Reference:CPG 5310/8636
Incipit:Εἰ μὲν ἦν σιωπῆσαι
Date:Easter 430
Greek Text:ACO 1.1.5:10-12
English translation1:FCC (below); CE #12; McG 276-279; FC 76:60-64

The English translation below was produced for FCC by R. Read. For information about the historical context of this letter and its connection to the escalating Christological controversy of the time, click here.

Κυρίλλου ἐπισκόπου Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπιστολὴ πρὸς Κελεστῖνον ἐπίσκοπον ῬώμηςA letter of Cyril, bishop of Alexandria, to Celestine, bishop of Rome
1. Τῷ ὁσιωτάτῳ καὶ θεοφιλεστάτῳ πατρὶ Κελεστίνῳ Κύριλλος ἐν κυρίῳ χαίρειν.1. Cyril, to the holy, God-loving Father Celestine: Greetings in the Lord.
Εἰ μὲν ἦν σιωπῆσαι καὶ μὴ πάντα τῇ σῇ θεοσεβείᾳ γράφοντα τὰ κινούμενα μέμψεως ἔξω γενέσθαι καὶ διαφυγεῖν δύνασθαι τὸ δοκοῦν λυπηρὸν καὶ μάλιστα ἐν ἀναγκαίοις οὕτω πράγμασιν, ὅπου καὶ ἡ τῆς πίστεως ὀρθότης παρασαλεύεται παρά τινων, ἔφην ἂν ἐμαυτῷ· καλὴ καὶ ἀκίνδυνος ἡ σιωπὴ καὶ τὸ ἠρεμεῖν τοῦ ταράττεσθαι κρεῖττον. ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ θεὸς ἀπαιτεῖ παρ᾽ ἡμῶν τὸ νηφάλιον ἐν τούτοις καὶ τὰ μακρὰ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἔθη πείθουσιν ἀνακοινοῦσθαι τῇ σῇ ὁσιότητι, γράφω πάλιν ἀναγκαίως, ἐκεῖνο δηλῶν ὅτι διακυκᾷ τὰ πάντα καὶ νῦν ὁ σατανᾶς καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν τοῦ θεοῦ μαίνεται καὶ ὀρθοποδοῦντας ἐν πίστει τοὺς ἁπανταχόσε λαοὺς πειρᾶται διαστρέφειν. οὐ γὰρ ἠρεμεῖ τὸ παμπόνηρον ἐκεῖνο θηρίον καὶ εὐφόρητον εἰς ἀσέβειαν. ἐσίγων μὲν οὖν τὸν παρῳχηκότα καιρὸν καὶ οὐδὲν ὅλως οὔτε πρὸς τὴν σὴν θεοσέβειαν γέγραφα περὶ τοῦ νῦν ὄντος ἐν τῇ Κωνσταντινουπόλει καὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν διέποντος οὔτε μὴν πρὸς ἕτερον τῶν συλλειτουργῶν, τὸ ἐν τούτοις προπετὲς οὐκ ἔξω μώμου κεῖσθαι πιστεύων· ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἰς ἀκμὴν ὥσπερ ἥκομεν τοῦ κακοῦ, δεῖν ᾠήθην ἀναγκαίως ἀνεῖναι λοιπὸν τὴν γλῶτταν καὶ πάντα εἰπεῖν τὰ κεκινημένα.If it were possible to stay silent, to avoid censure, and to escape the expected distress by not writing to your religiousness about everything which is set in motion despite such compelling circumstances, in which some are now undermining the orthodox faith, I would have said to myself, “Silence is good and free from danger; it is better to keep quiet than to be agitated.” But because God demands that we be level-headed in these circumstances and because long-standing custom of the churches convinces us to consult with your piety, I am again writing of necessity. I want to inform you that Satan is even now throwing everything into disarray, raging against the churches of God, and trying to pervert the people everywhere who are advancing in faith. That thoroughly depraved beast and instigator of impiety does not rest. So I kept silent as time passed and wrote nothing to your religiousness concerning him who is now in Constantinople and is managing the church. Nor have I written to any of my fellow servants, believing that recklessness in these matters invites censure. But because we have come to the summit, as it were, of the evil, I thought it wholly necessary to finally loose my tongue and tell of all that has been set in motion.
2. ὁ γὰρ μνημονευθεὶς ἅμα κεχειροτόνηται, καὶ δέον ταῖς παραινέσεσι ταῖς εἰς τὸ ἀγαθὸν ὠφελεῖν τούς τε ἐκεῖσε λαοὺς καὶ τοὺς παρεπιδημοῦντας ξένους (πάμπολλοι δὲ οὗτοι καὶ ἀπὸ πάσης ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν πόλεώς τε καὶ χώρας), σπουδὴν ἔθετο λαλεῖν ἔκτοπά τινα καὶ ἔξω λόγου καὶ ὅσα μακράν ἐστι τῆς ἀποστολικῆς καὶ εὐαγγελικῆς πίστεως, ἣν μέχρι παντὸς τετηρήκασιν οἱ πατέρες παρέδοσάν τε ἡμῖν ὡς πολύτιμον μαργαρίτην. καὶ τὰς μὲν ὁμιλίας ἃς ἐπ’ ἐκκλησίας εἴρηκε, καὶ τοῦτο πλειστάκις, καὶ λέγων οὐ παύεται, πέπομφα τῇ σῇ θεοσεβείᾳ, πρὸς εἴδησιν ἀκριβῆ· ἐγὼ δέ, ὁμολογῶ, καίτοι βουληθεὶς συνοδικῷ γράμματι φανερὸν αὐτῷ καταστῆσαι ὅτι ταῦτα λέγοντι καὶ φρονοῦντι κοινωνεῖν οὐ δυνάμεθα, τοῦτο μὲν οὐ πεποίηκα, λογισάμενος δὲ ὅτι χρὴ τοῖς ὀλισθήσασι χεῖρα διδόναι καὶ ὡς ἀδελφοὺς πεσόντας ἐγεῖραι, παρῄνεσα διὰ γραμμάτων ἀποσχέσθαι τῆς τοιαύτης κακοδοξίας, ἀλλ᾽ ὠνήσαμεν οὐδέν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ μεμάθηκεν ὅτι τοσοῦτον ἀφεστήκαμεν τοῦ τὰ αὐτὰ φρονεῖν, ὡς καὶ ἐπιπλήττειν αὐτὸν μεταστῆναι τῶν οἰκείων εὑρημάτων (οὐ γὰρ ἂν εἴποιμι δογμάτων), πάντα τρόπον ἐπιβουλῆς κεκίνηκε καὶ εἰς ἔτι σαλεύων οὐ παύεται. ὅτε δὲ προσεδοκῶμεν αὐτὸν θεραπεύεσθαι καὶ ἀποσχέσθαι τῶν κατὰ Χριστοῦ διδαγμάτων, ἔγνωμεν ὅτι διημαρτήκαμεν τῆς ἐλπίδος, τοιούτου τινὸς γεγονότος.2. The one whom I mentioned, as soon as he was ordained—though obliged to enrich the people there and the resident foreigners (who are very many and from every city and region, so to speak) with exhortations to do good—quickly began to say strange things contrary to reason, far removed from the faith of the apostles and the gospels. The fathers preserved that faith for all time and handed it down to us as a pearl of great price. I have sent to your religiousness the sermons he has delivered in church (which he has done often and continues to do) so that you may have accurate knowledge. As for me, I confess that although I wished to make it plain to him with a synodical letter that we cannot commune with one who says and thinks these things, I have not done so. I reasoned that it was necessary to extend a hand to those who have slipped and raise them up like fallen brothers. So I advised him in writing to keep away from such false doctrine, but we accomplished nothing. When he learned that we, so far from agreeing with him, had even adjured him to abandon his own inventions (for I would not call them doctrines), he employed every manner of scheming and still does not cease his disruptions. Though we expected him to improve his ways and cease his teachings against Christ, we realized that our hope was in vain due to the following occurrence.
3. ἦν ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει ἐπίσκοπος ὀνόματι Δωρόθεος, τὰ αὐτὰ φρονῶν αὐτῷ, ἀνὴρ χρειοκόλαξ καὶ προπετὴς χείλεσι, καθὼς γέγραπται· ὃς ἐν συνάξει, καθεζομένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως εὐλαβεστάτου Νεστορίου, ἀναστὰς μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ τετόλμηκεν εἰπεῖν· εἴ τις λέγει θεοτόκον εἶναι τὴν Μαρίαν, οὗτος ἀνάθεμα ἔστω. καὶ γέγονε μὲν κραυγὴ μεγάλη παρὰ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ ἐκδρομή· οὐ γὰρ ἤθελον ἔτι κοινωνεῖν αὐτοῖς τοιαῦτα φρονοῦσιν, ὥστε καὶ νῦν ἀποσυνάκτους εἶναι τοὺς λαοὺς τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, πλὴν ὀλίγων ἐλαφροτέρων καὶ τῶν κολακευόντων αὐτόν, τὰ δὲ μοναστήρια σχεδὸν ἅπαντα καὶ οἱ τούτων ἀρχιμανδρῖται καὶ τῆς συγκλήτου πολλοὶ οὐ συνάγονται, δεδιότες μὴ ἀδικηθῶσιν εἰς πίστιν, αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ οὗς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀντιοχείας ἀναβαίνων ἤγαγε, πάντα λαλούντων τὰ διεστραμμένα.3. There was in Constantinople a bishop named Dorotheus, who agrees with him—a flatterer and rash talker, as it is written. At an assembly, while reverent Nestorius was seated on the throne of the church of Constantinople, he stood up and boldly said in a loud voice, “If anyone says that Mary is Theotokos, let him be anathema.” The whole assembly erupted with loud shouting and left, for they did not want to commune any longer with those who think such things. Consequently, the people of Constantinople are even now excommunicated except for a few of the fickle ones and those who flatter him. Nearly all the monasteries, their archimandrites, and many of the senate refuse to gather out of fear that their faith will suffer harm. Meanwhile he and those whom he brought with him from Antioch continue to make all kinds of warped statements.
4. ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῶν ὁμιλιῶν αὐτοῦ ἐνεχθεισῶν εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἔμαθον ὅτι ἐλαφρότεροί τινες συνηρπάσθησαν καὶ λοιπὸν ἐνδοιάζοντες πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔφασκον· ἄρα ὀρθῶς λέγει; ἄρα ἐπλανήθη; δεδοικὼς μὴ ῥιζωθῇ τὰ τῆς νόσου ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἁπλουστέρων ψυχαῖς, ἔγραψα τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον μοναστηρίοις καθολικὴν ἐπιστολήν, βεβαιῶν αὐτοὺς εἰς πίστιν ὀρθήν. εἶτα τινὲς ἀπήγαγον ἐν τῇ Κωνσταντινουπόλει τὰ ἴσα, καὶ ὠφέληνται μὲν ἀναγνόντες πάνυ πολλοί, ὥστε καὶ γεγράφασιν εὐχαριστοῦντες πλεῖστοι τῶν ἐν τέλει, γέγονε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ τοῦτο τροφὴ τῆς κατ᾽ ἐμοῦ λύπης καὶ ὡς ἐχθρῷ μάχεται, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἔχων ἐγκαλεῖν ἢ ὅτι μόνον οὐκ ἀνέχομαι τὰ ἴσα φρονεῖν αὐτῷ. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπηνώρθωσα πολλούς, ἣν παρελάβομεν ἐκ πατέρων πίστιν καὶ ἃ ἐμάθομεν ἐκ τῆς θείας γραφῆς, κρατεῖν παρακελευόμενος, ἐκεῖνα δὲ οἴεσθαι ἄδεκτα πείθων αὐτούς. ὅμως καὶ οὐ φροντίσας τῶν παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ γενομένων κατ᾽ ἐμοῦ, ἀλλὰ θεῷ δοὺς τῷ πάντα εἰδότι καὶ ἰσχύοντι, πάλιν ἑτέραν ἐπιστολὴν γέγραφα τῷ μνημονευθέντι, τὴν ἔκθεσιν ὡς ἐν συντόμῳ τῆς ὀρθῆς πίστεως ἔχουσαν, παρακαλῶν τε ἅμα καὶ διαμαρτυρόμενος οὕτω καὶ φρονεῖν καὶ λαλεῖν. ἀλλ᾽ ὤνησα πάλιν οὐδέν, ἔχεται δὲ καὶ εἰς δεῦρο τῶν ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς καὶ οὐ παύεται λαλῶν τὰ διεστραμμένα.4. When his sermons were brought to Egypt, I learned that some fickle people were carried away and were doubtfully saying to each other, “Is he correct? Is he in error?” Fearing that the sickness would take root in the souls of the simple, I wrote a general letter to the monasteries of Egypt to establish them in the true faith. Then some brought copies of it to Constantinople, where very many read it and profited from it, so that many of those in power have written in gratitude. This has produced in him grief towards me, and he fights as against an enemy, though he has no accusation except that I refuse to share his beliefs. But I have corrected many people, urging them to hold on to the faith which we received from the fathers and what we learned from Holy Scripture and persuading them to regard those beliefs as unacceptable. Nevertheless, disregarding what he has done against me and entrusting myself to God, who is omniscient and omnipotent, I have again written him a letter containing a concise exposition of the true faith, urging and begging him so to believe and to speak. But I again accomplished nothing. Even now he holds to his original position and does not stop making warped statements.
5. γινωσκέτω δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἡ σὴ θεοσέβεια ὅτι καὶ ἅπασι τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἀνατολὴν ἐπισκόποις συνᾴδει τὰ λεγόμενα καὶ δυσχεραίνουσι πάντες καὶ λυποῦνται καὶ μάλιστα οἱ κατὰ τὴν Μακεδονίαν εὐλαβέστατοι ἐπίσκοποι. καὶ τοῦτο εἰδὼς οἴεται ὅτι πάντων ἐστὶ σοφώτερος καὶ μόνος οἶδε τὸν σκοπὸν τῆς θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς καὶ τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μυστήριον. καίτοι πῶς οὐκ ἔδει πληροφορεῖσθαι μᾶλλον αὐτὸν ὅτι πάντων τῶν κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην ὀρθοδόξων ἐπισκόπων καὶ λαϊκῶν ὁμολογούντων ὅτι καὶ θεός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ θεοτόκος ἡ τεκοῦσα αὐτὸν παρθένος, πλανᾶται μόνος αὐτὸς τοῦτο ἀρνούμενος; ἀλλ᾽ ὠφρύωται καὶ οἴεται ὅτι τῇ δυναστείᾳ τοῦ θρόνου πᾶσιν ἐπιβουλεύων καὶ ἡμᾶς ἢ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἅπαντας ἀναπείσει τὰ αὐτὰ φρονεῖν αὐτῷ. τί τοίνυν δράσομεν, οὔτε ἀναπείθοντες αὐτὸν οὔτε παῦσαι δυνάμενοι τῶν τοιούτων ὁμιλιῶν καὶ ὁσημέραι κατεφθαρμένων τῶν λαῶν τῶν ἐν τῇ Κωνσταντινουπόλει καὶ δυσχεραινόντων μέν, ἐκδεχομένων δὲ τὴν παρὰ τῶν ὀρθοδόξων διδασκάλων ἐπικουρίαν; καὶ οὐ περὶ τῶν τυχόντων ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲ ἀκίνδυνος ἡ σιωπή. εἰ γὰρ δυσφημεῖται Χριστός, πῶς ἡμεῖς σιωπήσομεν; καίτοι τοῦ Παύλου γράφοντος· εἰ γὰρ ἑκὼν τοῦτο πράσσω, μισθὸν ἔχω· εἰ δὲ ἄκων, οἰκονομίαν πεπίστευμαι. οἱ τοίνυν ἐμπεπιστευμένοι τοῦ λόγου τὴν οἰκονομίαν καὶ τῆς πίστεως τὴν ἀσφάλειαν τί ἐροῦμεν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως, ὅταν ἐπὶ τούτοις σιγήσωμεν;5. Let it be known to your religiousness that all the bishops in the East agree with what I am saying, and all feel disgust and grief, especially the pious bishops of Macedonia. Although aware of this, he thinks that he is wiser than all and that he alone knows the meaning of God-breathed scripture and the mystery of Christ. Yet because all orthodox bishops throughout the whole world and all laypeople confess that Christ is God and that the virgin who bore him is Theotokos, how could he not be assured that he alone errs by denying this? But he acts superior and thinks that by plotting against everyone with the power of his see he shall seduce both us and everyone else to share his beliefs. What, then, shall we do when we can neither persuade him nor put a stop to his sermons as, day by day, the people in Constantinople are corrupted and feel disgust, expecting help from orthodox teachers? We are not speaking of trifling matters, and silence is not without danger. For if he speaks ill of Christ; how can we remain silent? Paul, moreover, writes, “If I do this willingly, I have a reward, but if unwillingly, I have been entrusted with stewardship” [1 Cor. 9:17]. What, then, shall we who have been entrusted with stewardship of the word and protection of the faith say on the day of judgment if we keep silent now?
6. οὐ πρότερον δὲ τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν κοινωνίας ἐκβάλλομεν ἑαυτοὺς μετὰ παρρησίας, πρὶν ἂν ταῦτα τῇ σῇ θεοσεβείᾳ ἀνακοινωσώμεθα. διὸ δὴ καταξίωσον τυπῶσαι τὸ δοκοῦν καὶ πότερόν ποτε χρὴ κοινωνεῖν αὐτῷ ἢ λοιπὸν ἀπειπεῖν μετὰ παρρησίας ὅτι τοιαῦτα φρονοῦντι καὶ διδάσκοντι οὐδεὶς κοινωνεῖ. τὸν δὲ ἐπὶ τούτοις σκοπὸν τῆς σῆς τελειότητος χρὴ γενέσθαι διὰ γραμμάτων καταφανῆ καὶ τοῖς εὐλαβεστάτοις καὶ θεοφιλεστάτοις ἐπισκόποις τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Μακεδονίαν, καὶ ἅπασι δὲ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἀνατολήν· ἐπιθυμοῦσι γὰρ αὐτοῖς δώσομεν ἀφορμὰς τοῦ πάντας μιᾷ ψυχῇ καὶ μιᾷ γνώμῃ στῆναι καὶ ἐπαγωνίσασθαι τῇ ὀρθῇ πίστει πολεμουμένῃ. ὅσον γὰρ τὸ κατ᾽ αὐτόν, καὶ οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν οἱ μεγάλοι καὶ θαυμαστοὶ καὶ εὐδόκιμοι θεοτόκον εἶναι τὴν ἁγίαν εἰπόντες παρθένον ἀνεθεματίσθησαν, καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ σὺν αὐτοῖς οἱ ζῶντες ἔτι. καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἰδίᾳ φωνῇ τοῦτο ποιῆσαι οὐκ ἠθέλησεν, ἄλλον ἔστησε, τὸν μνημονευθέντα Δωρόθεον, καὶ τοῦτο εἰπεῖν παρεσκεύασεν αὐτοῦ καθεζομένου καὶ ἀκούοντος, ᾧ καὶ κατελθὼν ἀπὸ τοῦ θρόνου εὐθὺς κεκοινώνηκεν, ἐπιτελέσας τὰ θεῖα μυστήρια. ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ εἰδέναι σαφῶς τὴν σὴν ὁσιότητα τίνα ἐστὶν ἃ αὐτὸς μὲν λέγει καὶ φρονεῖ, τίνα δὲ ἃ οἱ μακάριοι καὶ μεγάλοι πατέρες ἡμῶν, ἀπέστειλα τόμους κεφαλαίων ἔχοντας περικοπάς, ἑρμηνευθῆναι δὲ παρεσκεύασα, ὡς ἐνεδέχετο τοῖς ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ. καὶ τὰς παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ γραφείσας ἐπιστολὰς δέδωκα τῷ ἀγαπητῷ Ποσειδωνίῳ, ἐντειλάμενος καὶ αὐτὰς προσαγαγεῖν τῇ σῇ τελειότητι.6. We are not publicly withdrawing from communion with him before communicating these things to your religiousness. Therefore see fit to decree what you think is proper and whether anyone ought to commune with him or rather publicly renounce him on the grounds that no one should commune with one who believes and teaches such things. The decision of your perfection should be made clear through letters to the pious, God-loving bishops of Macedonia and all those in the East. As they desire, we shall give them the means to all stand with one mind and opinion and to contend for the true faith, which is under attack. For as he sees it, our great, admirable, respected fathers stand anathematized for saying that the holy virgin is Theotokos, and we, who are still living, along with them. But because he did not wish to do this with his own voice, he set up another—the aforementioned Dorotheus—and made him say it while he himself sat and listened. Then he came down from his throne and immediately communed with him, carrying out the holy mysteries. That your holiness may know without a doubt what he himself says and believes, and what our blessed great fathers say and believe, I have sent papyri containing passages pertaining to the matter, which I had translated, as far as possible, by those in Alexandria. I have given the letters I have written to dear Posidonius with instructions to bring them also to your perfection.

Last updated 9/25/24 by JSW

  1. CE – The Council of Ephesus of 431 (Eng. trans. by Price/Graumann) (= TTH 72); McG = McGuckin, St. Cyril of Alexandria and the Christological Controversy (SVS Press, 2004); FC = Fathers of the Church (Cath. Univ. of America Press), vol. 76 – J.I. McEnery, Cyril of Alexandria. Letters 1-50 (1987).

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