Saint Cyril of Alexandria

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 4pt 0cm 0pt;">Cyril was a patriarch of the Eastern Church and a Greek theologian. In 412, he succeeded his uncle as Archbishop of Alexandria and, in the tradition of the pharaohs and high priests of ancient Egypt, used his power and wealth to champion his cause - the defence of the doctrines of the Church. It is said that few people have had so formidable an enemy. At the Council of Ephesus in 431 in the great christological controversy against Nestorius, Cyril held that the relationship between the divine and human in Christ was so closely united that the Virgin was actually <em>Theotokos</em> (Mother of God). This controversy engaged Cyril until his death in 444. His christology and his eucharistic theology were reflected in his personal devotion to Christ and to the Blessed Sacrament. In 1882, he was declared a Doctor of the Church. ©2011 <em>Living with Christ, </em>Novalis - Bayard Press Canada Inc., <strong>http://www.livingwithchrist.ca/</strong&gt;. Reprinted with permission.</p>