Ad Calosyrium

A LETTER OF SAINT CYRIL, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, to Calosyrius, bishop of Arsinoë, against those who say

that the divine is anthropomorphic.

Some men arrived from the mountain of Kalamon, and were asked by me concerning the monks there, how they are getting on, or what kind of life they lead. And they said that many are successful in asceticism, and very much wish to live aright the life fitting for monks; but that there are some who go around and out of ignorance disturb those who wish to be at peace, and then they asserted that they were spreading such rumors as these: For they were saying, Since the divine scripture says that man was made in the image of God, one must believe that the divine is of human appearance, that is, anthropomorphic; which is completely unintelligent, and able to subject those who choose to think this way to the charges 604 of the utmost impiety. For it is agreed that man is in the image of God, but the likeness is not physical; for God is bodiless. And the Savior himself will teach this, saying, "God is Spirit." Therefore he is not corporeal, if he is spirit, nor in a physical form. For what is without a body, would also be without shape. For the divine is without quantity and without shape. But if they think that God over all was himself also formed according to the nature of the human body, let them say if he also has feet that he may walk, hands that he may work with them, and eyes that he may see with them. Where then does he walk? Or from what places to what places does he who fills all things depart? For he said, "Do I not fill heaven and earth, says the Lord?" Or what hands does he who creates through the living Word move for his works? And if, like us, he has eyes set in a face, he certainly does not see what is behind; but when he looks to the east, does he not know what those in the west are doing? And if again he should look to the west, does he not see those in the east? I am ashamed even to write these things, but because of the madness of some I have become a fool, not willingly, but rather forced by them. Let those who babble these things, therefore, be silenced as unlearned men, and let them be quiet, not touching upon things beyond their power, or rather, let them not speak against 605 God. For God is beyond all creation, conceived neither as a body, nor in physical types or shapes, but is simple, immaterial, without form, uncompounded, not composed of parts or members or particles as we are, but rather Spirit, according to the scriptures, and overseeing all things, being everywhere and filling all things, and absent from nothing; for he fills heaven and earth. But that man was made in the image of God has other significations and meanings. For he alone among all the animals on earth is rational, merciful, having an aptitude for every virtue, and has also received dominion over all things on the earth according to the likeness and image of God. Therefore, because he is a rational animal and in that he is a lover of virtue and a ruler of the things on earth, he is said to be made in the image of God. But if they think the image is spoken of according to the shape of the body, nothing prevents them from saying that God is also of the same form as the irrational animals. For we see that they too are composed of the same parts as us, having feet and a mouth and eyes and nostrils and a tongue and the other members of the body. Let your God-reverence, therefore, stop such men, or rather, rebuke those who are accustomed to babble these things.

And I hear that they say that the mystical blessing is ineffectual for sanctification, if a remnant of it should remain for another day. But they are mad for saying these things; for not

Ad Calosyrium

ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΚΥΡΙΛΛΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΕΙΑΣ πρὸς Καλοσίριον ἐπίσκοπον Ἀρσενοΐτην κατὰ τῶν λεγόντων

ἀνθρωπόμορφον εἶναι τὸ θεῖον.

ἈΦΙΚΟΜΕΝΟΙ τινες ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ Καλαμῶνος, ἠρωτῶντο παρ' ἐμοῦ περὶ τῶν αὐτόθι μοναστῶν, τίνα τρόπον διατελοῦσιν, ἢ καὶ ὁποίαν ἔχουσι τοῦ βίου τὴν διαγωγήν. οἱ δὲ ἔφασκον εὐδοκιμεῖν μὲν ἐν ἀσκήσει πολλοὺς, καὶ σφόδρα βούλεσθαι τὸν μοναχοῖς πρέποντα κατορθῶσαι βίον· εἶναι δέ τινας τοὺς περιιόντας καὶ θορυβοῦντας ἐξ ἀμαθίας τοὺς ἐθέλοντας ἠρεμεῖν, εἶτα λογοποιεῖν αὐτοὺς διεβεβαιοῦντο τοιαῦτά τινα· ἔφασκον γάρ Ἐπειδὴ κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ γενέσθαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἡ θεία λέγει γραφὴ, χρὴ πιστεύειν ὅτι ἢ ἀνθρωποειδὲς ἤγουν ἀνθρωπόμορφόν ἐστι τὸ θεῖον· ὅπερ ἐστὶ παντελῶς ἀσύνετον, καὶ τοῖς τῆς ἐσχάτης δυσσεβείας 604 ἐγκλήμασιν ὑπενεγκεῖν δυνάμενον τοὺς οὕτω φρονεῖν ἑλομένους. ἔστι μὲν γὰρ ὁμολογουμένως κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἡ δὲ ὁμοιότης οὐ σωματική· ὁ γὰρ Θεός ἐστιν ἀσώματος. καὶ τοῦτο διδάξει λέγων αὐτὸς ὁ Σωτήρ "Πνεῦμα "ὁ Θεός." οὐκοῦν οὐκ ἐνσώματος, εἰ πνεῦμά ἐστιν, οὐδὲ ἐν εἴδει σωματικῷ. τὸ γὰρ ἔξω σώματος, ἔξω καὶ σχήματος εἴη ἄν. ἄποσον γὰρ καὶ ἀσχημάτιστόν ἐστι τὸ θεῖον. εἰ δὲ νομίζουσιν, ὅτι κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου σώματος φύσιν ἐσχηματίσθη καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ ἐπὶ πάντων Θεὸς, λεγέτωσαν εἰ καὶ αὐτὸς ἔχει πόδας ἵνα περιπατῇ, χεῖρας ἵνα δι' αὐτῶν ἐργάζηται, καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἵνα βλέπῃ δι' αὐτῶν. ποῦ τοίνυν περιπατεῖ; ἢ ἐκ ποίων τόπων εἰς ποίους ἀπέρχεται ὁ τὰ πάντα πληρῶν; ἔφη γάρ "Μὴ οὐχὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν "ἐγὼ πληρῶ λέγει Κύριος;" ἢ ποίας χεῖρας εἰς ἔργα κινεῖ ὁ διὰ ζῶντος Λόγου δημιουργῶν; καὶ εἰ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἔχει τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὡς ἐν προσώπῳ κειμένους, οὐχ ὁρᾷ που πάντως τὰ ὀπίσω· ἀλλ' ὅταν πρὸς ἀνατολὰς βλέπῃ, οὐκ οἶδε τί πράττουσιν οἱ ἐν δυσμαῖς; κἂν εἰς δυσμὰς ἴδῃ πάλιν, οὐχ ὁρᾷ τοὺς ἐν ταῖς ἀνατολαῖς; ταῦτα καὶ γράφειν αἰσχύνομαι, διὰ δὲ τὴν τινῶν ἀπόνοιαν γέγονα ἄφρων, οὐχ ἑκὼν μᾶλλον, ἀλλὰ παρ' αὐτῶν ἠναγκασμένος. ἐπιστομιζέσθωσαν τοίνυν οἱ ταῦτα φλυαροῦντες, ὡς ἀμαθεῖς, καὶ ἠρεμείτωσαν μὴ ἁπτόμενοι τῶν ὑπὲρ δύναμιν, μᾶλλον δὲ μὴ καταλαλεί 605 τωσαν τοῦ Θεοῦ. ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν κτίσιν ἐστὶν, οὔτε σῶμα νοούμενος, οὔτε ἐν τύποις ἢ σχήμασι σωματικοῖς, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ἁπλοῦς, ἄϋλος, ἀνείδεος, ἀσύνθετος, οὐκ ἐκ μερῶν ἢ μελῶν ἢ μορίων συγκείμενος καθάπερ ἡμεῖς, πνεῦμα δὲ μᾶλλον, κατὰ τὰς γραφὰς, καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐφορῶν, πανταχοῦ ὢν καὶ τὰ πάντα πληρῶν, καὶ οὐδενὸς ἀπολιμπανόμενος· πληροῖ γὰρ οὐρανὸν καὶ γῆν. τὸ δὲ κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ πεποιῆσθαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἑτέρας ἐμφάσεις καὶ ὑπονοίας ἔχει. μόνος γὰρ αὐτὸς παρὰ πάντα τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς ζῷα λογικός ἐστι, φιλοικτίρμων, ἐπιτηδειότητα πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν ἔχων, λαχὼν δὲ καὶ τὸ ἄρχειν ἁπάντων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καθ' ὁμοιότητα καὶ εἰκόνα Θεοῦ. οὐκοῦν κατὰ τὸ εἶναι ζῷον λογικὸν καὶ καθὸ φιλάρετον καὶ ἀρχικὸν τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἐν εἰκόνι Θεοῦ πεποιῆσθαι λέγεται. εἰ δὲ νομίζουσι κατὰ τὸ τοῦ σώματος σχῆμα λέγεσθαι τὴν εἰκόνα, οὐδὲν λυπεῖ καὶ τοῖς ἀλόγοις τῶν ζῴων σύμμορφον λέγειν εἶναι τὸν Θεόν. ὁρῶμεν γὰρ, ὅτι καὶ αὐτὰ ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν ἡμῖν εἰσι μορίων, πόδας ἔχοντα καὶ στόμα καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ ῥῖνας καὶ γλῶσσαν καὶ τὰ ἕτερα τῶν τοῦ σώματος μελῶν. παυέτω τοίνυν ἡ σὴ θεοσέβεια τοὺς τοιούτους, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐπιτιμάτω τοῖς ταῦτα φλυαρεῖν εἰωθόσιν.

Ἀκούω δὲ ὅτι φασὶν ἀπρακτεῖν εἰς ἁγιασμὸν τὴν μυστικὴν εὐλογίαν, εἰ ἀπομείνοι λείψανον αὐτῆς εἰς ἑτέραν ἡμέραν. μαίνονται δὲ ταῦτα λέγοντες· οὐ γὰρ