Cyril (Ep. 19) to the Monks of Constantinople
| Reference: | CPG 5319/8646 |
| Incipit: | Τῆς θεοσεβείας ὑμῶν τὸν ζῆλον |
| Date: | Nov. 430 |
| Greek Text: | ACO 1.1.5:12-13 |
| English Translations: | FCC: L. Rogotzke; Price, CE #22; McEnerney, FC 76:96-97 |
In November 430, Cyril wrote his Third Letter to Nestorius (CPG 5317/8644). As the time of grace set by Celestine of Rome had run out, this letter confirmed the excommunication of Nestorius, appending twelve anathemas. With this letter, Cyril repeats all of these facts to the monks living in Constantinople. For their own spiritual well-being, they must separate themselves from Nestorius and his teaching or share the same fate.
The Greek text below is that of the ACO; the English translation was produced by L. Rogotzke for FCC.
| Greek | English |
| Τοῖς εὐλαβεστάτοις καὶ θεοσεβεστάτοις πατράσι μοναστηρίων τοῖς κατὰ τὴν μεγάλην Κωνσταντινούπολιν Κύριλλος καὶ ἡ κατὰ Ἀλεξάνδρειαν συναχθεῖσα ἁγία σύνοδος ἐν κυρίῳ χαίρειν. | Cyril and the holy synod that convened in Alexandria, to the most pious and reverent abbots of the monasteries in Constantinople. Greetings in the Lord. |
| Τῆς θεοσεβείας ὑμῶν τὸν ζῆλον ὃν ἐπὶ Χριστῷ πεποίησθε δυσφημουμένῳ, καὶ τοῦτο ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ τῇ τῶν ὀρθοδόξων, μεμαθήκαμεν ἀκριβῶς. | We have learned in detail of the zeal which your reverence has shown toward Christ when he was being slandered, and this in a church of orthodox believers! |
| καὶ σφόδρα μὲν ἐπῃνέσαμεν τῆς εὐνοίας ὑμᾶς τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν καὶ ἀγάπης τῆς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, κλαίοντες δὲ διατελοῦμεν καὶ παρακαλοῦντες τὸν τῶν ὅλων σωτῆρα Χριστὸν νῦν θραῦσαι τὴν τοῦ διαβόλου παγίδα καὶ περιελεῖν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν τὸ σκάνδαλον καὶ παῦσαι τὰς κατὰ τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ δυσφημίας. | And we greatly commended you for your affection towards Christ and your love for his name; but we persist with our tears in pleading with Christ, the Savior of all, to now crush the snares of the devil and to remove the stumbling block from the churches and to put an end to the slanders against his glory. |
| ἐπειδὴ δέ ἐστι μακρόθυμος, καιρὸν μεταγνώσεως ἐπεδαψιλεύσατο τῷ εὐλαβεστάτῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Νεστορίῳ, σιωπώντων τέως πάντων ἐπ’ αὐτῷ καὶ περιμενόντων ὅπερ ἦν ἅπασι δι’ εὐχῆς, τὸ μεταστῆναι μὲν αὐτὸν τῆς βεβήλου κενοφωνίας, φρονῆσαι δὲ μεθ’ ἡμῶν τὰ ὀρθὰ καὶ εἰκότα καὶ ταῖς θεοπνεύστοις συμβαίνοντα γραφαῖς ἑλέσθαι τε τὴν πίστιν τὴν παραδοθεῖσαν ἄνωθεν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις παρά τε τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων καὶ εὐαγγελιστῶν, οἳ καὶ γεγόνασιν οἰκονόμοι γνήσιοι τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ μυστηρίων καὶ ἱερουργεῖν ἐτάχθησαν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἀνὰ πᾶσαν τὴν ὑπ’ οὐρανόν. | And since he is patient, he lavished on the most pious bishop Nestorius a time of reevaluation, while everyone was still waiting silently for what they were praying for—that he might turn away from his profane babblings and might join again with us in holding to upright and reasonable concepts things and which agree with the divinely inspired scriptures; and that he take up the faith handed down from above to the churches by the holy apostles and evangelists, who also became true stewards of the mysteries of Christ and were appointed as priests to minister his gospel to all under heaven. |
| δὴ δὲ μεμένηκεν ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἢ τάχα δή που καὶ ἐν χείροσι γέγονε, προστιθεὶς ἀεὶ δυσφημίας ἐπὶ δυσφημίαις καὶ ξένα καὶ ἀλλότρια παντελῶς ἐξηγούμενος δόγματα, ἃ μὴ οἶδεν ὅλως ἡ ἁγία καὶ καθολικὴ ἐκκλησία, ἐδικαιώσαμεν ὑπομνησθέντα τρίτῳ γράμματι τούτῳ δὴ τῷ πεμφθέντι παρά τε ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ ὁσιωτάτου καὶ θεοσεβεστάτου ἀδελφοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ συλλειτουργοῦ Κελεστίνου τοῦ τῆς μεγάλης Ῥώμης ἐπισκόπου, εἰ μὲν ἕλοιτο μετανοῆσαι καὶ ἐφ’ οἷς εἴρηκε, δακρύσας ἀναθεματίσαι μὲν ἐγγράφως τὰ διεστραμμένα ἑαυτοῦ δόγματα, ὁμολογῆσαι δὲ ὀρθῶς καὶ ἀνεπιλήπτως τῆς καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας τὴν πίστιν, μένειν αὐτὸν συγγνώμην αἰτοῦντα καὶ ἃ δεῖ μανθάνοντα, εἰ δὲ μὴ ἕλοιτο ταῦτα πρᾶξαι, ἀλλότριον αὐτὸν εἶναι καὶ ξένον τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν ἐπισκόπων καὶ τοῦ διδασκαλικοῦ ἀξιώματος. | But since he has remained in these same things, or perhaps already fell into worse ones, always adding blasphemy upon blasphemy and propounding doctrines that are both foreign and altogether alien, never known to the holy and catholic church, we thought it just that he be reminded by a third letter now sent by us and by Celestine our most holy and reverent brother and fellow minister, the bishop of great Rome, that if indeed he choose to repent of what he has spoken, and to tearfully anathemize in writing his own distorted doctrines, and to clearly and without reserve agree with the faith of the catholic church, he may remain, asking forgiveness and learning what is necessary, and if he does not choose to do these things, that he is an alien and a foreigner to the company of bishops and to the teaching office. |
| οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἀκίνδυνον ἐν εἴδει ποιμένος λύκον ἐπαφεῖναι δεινὸν τοῖς τοῦ σωτῆρος ποιμνίοις. | For it is not safe that a wolf in the image of a shepherd bring danger to the flocks of the Savior. |
| ἀνδρίζεσθε τοίνυν ὡς δοῦλοι θεοῦ καὶ φροντίσατε τῶν ἰδίων ψυχῶν, πάντα πράττοντες ὑπὲρ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ὅπως ἂν ἡ εἰς αὐτὸν πίστις ὀρθὴ καὶ ἀκαταίτιος κηρύττητᾳ πανταχοῦ. | Therefore, act like men, as servants of God, and take care of your own souls, doing everything for the glory of Christ so that faith in him may be rightly and blamelessly preached everywhere. |
| τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμᾶς καὶ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα κινδύνων ἀπαλλάξει καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ θείου βήματος στεφάνων ἀξιωθῆναι παρασκευάσει, τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ἀγάπης ἕνεκα σύμπαντας ἀποδεχομένου τοῦ πάντων ἡμῶν σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ. | For this will set us free from future dangers and it will prepare us to be worthy of crowns at the divine judgment seat, where, because of our love toward him, he will receive us all together on account of Christ, the Savior of us all. |
| Ἀσπάσασθε ἀλλήλους ἐν φιλήματι ἁγίῳ. ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ πάντες ἀδελφοί. ἐρρῶσθαι ὑμᾶς ἐν κυρίῳ εὔχομαι, ἀγαπητοὶ καὶ ποθεινότατοι. | Greet one another in the holy brotherhood. All the brothers with me greet you. I pray that you are strong in the Lord, you who are beloved and longed for. |
Created by LR
Last updated 06/16/2026 JTS
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