CYRIL, ST. (CYRILLUS), of Alexandria, was educated under his uncle Theophilus, the bishop of Alexandria, by whom St. Chrysestom was persecuted and deposed. On the death of Theophilus in 412, Cyril was elected patriarch, that is, archbishop of Alexandria. His episcopal power was first displayed in shutting up and plundering the churches of the puritan sect founded by Novatian. Cyril next exhibited his zeal against heretics by heading a furious mob of fanatics, who drove out all the numerous Jewish population from Alexandria, where, since the time of Alexander, its founder, they had enjoyed many privileges, and were politically important as contributors to the public revenue. This arrogant proceeding therefore highly excited the anger of Oreates, the governor of the city, and made him hence forth the implacable opponent of the bishop, who, in the name of the holy Trinity and Gospels, in vain implored a reconciliation. In con sequence of the enmity thus created, and of Cyril's resentment of the checks opposed to his ambitious encroachments on the jurisdiction of the civil power, a murderous attack was made on the governor in his chariot by a band of 500 monks; and one who severely wounded him having suffered death on the rack, Cyril, in his church, pronounced a pompous eulogy over his body as that of a glorious martyr. (Soc., 1. vii., c. 14.) By the philosopher Eunapius ('Vita ./Edesin these monks are described as swine in human form. The tragic story of Hypatia, the daughter of the mathematician Theon of Alexandria, furnishes further evidence of the revengeful disposition of St. Cyril. This lady, whose wonderful abilities enabled her to preside over the Alexandrine school of Platonic philosophy, was the especial object of the bishop's enmity, partly, as is said, arising from envy at the depth and extent of her knowledge, which drew to her lectures the greatest philosophers and statesmen, and a crowd of students from Greece and Asia; but chiefly because of her intimacy with the governor and her great influenco over him, which Cyril and his clergy suspected was exerted against them. The consequent murder of Hypatia is circum stantially related by several ecclesiastical historians. (Soc., 1. vii., c.
13 and 15; Nicephorus, 1. xiv., c. 16; Dsmaacius, in Vita Isidori; Hesychius and Suidas, in 'Traria; Photius, Annot. ad Socrat.,' 1. vii., e. 15.) In these accounts it is stated that Cyril, having vowed the destruction of this accomplished woman, a party of infuriated wretches, whom Nicephorus (ubi supra) expressly declares to have been Cyril's clergy, led on by Peter, a preacher, seized her in the street, and having dragged her into a church, completely stripped her, tore her to pieces, carried the mangled fragments of her body through the streets, and finally burnt theta to ashes, 415. (See Toland's 'Hypatia or the History of a most beautiful, virtuous, learned, and accomplished Lady, who was torn to pieces by the Clergy of Alexandria, to gratify the Cruelty of their Archbishop, undeservedly styled St. Cyril,' 8vo, 1730. The story of Hypatia has been made, as will be remembered, the subject of a sort of philosophical novel by the Rev. Charles Kingsley.) The titles of Doctor of the Incarnation and Champion of the Virgin have been given to Cyril, on account of his long and tumultuous dis pute with Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople, who denied the mystery of the hypostatic union, and contended that the Divinity cannot be born of a woman—that the divine nature was not incarnate in but only attendant on Jesus as a man, and therefore that Mary was not entitled to the appellation then commonly used of Mother of God. (Pluquet.) The condemnation and deposition of Nestorius having been decreed by Pope Celestine, Cyril was as appointed his vicegerent to execute the sentence, for which he assembled and presided at a council of sixty bishops at Ephesus. But John, the patriarch of Antioch, having a few days afterwards held a council of forty-one bishops, who supported Nestorius and excommunicated Cyril, the two parties appealed to the Emperor Theodosius, who forthwith committed both Cyril and Neatoriva to prison, where they remained for some time under rigorous treatment. Cyril, by the influence of Celestiue, was at length liberated and restored (431) to the see of Alexandria, which he retained until his death, which occurred iu 444.