A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

CYRILLUS.
and brother-commentator. We do not agree with
Zachariae in this hypothesis of two Cyrilli; and it
is to be observed, that in Bas. i. p. 646 (ed. Heimbach) the supposed earlier Cyrillus of Zachariae is
treated as the author of a commentary on the title
de Pactis.)
In Bas. iii. pp. 50, 51 (ed. Fabrot.), Cyrillus is
represented as quoting a constitution of Alexius
Comnenus (A. D. 10813-1118), and, in Bas. v. p.
431 and vii. p. 89, mention is made of the edition
of Cyrillus, which is supposed by Assemani and
Pohl to mean his edition of the Basilica. Hence
Assemani (Bibl. Jur. Orient. ii. 20, p. 404) comes
to the conclusion, that Cyrillus was posterior to
Alexius; and Pohl (ad Snares. Notit. Basil. p. 69,
n. or) thinks, that there were two jurists of the
name, one of whom was posterior to Alexius. In
the passages of early jurists which are appended as
notes to the text of the Basilica, interpolations and
alterations were often made, in order to accommodate them to a later state of the law; and the apparent anachronisms thus produced occasion considerable difficulty in the legal biography of the
lower empire. (Heimbach, de Basil. Orig. p. 31.)
The fragments of Graeco-Roman jurists appended by way of commentary to the 8th book of the
Basilica were first published by Ruhnken from a
manuscript at Leyden in the 3rd and 5th volumes
of Meermann's Thesaurus. Among them are frequent extracts from Cyrillus.
In the Glossae Nomicae, of which Labbe made
a collection that was published after his death
(Paris, 1679, London, 1817), are Glossaries which
have been commonly attributed to Philoxenus and
Cyrillus. Reiz (ad Theoph. p. 1246) thinks it not
improbable that these Glossaries were either edited
by Philoxenus and Cyrillus, or extracted by others
from their interpretations, but that they certainly
have been interpolated and altered by later hands.
Haubold (Inst. Jar. Rom. priv. p. 159, n. k.) sees
no sufficient reason for attributing to Cyrillus the
Glossary that passes under his name. [J. T. G.]
CYRILLUS (KVpt?\os), ST., was a native of
ALEXANDRIA, and nephew of Theophilus, bishop of
the same place. The year of his birth is not known.
After having been a presbyter of the church at
Alexandria, he succeeded to the episcopal chair
on the death of Theophilus, A. D. 412. To this
office he was no sooner elevated than he gave full
scope to those dispositions and desires that guided
him through an unquiet life. Unbounded ambition and vindictiveness, jealousy of opponents, illdirected cunning, apparent zeal for the truth, and
an arrogant desire to lord it over the churches,
constituted the character of this vehement patriarch.
His restless and turbulent spirit, bent on selfaggrandisement, presents an unfavourable portrait
to the impartial historian. Immediately after his
elevation, he entered with vigour on the duties
supposed to devolve on the prelate of so important
a city. He banished from it the Jews, who are
said to have been attempting violence towards the
Christians, threw down their synagogue and plundered it, quarrelled with Orestes, and set himself
to oppose heretics and heathens on every side.
According to Socrates, he also shut up the churches
of the Novatians, took away all their sacred vessels
and ornaments, and deprived Theopemptus, their
bishop, of all he had. (Histor. Eccles. vii. 7.)
But his efforts were chiefly directed against Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople; and the greater

CYRILLUS. 917
part of his life was passed amid agititinig scenes,
resulting from this persevering opposition. In
consequence of an epistle written by Cyril to the
Egyptian monks which had been carried to Constantinople, Nestorius and his friends were naturally
offended. When Cyril understood how much
Nestorius had been hurt by this letter, he wrote
to him in justification of his conduct, and in explanation of his faith, to which Nestorius replied
in a calm and dignified tone. Cyril's answer
repeats the admonitions of his first letter, expounds
anew his doctrine of the union of natures in Christ,
and defends it against the consequences deduced
in his opponent's letter. Nestorius was afterwards induced by Lampon, a presbyter of the
Alexandrian church, to write a short letter to Cyril
breathing the true Christian spirit.
In the mean time the Alexandrine prelate was
endeavouring to lessen the influence of his opponent by statements addressed to the emperor,
and also to the princesses Pulcheria, Arcadia, and
Marinia; but Theodosius was not disposed to look
upon him with a friendly eye because of such
epistles; for he feared that the prelate aimed at
exciting disagreement and discord in the imperial
household. Cyril also wrote to Celestine, bishop
of Rome, informing him of the heresy of Nestorius,
and asking his co-operation against it. The Roman bishop had previously received some account
of the controversy from Nestorius; though, from
ignorance of Greek, he had not been able to read
the letters and discourses of the Constantinopolitan
prelate. In consequence of Cyril's statement,
Celestine held a council at Rome, and passed a
decree, that Nestorius should be deposed in ten
days unless he recanted. The execution of this
decree was entrusted to Cyril. The Roman prelate also sent several letters through Cyril, one of
which, a circular letter to the Eastern patriarchs
and bishops, Cyril forwarded with additional
letters from himself. This circular was afterwards
sent by John of Antioch to Nestorius. Soon
after (A. D. 430), he assembled a synod at Alexandria, and set forth the truth in opposition to
Nestorius's tenets in twelve heads or anathemas,
A letter was also drawn up addressed to Nestorius,
another to the officers and members of the church
at Constantinople, inciting them to oppose their
patriarch, and a third to the monks. With these
anathemas he sent four bishops as legates to Nestorius, requiring of him to subscribe them if he
wished to remain in the communion of the Catholic
church and retain his see. Celestine's letter, which
he had kept back till now, was also despatched.
But Nestorius refused to retract, and answered
the anathemas by twelve anti-anathemas. In
consequence of these mutual excommunications and
recriminatory letters, the emperor Theodosius the
Second was induced to summon a general council
at Ephesus, commonly reckoned the third oecumenical council, which was held A. D. 431. To this
council Cyril and many bishops subservient to his
views repaired. The pious Isidore in vain remonstrated with the fiery Alexandrine prelate.
Nestorius was accompanied by two imperial
ministers of state, one of whom had the command
of soldiers to protect the council. Cyril presided,
and urged on the business with impatient haste.
Nestorius and the imperial commissioners requested that the proceedings might be delayed till
the arrival of John of Antioch and the other