Judaism & the Early Christian Mind: A Study of Cyril of Alexandria's Exegesis & Theology

by Robert L. Wilken

Rare first hardcover edition, 1971.

Genres: Theology

271 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[Josef Muench · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a stimulating, captivating read. I will be returning to it over and over for the enlightening presentation of Cyril's theology therein. However, it was stimulating in more ways than one. Wilken at times makes truly important claims about the nature of historical/patristic theology. He rescues the fathers from 19th-c. presuppositions by allowing them to speak from within their proper context as bishops, pastors, and liturgists rather than as scholastic dogmaticians. He demonstrates that Judaism provided just as important context for patristic thought as Hellenism (and in Cyril's case, a more important one). Most importantly (and mercifully), throughout most of this book, he simply allows Cyril to speak for himself. I say "mercifully" because when Wilken gets into his own exegesis of Cyril and a contemporary re-interpretation of the Christological controversy and Jewish/Christian relations, it's sometimes hard to believe that the same one who offered such an enlightening presentation of Cyril's theology came to the conclusions to which he comes. A couple examples illustrate the point. He says it cannot be claimed that Cyril had a "full picture of the humanity of Jesus" (this in itself is not an unfamiliar accusation, but it is somewhat surprising that Wilken agrees with it given the discussion in this book alone). More astonishing, he claims that Cyril "did not have a great theological mind," and further that Cyril was "too biblical," and that the Bible was his "Achilles' heel." All that to say, there's plenty here for reflection. Anyone interested in patristic exegesis, the Christological controversy, and Cyril's theology should read this book.

[Cody Edds · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a necessary book on Cyril's theology. Many know Cyril for his Christology and the letters and debate surrounding Nestorius. But Cyril saw himself as primarily an exegete, and set out early in his career to do just that. While there have been plenty of recent studies on Cyril's Christology (and Christology in general) as well as Early Church exegesis and hermeneutics, there has been almost nothing on Cyril's biblical theology and exegesis. This is unfortunate.

Dr. Wilken puts an end to this. Wilken sets out to unravel many of Cyril's exegetical motifs and attempts to place him within the exegetical tradition of his day. This helps give a better understanding of Cyril's often harsh language when speaking of the Jews and Judaism, as it places such writings within the context of Cyril's doctrine of the law/gospel and covenant theology.

The best portions of the book were the two chapters on Christ as the Second Adam and the last chapter on Nestorius, tying all of Cyril's exegetical theology and his polemics against the Jews back to his Christology. This helps better understand Cyril's Christology as the fruit of his exegetical work.

I see this book serving well to introduce many to Cyril's hermeneutics, biblical theology, how he handled the Old Testament, and the biblical foundations of his polemic against Judaism and Nestorius.

A must read for anyone studying Cyril's theology or Christology!

[Ryan Harbry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was a look into Cyril's writings. He was the bishop of Alexandria at the height of the Roman Empire in the 5th century. It was an interesting look into the relationship between Judaism and Christianity long ago, which unfortunately (and understandably) was not always very pleasant. I really liked reading about the theological defense of each when compared to one another. Some extremely thought provoking reading came when Cyril drew upon the imagery of Christ as the second Adam who came to undue the curse of death which came through the first. He was pretty much expanding on St. Paul's writing in Romans 5. Also, it was an interesting look into the Resurrection as the beginning and first-fruits of New Creation; which has been a cool perspective change for me over the last few years.

He ends the book with a cool quote:
"... The resurrection of Jesus was a signal of the end, but it is not the end itself. Both Judaism and Christianity will come to fulfillment only in the coming Kingdom of God."