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A Question for Cyril

A petition submitted to the holy Cyril, faithful high priest, genuine servant of God, to holy Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, from the brotherhood. It was indeed good for us to be at peace, and perhaps even accomplishing some of our undertakings, but no less, having come from there, we consider ourselves benefited by the mere sight of you, and we will profit most especially by being taught piety from your very own mouth. For to be detained in a distant land and to read the books and labors of your holiness is both good and profitable and brings forward those who pay attention; but to be watered with teaching from those very lips which pour forth divine grace and spiritual sweetness is both more certain and more life-giving. Therefore, we have come again on account of our desire for you and for piety, and for our own progress and at the same time the correction of others. For having previously received from your holy hands the book which resolves the inquiry about our correct doctrines, we have carried away no small benefit. For to us, the discourse has become a confirmation, but to others, a correction; and few are those who have not approached the sound teaching, whose mouths have been stopped. But the people of the region of Abelina, being badly disposed toward one another on account of certain dogmatic questions, have driven to such a point of madness as even to decree depositions and anathemas against each other and to bring persecutions against one another and to endure plunder, and to yield neither to the bishops nor to the fathers there, nor indeed to those with us, nor to give way to any other holy men, as if they had been deemed worthy of a greater measure of knowledge; thus has the satanic disorder overwhelmingly taken them captive far from the divine peace. In addition to these, again, some of the Egyptians, having been taught not to think rightly about God, suffering from the same madness as those others, are assailing one another with equal zealous efforts of greed 548, but, having been pricked by God, both parties have come to the holy men in Palestine, and to these they have brought the questions under investigation. But we, having measured our own ability, judged that we ought not to define these matters ourselves, nor indeed that we were sufficient to render an account concerning such investigations. Therefore, the aforementioned, having learned that we have confidence before your holiness, have earnestly begged that, through our littleness, the discourse of your teaching might be received as an end to their battle against one another.

Therefore, with the consent of our holy fathers, we voluntarily accepted the request, gratifying ourselves more than them, by enjoying the very sight of you and rejoicing together in your presence and in a living word, and not a letter sent through others which further inflames desire. We have therefore seized upon this arrival, rejoicing not moderately, so that even through us, the least of all, they might lay aside the battle they wage against each other, and that through your sound teaching the peace of Christ might be awarded to them and to us as quickly as possible; whether we depart for the sake of beloved peace, or remain for the sake of love and fellowship and the progress resulting from these, and sending what will be written at a more opportune time. But you, most holy father, do not refuse to see us genuinely, preserving a father's compassion also for us. For I think we shall not even need a defense, partaking of confidence with reverence through the grace of God and your kindness, which we ask to be extended to us in proportion to our own genuineness, and this with sober-mindedness. For thus it would come to pass that we for our part might obtain what is mutual and your

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Quaestio ad Cyrillum

̓Αξίωσις ἐπιδοθεῖσα τῷ ἁγίῳ Κυρίλλῳ πιστῷ ἀρχιερεῖ, γνησίῳ θεράποντι Θεοῦ, ἁγίῳ Κυρίλλῳ ἀρχιεπισκόπῳ Ἀλεξανδρείας παρὰ τῆς

ἀδελφότητος. Ἦν μὲν εὖ ἔχειν ἡμᾶς ἡσυχάζοντας, εἰ καί τι κατορθοῦντας ἴσως τῶν σπουδαζομένων, οὐδὲν δὲ ἧττον κἀκεῖθεν ἀποδημοῦντας, ἡμᾶς αὐτοςὠφελεῖσθαι νομίζομεν διὰ τὴν σὴν μόνον θέαν, καὶ μάλιστα κερδανοῦμεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ στόματός σου τὴν εὐσέβειαν διδασκόμενοι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ καὶ πόῤῥω γῆς κατησχημένους ἀναγινώσκειν τὰς βίβλους καὶ τὰ πονήματα τῆς σῆς ὁσιότητος, καλὸν ἅμα καὶ ὠφέλιμον καὶ εἰς τὰ πρόσω φέρον τοὺς προσέχοντας· τὸ δ' ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν θείαν χάριν καὶ πνευματικὴν γλυκύτητα πηγαζόντων χειλέων τὴν διδασκαλίαν ἀρδεύεσθαι, βεβαιότερον ἅμα καὶ ζωτικώτερον ὑπάρχει. ἥκομεν τοίνυν αὖθις διὰ τὴν εἰς σὲ καὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἐπιθυμίαν, προκοπήν θ' ἡμετέραν ἅμα καὶ ἑτέρων διόρθωσιν. δεξάμενοι γὰρ πρόσθεν ἐκ τῶν σῶν ἁγίων χειρῶν τὴν περὶ τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς ὀρθῶν δογμάτων ζήτησιν ἐπιλύουσαν βίβλον, οὐκ ὀλίγην τὴν ὄνησιν ἀπηνεγκάμεθα. ἡμῖν μὲν γὰρ γέγονεν εἰς βεβαίωσιν ὁ λόγος, ἑτέροις δὲ εἰς διόρθωσιν· ὀλίγοι δ' εἰσὶν οἱ μὴ προσελθόντες τῇ ὑγιαινούσῃ διδασκαλίᾳ, ὧν ἐνεφράγη τὰ στόματα. ἀλλ' οἱ τῆς Ἀβηλινῆς χώρας κακῶς πρὸς ἀλλήλους διατεινόμενοι δογματικῶν ἕνεκα τινῶν ζητημάτων εἰς τοσοῦτον μανίας ἤλασαν ὡς καὶ καθαιρέσεις καὶ ἀναθεματισμοὺς κατ' ἀλλήλων ὁρίζειν καὶ διωγμοὺς πρὸς ἀλλήλους φέρειν καὶ διαρπαγὰς ὑπομένειν καὶ μητ' ἐπισκόποις μήτε πατράσιν εἴκειν τοῖς αὐτόθι, μήτε μὴν τοῖς παρ' ἡμῖν, μητ' ἄλλοις τισὶν ἁγίων παραχωρεῖν, τὸ μείζονος μέτρου γνώσεως ἠξιῶσθαι, οὕτω κατακράτος ἡ σατανικὴ ἀκαταστασία πόῤῥω τῆς θείας εἰρήνης αὐτοὺς ἐξῃχμαλώτισε. πρὸς τούτοις αὖθις καὶ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων τινὲς οὐκ ὀρθῶς φρονεῖν περὶ Θεοῦ δεδιδαγμένοι, τὴν αὐτὴν ἐκείνοις νοσοῦντες μανίαν, τοῖς ἴσοις τῆς πλεονεξίας 548 σπουδάσμασι κατ' ἀλλήλων προσφέρονται, ἀλλὰ θειόθεν μέρος ἑκάτερον νυγέντες πρὸς τοὺς ἐν παλαιστίνῃ ἁγίους ἥκασι, καὶ τούτοις τὰς ζητουμένας πεύσεις προσήγαγον. ἡμεῖς δὲ τὴν ἑαυτῶν μετρήσαντες δύναμιν ἐκρίναμεν μὴ δεῖν ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς περὶ τούτων ὁρίζειν, μήτε μὴν ἱκανῶς ἔχειν τὸν περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἐξετάσεων ἀποδοῦναι λόγον. μαθόντες τοίνυν οἱ προειρημένοι παῤῥησίαν πρὸς τὴν σὴν ἡμᾶς ἔχειν ὁσιότητα, ἐξελιπάρησαν διὰ τῆς ἡμῶν βραχύτητος πέρας δέξασθαι τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους μάχης τὸν τῆς ὑμετέρας διδασκαλίας λόγον.

Συναινεσάντων οὖν τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς ἁγίων πατέρων, αὐθαίρετοι τὴν παράκλησιν ἐδεξάμεθα, ἑαυτοῖς μᾶλλον ἢ ἐκείνοις χαριζόμενοι τῷ καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν ὄψεων ἀπολαῦσαι καὶ παρόντι συνευφρανθῆναι καὶ λόγῳ ζῶντι καὶ οὐ γράμματι δι' ἑτέρων πεμπομένῳ καὶ πλέον τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐξάπτοντι. ἡρπάσαμεν τοίνυν τὴν ἄφιξιν οὐ μετρίως χαίροντες ὅπως καὶ δι' ἡμῶν τῶν ἐλαχίστων, ἣν μὲν πρὸς ἀλλήλους συγκροτοῦσι καταθῶνται μάχην, διὰ δὲ τῆς ὑγιαινούσης σου διδασκαλίας ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰρήνη αὐτοῖς τε καὶ ἡμῖν ὡς τάχιστα βραβευθείη· εἴτ' ἀπιόντων ἡμῶν διὰ φίλην ἡσυχίαν, εἴτε μενόντων διὰ τὴν ἀγάπην καὶ συγκρότησιν καὶ τὴν ἐκ τούτων προκοπὴν καὶ τὰ γραφησόμενα πεμπόντων εὐκαιρότερον. ἀλλ' αὐτὸς, πάτερ ἁγιώτατε, γνησίως ἡμᾶς ὁρᾶν μὴ παραιτοῦ, πατρὸς σπλάγχνα καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς διασώζων. οὔτε γὰρ ὡς οἶμαι καὶ ἀπολογίας δεήσομεν, παῤῥησίας μετέχοντες μετὰ αἰδοῦς διὰ Θεοῦ χάριν καὶ τὴν σὴν χρηστότητα, ἣν καὶ πλατυνθῆναι ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς ἰσοῤῥόπως τῆς ἡμετέρας γνησιότητος ἀπαιτοῦμεν, καὶ τοῦτο μετὰ σωφροσύνης. οὕτω γὰρ γ' ἂν γένοιτο καὶ ἡμᾶς τῶν ἀμοιβαίων τέως τυγχάνειν καὶ τὴν σὴν