By Grigorios of Mesaoria
The Orthodox Church commemorates today two Great Fathers and Teachers, Athanasius and Cyril, Patriarchs of Alexandria. Although Athanasius lived in the 4th century and Cyril in the 5th century AD, they were both devoted to the faith and teaching of the doctrine of the Orthodox Church.
The two Great Fathers and the Teachers, also known as “defenders of the Church of Christ”, did their utmost to fight against heresies and left behind some very important doctrinal writings. Their life inspired Gregory the Theologian who said, “When I praise Athanasius, virtue itself is my theme: for I name every virtue as often as I mention him who was possessed of all virtues.” Other theologians said, “If the Nile is a gift for Egypt, then Saint Cyril is a gift for the Church.”
The two Saints are considered pillars of the Orthodox Church as they supported the Orthodox doctrine throughout their lives. At the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 325 AD, Saint Athanasius defeated Arius. In particular, through his writings, he established the Orthodox doctrine of the Trinity. At the Third Ecumenical Council in Ephesus in 431 AD, Cyril achieved the deposition of Nestorius as Patriarch of Constantinople because he argued that Mary was the “Mother of Christ” and that Jesus Christ became God later on. He was calling the Virgin Mary “Christotokos” (Mother of Christ) and not “Theotokos” (Mother of God).
The two Fathers and Teachers are commemorated by the Orthodox Church on other days as well; Athanasius the Great on May 2 and Saint Cyril on June 9.
Source: Church of Cyprus
