Nice one, Cyril!

COMMENTARIES ON ROMANS,
1-2 CORINTHIANS, AND HEBREWS
By Cyril of Alexandria
Translated by David R. Maxwell
Edited by Joel C. Elowsky
Inter Varsity Press (Academic).
142 pages. £37.50
ISBN 978 0 830 829 187 

Cyril of Alexandria writing about the author of the Letter to the Hebrews says: ‘He has an erudite way of doing exegesis, and it is constructed with great subtlety and skill.’

Cyril could almost have been writing about his own elegant style. Cyril is better known for his role in the key Christological debates of the fifth century. That he is not better known as a Biblical commentator is partly the result of few of these being available in English. It is, therefore, a treat to have this slim volume containing fragmentary commentaries on four letters from the New Testament.

It is important to stress that these commentaries do not deal with every verse or every chapter of these letters, although the treatment of Romans is the most comprehensive. What then is the attraction of parting with a big chunk of one’s book allowance to get your hands on a slim volume of ancient reflections on the New Testament?

Two reasons come to mind. First, that Cyril is a theological hero with an immense grasp of the theological trends of his time combined with a remarkably fresh approach to the Biblical text. I enjoyed seeing a master Bible teacher navigating his way around the text, making connections between the testaments, facing difficult questions and teasing out meaning. For example: ‘The law was established as a sort of cross-examination of the weakness of all to show that the human condition stands in need of one thing: Christ’s healing.’ (Cyril of Alexandria on Romans 5:20)

Second, it is valuable in the 21st century to be reminded that there are those who have travelled this path before. The reading and preaching of Scripture is such a vital task; it is instructive to see Scripture through the eyes of the ancients.