Cyril of Alexandria

Abstract

Chapter 5, “Cyril of Alexandria: The Twelve as Christian Scripture,” considers the meaning Cyril draws from the Minor Prophets as Christian scripture. For Cyril, the texts of the Twelve ground the identity of the church in Christ’s work, identifying those within the church as the single beneficiaries of the restoration effected in Christ’s incarnation, death, and resurrection. Through his commentary, Cyril further calls the church to its mission of extending Christ’s victory through true doctrine and virtuous lives, and equips his readers for this mission through the doctrinal and moral teaching of the prophets—most significantly, offering moral interpretation from the plain sense of prophetic admonitions. The Commentary on the Twelve Prophets warrants an expanded account of Cyril’s Old Testament interpretation, acknowledging the prominence of moral and ecclesial exegesis as well as Cyril’s ecclesiology as the necessary context for his supersessionism.