Commentary on John (Newfound Fragments) / Translation from Ancient Greek, Introduction and Commentary by hieromonk Theodor (Yulaev)

Abstract

The paper presents the newfound fragments of St. Cyril of Alexandria’s «Commentary on John» translated into Russian. The fragments in question were discovered after critical edition of this Commentary by Ph. Pusey was published in 1872. The Introduction reminds 7–8th books of the Commentary had been lost. It provides the brief overview of earlier publications containing fragments of the lost books by J. Aubert, A. Mai, J.-P. Migne and Ph. Pusey. The latest publications of J. Reuss (1944, 1966), A. Alexakis (1996) and K. Zawadzki (2018) who complemented the Commentary with new fragments are mentioned as well. The overview of content of the newfound fragments is presented. Basing on specifics of triadological terminology, the assumption is made that the two fragments of the Cod. Paris. gr. 1115 published by Alexakis do not actually belong to St. Cyril of Alexandria. The statement of Zawadzki who dates the fragment of Cod. Athon. Pantocr. 28 (discovered by him) to the times of Nestorian controversy due to occurrence of the expression «God-bearing man» (ἄνθρωπος θεοφόρος) in it is criticized. It is suggested that the abovementioned expression had been circulating long before the controversy, and criticism of dualism in christology is also encountered in the early works of St. Cyril. The conclusion is drawn that occurrence of the expression «God-bearing man» in the St. Cyril’s Commentary does not provide grounds to reject its traditional attribution to the period before 428/429.