Epistle 2 [written from Ephesus, before the council]

“Epistle 2 [written from Ephesus, before the council]” is addressed to the clergy and people of Alexandria. St. Cyril of Alexandria shares his experiences and hopes on the eve of the Third Ecumenical Council in Ephesus (431). He expresses confidence that thanks to common prayers and the intercession of Christ, the Church will preserve the purity of the faith, despite the machinations of the devil and false teachers. The saint emphasizes that the struggle is being waged for true theology: opponents of Orthodoxy are rebelling not against the “ordinary person,” but against God Himself, which dooms them to defeat. He calls on the flock to perseverance, prayer and unity, trusting in the omnipotence of God, which will dispel all error. Cyril wishes every good thing for the Lord to his beloved and most beloved presbyters and deacons and the people of Alexandria. While I longed to converse again with your humility, the time and opportunity to write presented itself to me. So (let it be known to you), through your common prayers, we are in Ephesus in good health and are finally approaching the time of the council. We hope that Christ, the Savior of all, will show His churches pure from corrupt thoughts and restore the Orthodox faith in all its splendor, so that all, pure and immaculate, who invariably contain it, will everywhere stretch out their righteous hands in prayer, speaking in the words of blessed David: “May my prayer be corrected like a censer before You, lifting up my hand as an evening sacrifice” (Psalm 140:2). The evil one, this vigilant beast, goes around everywhere, plotting feats against the glory of Christ; but he absolutely succeeds in nothing, for his crookedness remains without action and his wickedness has no power. He builds wars not against an ordinary man, not against a simple man, one of our kind, as the new teachers think, but against the almighty God. Therefore, everyone who loves Christ will say to him: “It is cruel for you to go against the prick” (Acts 9:5). Unhappy, he defeats himself, and together with his fiends he falls into destruction. For those who corrupt the right teaching of the Holy Church are its accomplices, and will not escape the judgment of God. Pray for us, so that God, the Savior of all, will return us in joy to your joy. He can do everything, and absolutely nothing is impossible for Him. Greet each other with a holy kiss. The brothers who are with me greet you. I wish you, beloved and most desired, health in the Lord. You might be interested in: