Cyril of Jerusalem - Banishment and Trouble

Banishment and Trouble

Cyril of Jerusalem spent his religious career as a rebel who upheld what he believed to be right. In the mid 350s he sold items of the church so that he could feed the starving in Jerusalem. Cyril was caught when a dancer was seen wearing a coat that contained gold thread: a direct gift from the emperor Constantius. The person who caught Cyril was Acacius who insisted Cyril report the sale to the Synod. Cyril refused and the Synod deposed him in 357. Acacius, once a great ally of Cyril, began to harbor feelings of aggression towards him because Cyril never became a religious ally in the fight for Arianism. Cyril was exiled from Jerusalem until 359 when imperial authority placed him back as Bishop after Cyril was able to plead his case to Emperor Constantius, referencing the multitude of people who were starving and he was able to feed with the money he made from the sale. Cyril got in trouble again when he appointed his nephew to bishop of Caesarea; this was not the first time Cyril had appointed someone close to him to a high position in the Church. The Emperor Valens reacted strongly, exiling him to Eastern Asia Minor. Cyril did not return to Jerusalem until 366 after Valens had died.