“For concerning the divine and holy mysteries of the Faith, not even a casual statement must be delivered without the Holy Scriptures; nor must we be drawn aside by mere plausibility and artifices of speech. Even to me, who tell thee these things, give not absolute credence, unless thou receive the proof of the things which I announce from the Divine Scriptures. For this salvation which we believe depends not on ingenious reasoning, but on demonstration of the Holy Scriptures” [St. Cyril of Jerusalem (313-386), Catechetical Lecture IV, paragraph 17].
Some churches commemorate St. Cyril of Jerusalem on this date. He was a fourth-century bishop of Jerusalem, who composed his Catechetical Lectures for the training of new converts who were preparing for baptism. Few new convert classes or discipleship programs have surpassed this work. I encourage you to read it for free online at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
His view of Scripture might sound surprisingly evangelical to people who assume the Church became apostate at an early time. Cyril called his audience to demand biblical authority for every statement of doctrine. He did not even want them to let him off the hook.
Cyril’s audience did not have printed Bibles in every home and would have to come to church to hear God’s Word. How much more can we be held accountable to seek the authority of Holy Scripture?
Copyright © 2024 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.
Darkened Glass Reflections 
3 responses to “St. Cyril of Jerusalem on the Authority of Scripture”
There is so much wonderful wisdom available in the writings of the ancient Church Fathers!
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Definitely. I read Cyril’s Catechetical Lectures one year during Lent and found them to be very educational and enlightening. I will probably read them again at some point to really digest what he had to say.
I’m currently reading Augustine’s City of God. It is fascinating to learn how the Church Fathers approached Scripture. I don’t agree with everything Augustine had to say, but I have learned a lot from him.
Between them and the classics of more recent centuries (including C. S. Lewis, of course), I have little time for what passes for “devotional literature” nowadays.
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No, the Fathers certainly weren’t infallible… but they were faithful during difficult times, and they did establish the Canon for us. I encourage you to read Athanasius’ On the Incarnation. You can read C.S. Lewis’ Introduction to one edition here.
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