed with this glory - citing the words of St. ap. Paul, speaking about putting on Christ (Rom. 13 and Gal. 3:27). The way St. Cyril connects Christ with His Church is also worthy of attention. In his interpretation of the prophet Malachi, he says: “He will come, he says, to His church, or because the Word became flesh (John. 1:14) and lived as in a church in a most pure body (received) from the Holy Virgin, - or, as we believe, with a perfect man, I say from soul and body (consisting), united directly and economically - or simply calls a church, as it were, a sacred city and dedicated to Him, obviously Jerusalem, or as in the type of the Church" 77. It is also the Church that is spoken of as a participant in the Divine nature - τῆς θείας αὐτοῦ ϕύσεως κοινωνὸς 78. Thus, the Church of Christ, which has become “conformed to Christ... through the participation of the Holy Spirit” [ibid.], is spoken of, if not directly as the nature of Christ, then as a participant in the divine nature. Entering the Church is in no way “mechanical,” but implies driving away “unclean and earthly thoughts” from oneself and purifying the mind 79 . We can be freed from thoughts in Christ 80. Despite the fact that Satan carried away the human race, the Only Begotten Word of God, becoming a man, defeated him in our place. The Lord breaks his strength 81. And we, who were not sold for money, are not delivered for money - by the power of the Savior of all Christ. Perhaps there is also an idea here that is found in Alexandrian theology - that Christ made an “equal” sacrifice for sin. A similar interpretation of Zion is offered by St. Cyril in his conversations on the psalms: “Zion is spoken (understood) not [as] a piece of land in the land of Judea, but in the highest and in heaven, the true City of Good, the Church of the firstborn, the mother of saints, the most holy habitation of angels. In likeness to her, we also fill earthly Zion, i.e. Church, and with appropriate praises we crown the Savior and Redeemer of all... So, in the words “Unto you all flesh will fall” (that is, every person will believe, for this is a synecdoche, indicating the whole through the part), the calling of all nations is proclaimed, and not just Israel, as according to the letter of the law” 82. Here we see another example (of only two found in the TLG electronic library) of the use of the term “synecdoche” as indicating a whole through the naming of a part by St. Cyril. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, having written a huge number of exegetical works in the early period of his work, thereby made a huge contribution to Christology, developing it throughout his entire ministry. This is confirmed by several researchers who have identified a “doctrinal message” in Cyril’s exegesis. Namely: in Christ, salvation passes from one God-chosen people to all people. Despite the fact that it is hardly possible to talk here about the system-forming elements of the entire Christology of St. Cyril, the study of the Old Testament Cyril exegesis once again helps to understand the Cyrillic expression μία φύσις τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγου σεσαρκωμένη (one nature of God the Word incarnate) as the one nature of the multitude of those saved in Christ. This salvation, as shown by numerous examples from Cyril’s Old Testament exegesis, is accomplished directly in Christ. And not so much as the liberation of a person from curse in the legal sense, but as sanctification and deification. In addition, an analysis of the early Old Testament Cyril's commentaries allows us to conclude that from the very early period of his work, St. Cyril often refers to the humanity of Christ as ἄνθρωπον (in contrast to the Severian Monophysites, who did this extremely reluctantly). But for Saint Cyril such use of words is natural both before and after his polemic with Nestorius. In addition, from the earliest works of St. Cyril, the presence of a human soul in the Savior, and, consequently, the fullness of His humanity, is a powerful soteriological factor. Interpretations on the prophet Jonah, part 11, p. 20. Interpretations on the prophet Hosea, part 9, s.s. 6–7. Wilken, Robert Louis. Cyril of Alexandria as Interpreter of the Old Testament, p. 4. McGuckin, John A. Moses and the Mystery of Christ in Cyril of Alexandria’s Exegesis. McGuckin, John A. Cyril of Alexandria Bishop and Pastor. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 7, p. 182. De Ador., TLG Work #096 68.881.25; Glaph., TLG Work #097 69.325.40, 69.596.2. Loon, Hans van. The dyophysite christology of Cyril of Alexandria, p. 166. Liébaert J. La doctrine christologique de saint Cyrille d'Alexandrie avant la querelle nestorienne, p. 218. Interpretations on the prophet Haggai, part 10, p. 427. Works of Saint Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria. Book I. Of worship and service in spirit and truth. M., 2000., t. 8, p. 131. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 7, p. 213. Interpretations on the Prophet Zechariah, part 11, p. 92. Works of Saint Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria. Book I. Of worship and service in spirit and truth. M., 2000. P. 709. Barabanov, N.D. Pious sacrifice. Traditions of public sacrifices in Byzantine parish Orthodoxy. // “Byzantine temporary book”. 2004. No. 63(88), p. 102. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 7, p. 183. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 7, p. 185. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 7, p. 197. Interpretations on the prophet Zephaniah, part 10, p. 336. McGuckin, John A. Moses and the Mystery of Christ in Cyril of Alexandria's Exegesis, p. 105. Welch, J.L. Christology and Eucharist in the early thought of Cyril of Alexandria, p. 67. Commentary on the Gospel of John, vol. 9, p. 728. Works of St. Cyril of Alexandria, book. 1, Of Worship and Service in Spirit and Truth, p. 200. Works of St. Cyril of Alexandria, book. 1, Of Worship and Service in Spirit and Truth, p. 184. Works of St. Cyril of Alexandria, book. 1, Of Worship and Service in Spirit and Truth, p. 197. Works of St. Cyril of Alexandria, book. 1, Of Worship and Service in Spirit and Truth, p. 197. Works of St. Cyril of Alexandria, book. 1, Of Worship and Service in Spirit and Truth, p. 198. Works of St. Cyril of Alexandria, book. 1, Of Worship and Service in Spirit and Truth, p. 194. Interpretations on the prophet Jonah, part 10, p. 24. Interpretations on the prophet Jonah, part 10, p. 25. Interpretations on the prophet Jonah, part 10, p. 56. Interpretations on the prophet Jonah, part 10, p. 291. For example, Abramowski, L., The Theology of Theodore of Mopsuestia, p. 19; Davydenkov, O., Jer. Some features of the soteriological teaching of St. Cyril of Alexandria. PSTBI Annual Theological Conference, 2005, p. 21. Interpretations on the prophet Zephaniah, part 10, p. 396. Interpretations on the prophet Jonah, part 10, p. 114. Interpretations on the prophet Zephaniah, part 10, p. 395. Interpretations on the prophet Zephaniah, part 10, p. 398. Wilken, Robert Louis. Cyril of Alexandria as Interpreter of the Old Testament, p.5. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 6, p. 9. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 6, p. 16. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 8, p. 412. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 6, p. 96. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 6, p. 106. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 6, p. 135; part 8, p.s. 407, 408, 515. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 8, p. 410. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 6, p. 217. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 7, p. 93. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 8, p. 71. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 8, p. 72. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 8, pp. 72–73. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 8, p. 74. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 8, p. 216. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 8, p. 217. Welch, J.L. Christology and Eucharist in the early thought of Cyril of Alexandria, p. 43. Interpretations on the prophet Habakkuk, part 10, p. 297. Prayer before communion by St. Simeon the New Theologian. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 8, p. 219. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 8, p. 232. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 8, p. 235. Comment. in Habacuc proph., PG 71, col. 901C. In the Russian translation: Interpretations of the Prophet Habakkuk, part 10, p. 290, this phrase is translated into one word: humanity. Interpretations on the prophet Habakkuk, part 10, p. 287. Interpretations on the prophet Habakkuk, part 10, p. 294. Interpretations on the prophet Habakkuk, part 10, p. 295. St. Cyril of Alexandria. Two messages to Sukkens (Translation from ancient Greek, introductory article and notes by Hieromonk Theodore (Yulaev)) // Theological Bulletin, published by the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary. No. 9–10, 2009–2010, p. 30, note. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 6, p. 60; Part 8, p. 186. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 8, p. 186. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 8, p. 187. Interpretations on the prophet Malachi, part 11, p. 295. Commentaries on the Prophet Isaiah, PG 70, col. 1144CD. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 8, p. 190. Interpretations on the prophet Isaiah, part 8, p. 191. Expositio in Psalmos, PG 69, col. 1128A.