On the Unity of Christ

Great introduction

Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376 – 444) is arguably one of the most important theologians on the development and clarification on Christology in the Church Tradition. Following on the heels of Athanasius and the Cappadocian Fathers, Cyril was the integral figure in hammering out the heresy of Nestorianism (a rough outline of Nestorianism: the belief that Jesus Christ is composed of two persons or, using Nestorians’ terminology, ‘two sons’–one divine and the other human. This strong dichotomy jeopardizes core tenants of Christianity: the uniqueness of Jesus, salvation brought up by God, the role of the Spirit in believers, etc). On the Unity of Christ is penned by the mature Cyril amassing and curtly arranging his thoughts in dialectical conversation. Here, Cyril is battling all kinds of heresies: Nestorianism, Arianism, adoptionism, Apollinarianism, and Eutychianism. It is a testament of his superior rhetoric to say so much against so many with such few words. This work, therefore, is an absolute essential reading for Christology.

The translation seems accurate. Pope St Cyril big name in the Coptic church. I would say the main theme of this book is that human nature cannot save, only through God dying in the flesh could our indebtedness be satisfied. Pope St Cyril defends Jesus as eternal and natural Son of God, as apposed to being a man with a seperate existence assumed by the Word. I happy with the book's overall quality.

For theology geeks east and west, this is a great little book that will deepen your understanding of the Christological debates. Short, lucid and indispensable for any devout Christian. I love all of the titles in this series.

I can't say enough about this book. It was the inspiration behind my book! It showed me that the West has settled for a static dualistic interpretation of the person of Christ. Cyril of Alexandria opened the mystical door to a wholly other approach. Cyril of Alexandria's mystical understanding of Christ was holistic and non-dual. For Cyril Jesus is undivided: "at once God and human." Jesus, according to Cyril, is about creative tension, paradox, and complex dynamism. It is the dynamic unity of Christ espoused in this book that gave me the hope of a holistic vision taking hold of the Church once again. It gave me the hope for a core mystical theology that has the power to unite a divided Church. Cyril's holistic Christology is preserved today in the Oriental Orthodox Church's Miaphysite theology, which I attempted to make vital and contemporary in my book. -Amos Smith (author of Healing The Divide: Recovering Christianity's Mystic Roots)