Cyril of Jerusalem - Appointment To The Bishopric of Jerusalem

Appointment To The Bishopric of Jerusalem

The exact date of Cyril’s appointment to Bishop of Jerusalem is not known but many believe the date to be around the early to mid part of the Fourth century. The Evidence supporting this claim comes in the form of the Catecheses by Cyril where he continually refers to himself as bishop and a letter written by Cyril to Constantius in 351 where he refers to his vision of the burning cross in the sky as his “First Fruits”. Cyril’s appointment to the Bishop of Jerusalem is also shrouded in conspiracy. Most of the rumors circle from the same source of Saint Jerome who claimed “ Cyril was an out and out Arian, was offered the see on Maximus death on the condition that he would repudiate his ordination at the hands of that Bishop”. Saint Jerome was claiming not only that Cyril was an Arian but also involved directly or indirectly in the death of Maximus who he replaced as Bishop of Jerusalem. Most scholars disagree with this account because Saint Jerome often made statements more entertaining than factual. Most accounts of Cyril place him in better light like Theodoret of Cyrrhus who referred to Cyril as “an earnest champion of the apostolic decrees of Nicaea and says nothing about Arian conspiracy to make him Maximus successor”. Cyril was clearly held with high regard by many members of the Church and was able to sustain his place in the History of Jerusalem, despite serious charges and punishments that included banish for years at a time from his position and his city of Jerusalem.