Life and significance
A teacher of the unity of Christ
Cyril was educated in Alexandria, spent time in the monastic wilderness, and served as preacher and secretary before becoming the twenty-fourth pope of Alexandria. His episcopate combined biblical interpretation, pastoral leadership, and vigorous defense of the Church’s faith.
When Nestorius divided the language used of Christ and rejected the title Theotokos for the Virgin Mary, Cyril led the Alexandrian response and presided at the Council of Ephesus in 431. His letters, commentaries, and Christological works insist that the eternal Word truly became human without division.
Biography source:
The Departure of St. Cyril I, Pope of Alexandria
· Coptic Synaxarium