Discourse delivered in Ephesus during the Holy Assembly after the deposition of Nestorius

St. Cyril of Alexandria owns 8 homilies, pronounced in Ephesus in the summer of 431 during the Third Ecumenical Council and preserved as part of the council’s acts. The conversations are anti-Nestorian in nature. They touch upon questions of dogmatic content: St. Cyril expounds the doctrine of the Incarnation, the Face of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, and also concerns the events that took place at the Council. The “Conversation delivered in Ephesus during the Sacred Assembly after the deposition of Nestorius” presented in this publication is the 5th of the “Ephesian” homilies. It was pronounced immediately after the deposition of Nestorius: on June 22 at the first meeting of the Council. You should be content with the instructions of previous teachers and, as if you were drunk with sacred streams, you should no longer feel thirsty. But as I notice in you an insatiable thirst for listening, we will say a little in agreement with what you already know. There is no doubt that the bright host of saints considers it a special honor and glory to glorify Christ and, so to speak, boasts of this glorification out of ardent love for Him. For example, the blessed prophet Isaiah calls to Him: “O Lord my God, I will glorify Thee, I will sing praise to Thy name, for Thou hast done wonderful works” (Is. 25:1), and the blessed prophet David says: “My tongue will learn Thy righteousness, Thy praise all day long” (Ps. 34:28). And this is the goal of the saints. The evil and lawless, not understanding the great, venerable and deep mystery of the incarnation of the Only Begotten, openly blaspheme, opening intemperate and unbridled lips. May they hear the prophet Isaiah, who speaks to them like this: “Now come ye, sons of iniquity, seed of adulterers and harlots: wherein do you delight, and against whom are your lips open? Are you not children of destruction, offspring of wickedness” (Is. 57:3-4). Verily, the children of destruction and the seed of wickedness are those who have rejected the Lord who redeemed them. “For it was bought with natural price” (1 Cor. 6:20), and “not with corruptible silver or gold, but with honest blood, like the spotless and most pure blood of Christ” (1 Pet. 1:18,19). How could the blood of an ordinary person like us be the redemptive price of the whole world? How did one die for all in order to save all? How did we come to belong to Him, we who belong to the true God by nature? Why do we serve and worship Him, while we are forbidden to serve the creature more than the Creator? But, as I have already said, some are unappreciative of the condescension of our Savior, renounce the Lord, throw off the yoke of slavery, so that Christ might also speak about them in the words of the prophet: “Woe to them, for they have fled from Me: they are fearful, for they are dishonest to Me: I have delivered them, and these have spoken lies against Me” (Hos. 7:13). The imitators of the malice and wickedness of the Pharisees lie against the glory and greatness of our Savior. They bear the name of Christians, but the meaning is Judaizing and a tongue that is poisonous and filled with bitterness, so that Christ also spoke about him through the mouth of Jeremiah: “Behold, I am upon you, the proud one, says the Lord” (Jer. 50:31). Truly ancient Jews persecuted Christ, our common Savior, attacked Him like animals, wanted to stone their benefactor and Savior; why did the Savior then say to them: “Many good works have been shown to you from My Father: for what reason are you casting stones on Me? The Jew answered Him, saying, “We do not hurl a stone against You for a good deed, but for a blasphemy, because You, this man, have made for yourself God” (John 10:32–33). Such were the blasphemies of the ancient Jews against our Savior, but the imitators of their madness and wickedness, renewing these blasphemies, said: “Why do you, being a man, make yourself God?” O mad and most obscene! You don't understand the sacrament. He did not make Himself God, being a man, but, being God by nature, unchangeably and unconfusedly became a man and, having been ineffably born of God the Father, He deigned to be born in the flesh from a woman and be called the Son of man, in order to save us. He became like you for your sake and remained in Himself what He was. Recognize the Only Begotten as born according to the flesh, confess as God the One who became man for our sake; He offers himself to you, saying: “I am the one who speaks” (Is. 52:6). He gave the law to the people of former times through Moses, then appeared in the flesh. Here are your witnesses - the holy prophets. What does Baruch say, almost pointing his finger at Immanuel? “This God is ours, it will not be imputed to Him. Find out every way of cunning, and give it to Jacob His servant, and to Israel, His beloved. Therefore, he appeared on earth and lived with men” (Bar.3:36-38). Blessed David also sings about Him: “Our God will come” (Ps. 49:3). Do you want to hear testimony about Him from the preachers of the New Testament? Listen, here John the Baptist says: “Prepare the way of the Lord; do righteously in the paths of our God” (Matthew 3:3). Do you want to have another complete ID? God promised to place blessed David on his throne from the fruit of his womb (2 Sam. 12; Ps. 131:11). He (David), rejoicing greatly at this, carefully searched for the place of birth of this (fruit). But you should listen to him himself: “If I will go up to my bed, if I will give sleep to my eyes and slumber to my every side, and peace to my soul” (Ps. 132:3-4). How long do you think? “I will find the place of the Lord, a habitation for the God of Jacob” (Ps. 132:5). Blessed David carefully searches for a place; I approve of your diligence, I praise your patience, but if you have learned anything more, tell us too. Where will his birth be? In what place will He be born? Listen, here are his clear words: “Behold, I heard in Euphratha, I found in the oak fields” (Ps. 132:6). When he speaks of Euphratha, he means Bethlehem. God testifies to this through one of the holy prophets: “And you, Bethlehem, the house of Euphrates, have little food to be among the thousands of Judah; For from you shall come forth an elder, even to be a prince in Israel: therefore he went forth from the beginning from the days of the world” (Mic. 5:2). Do you hear how he claims about this Bethlehemite (since he became a man) that He came from the beginning of the age? For “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God” (John 1:1). But am I ashamed, you say, to recognize as God one who was born of a wife? So you don't value divine definitions? Do you reject the economy? Are you resisting the will of the Lord? This is exactly how He wanted to save the world. Are you wiser than wisdom itself? Wonderful thing! The lamp wants to be equal to the sun. The Lord knows what he is doing. So, recognize the economy, almost a mystery by faith, do not carefully examine what is above our minds, do not labor in vain to comprehend the incomprehensible: believe with us. But if you remain an unbeliever, “He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim. 2:13). To him be glory and power with the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.